Can you be a SEN teacher with no qualifications?

[Redtaper]

Or a SEN teaching assistant?

I'm not blaming SENco's though.

It should be mandatory specific degree imo, and the pay should be reflective of the qualification and the stressful nature of the job.
At my child's large secondary school, no one wants it, and I can't blame them!

Exactly!

@PutYourBackIntoit

To be fair SENCOs do need to be qualified by law. However they need to be qualified as a teacher first and foremost. Whilst they absolutely do need a certain amount of knowledge what you’re describing sounds more like a Learning Disability nurse/occupational therapist skill set. There are so many needs within schools now that even educational psychologists constantly have to update their practice (which goes without saying) but first and foremost a SENCO is a teacher by trade.

Yes you can.

I’m a qualified teacher and now a SEND teacher.

Most of the other SEND teachers I work with don’t have any experience or qualifications.
They obviously don’t last very long as it’s a very difficult job and has a lot of extra unpaid hours that go with it.

The reason my unit doesn’t require qualifications or experience is because teachers are paid as TAs (upper end) and the actual TAs are paid at the lower end but the extra hours I do to plan and mark etc means that I’m actually paid worse than the TAs.

It really annoys me as I feel it says that SEND students don’t require the same standards of teaching as mainstream students
(the other teachers are lovely but if you’re not qualified then you’re not going to be able to teach that well and they usually leave after only a couple of terms which is so unfair to the students but I don’t blame them for leaving and I will have to leave too soon).

Should. But schools should also have enough funding, they don’t.

If we are to be able to recruit and retain well-qualified teachers and TAs to work with our children, they will have to be offered decent pay and conditions. There is no sign of that ever happening.

This!

@Fairislefandango

Whole profession is run on goodwill (but less and less as time goes on) and an outdated, romanticised view of teaching that still lures the new recruits in (that generally don’t stay for too long).

It is hideous.

He ought to work at my last school, he'd be doing his teacher training within a term of being a TA there.

A couple of my TAs don’t even have any GCSEs as they failed them all due to lack of knowledge or bad behaviour and my SEND unit is their first job because it didn’t require any qualifications or experience.

But they are incredible at their job.
They truly care about the students and are amazing with them.

I guess because it’s so poorly paid the only people who stay are the ones who are dedicated to the students.

I think SEND (and mainstream) teachers should definitely be qualified but if TAs had to be qualified then my amazing TAs wouldn’t be working with us.

That's encouraging. It's a risk though isn't it - just chucking someone in a classroom to look after students with SEN who has no knowledge of either education or SEN?

I mean,.I spend my days listening to very middle class grown ups talk about their marriage and I trained for almost 6 years post degree to do that 😅 I'd assumed someone looking after vulnerable kids would at least have some training.

@Redtaper

Its less risky than having no one infront of the class. Tis someone with a heart beat I guess.

What a shame that its come to this. Hopefully Labour will improve things 🤞

@Redtaper

I really hope so 🙏.

QTLS was given legal parity with QTS in 2012 for state controlled schools.

OP, your route would be TA, TA Qual, Unqualified Teacher (taking a class a few hrs per week), Level 5 DET/ Apprenticeship, QTLS (but you will need Level 3 minimum in a specialist subject to be eligible for QTLS, so an A Level in English for example, and teaching some English)

To improve your chances you could do some volunteering. Most people that have followed this route in SEN are parents of SEN children themselves ime.

@JeandeServiette the term Unqualified Teacher is exactly that.
The non QTS route gives the opportunity for talented teachers who cannot do the degree route, often coming into it in later life. Some people are just great teachers!
They develop their knowledge and skills through the TA route, and then through completing Teaching Quals.
It's a different route.
QTS and QTLS are not the same, but as I said previously, have legal parity.

Not quite.
In non maintained schools (independent schools, academies, etc) can chose to employ unqualified/non QTS teachers. There is also a non-qualified teacher pay scale too.

Obviously many don't for their main teachers, though may for specific subject areas where they may go for experience in the field instead. However there are some who take in unqualified teachers, probably getting worse now due shortages.

TAs are different - depending on the level then qualifications may not be required. Most schools do have a minimum of GCSE grade c/4 in English/maths (or equivalent) though. There are TA courses but they aren't standardised and not compulsory. There are different levels of TAs too. Some schools will only employ well qualified and/or experienced TAs, some take in those with none.

Ofsted will only allow a controlled percentage of Unqualified Teachers tho

Have you got a link? I've never seen Ofsted comment on teacher qualifications.

Ofsted bothering about whether teachers are qualified or not would be interesting seeing as the government doesn't give a shit.

I do know someone who is just about to become a SEND TA actually.
She has no teaching qualifications. She has done volunteer work, part time, for the last few months at the school.

She does have qualifications but not linked to education. She has a degree and a post grad qualification in an unrelated area, but is very well educated.

She is leaving a career where she currently earns over £75k a year, to become a level 3 TA - a big drop!

Let's not pretend that all these people working in schools without teaching qualifications are actually great and just lacking in a piece of paper.

Schools are hiring anyone they can to put with SEN kids, or in front of classes. The situation is desperate. https://www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/teacher-recruitment-crisis-intensifies-schools-make-reluctant-job-appointments

Absolutely!

And it means lots of people leave which is so disruptive for the children, either because it’s just a stop gap job to gain some experience or because it’s a hard job.

I’ve honestly lost count of the amount of teachers who’ve come and gone because of the workload vs pay and these are the children who need stability the most.

Advertising and paying for actual teachers or people with qualifications/experience would mean less staff turnover but I can’t see that happening anytime soon.

I am an Oxbridge law graduate, tried teacher training as a second career but the workload and stress wasn't worth it. Have been working as a secondary SEND TA without any specific qualifications for that role for just over a year and loving it. But I earn less per hour than my 2nd year undergraduate daughter does in her holiday catering job! Can only do it because my DH is main earner.

@Clementineorsatsuma

For now. And yeah, let’s stop pretending all these unqualified teachers without degrees are great. I’m yet to meet one and I’m past caring if that sounds judgemental. It’s a cost saving measure and has nothing to do with the quality of education delivered.

Absolutely so.
In many schools children with SEN are taken out of classes and left with a TA for much of the day.