Teaching Assistants excluded from class Christmas present

[LyricalBoudicca]

Class representative organised the traditional Christmas whip-round to buy vouchers for the teacher with a % given to the rest of the school staff community to save teachers/staff being inundated with lots of gifts. This year they have announced that the 2 TAs in the class will not be included in the voucher gifting because they only work with 2 SEN children and not the rest of the class. AIBU in thinking this is a bit mean? Nobody has to take part of course but I feel rather uncomfortable about the whole situation.

In my opinion parents should just be free to send their own gifts/cards (or not) to whoever they want, rather than a whole class approach.

If I was a teacher or TA, I'd infinitely prefer a £100 gift card to 30 boxes of chocolates, mugs, etc.
The children know them but the parents don't, so unless my child had a good idea about what they wanted to give, I wouldn't have the foggiest.
I organised a collective gift and it was optional as they always should be.
Still maintain they're a good idea!

I'm a SEN TA in a special school. If this happened to me I'd be tamping. You're still apart of the school and support staff regardless if you're 1-to-1 or not!!

This will massively embarrass the teacher.

The TAs will do a lot of things for all the other children too, e.g. preparing and putting away equipment before and after school and during breaks, and, of course, helping the teacher.

The parent who made this decision sounds rather shortsighted (without meaning any offence to the myopic!)

what does tamping mean?

Another word for fuming 🙈

I offer every year to cover the cost of sons sen TA present and every the class parents say no as she not only helps my child.

When my dc 1:1 arnt working with him she may be taking a group of children he is in, or taking the rest of the class if dc is reading with the teacher. She's there to support my dc not smother him. She does yard duty same as all TAs.
I never yet met 1:1 TA that just works with their statemented child in mainstream

I buy separately for the teacher and TA for my SEN child after something similar a few years ago.

As a TA you often work with other children it may seem 1 to 1 but it isn't. We often help prepare stuff for whole class administer first aid support all children in playground and if we weren't there the teacher would be thinly spread. I don't expect anyone to give a present we are just doing our job but a small bar of chocolate would be enough. I think putting a box of biscuits in staff room is much nicer, just because your child is not taught by other teachers you would be surprised by the intervention by all staff in the school

Shocking comment.

That's sad. And I can guarantee you that no matter how challenging the 1:1 child, the TA will be helping others too. It's too difficult to ignore when a child asks you for help and the teacher is busy. And in fact, their mere presence in class reduces disruption for everyone. A TA gets close to 'their' class and it would be hurtful to be left out.

Could it be that whoever buying the gifts is unaware of the TA? I have been in charge of collections in the past and because my child was not supported by one of the 1:1 TAs in the class they rarely interacted with them and had never mentioned them to me. I wasn’t aware they existed. When it was pointed out to me we split the collection with them. But if nobody had told me I would never have known.

That really shows how little parents know about what a TA does 😪. Chances are they are not exclusively working with just 2 children. I worked as a SEN TA and never worked exclusively with my SEN child.

What a dreadful situation.
I’m a TA and even when I’ve been 1-2-1 I’ve still engaged and supported other class members.

I have been a TA for over 10 years and even when I've been allocated a 1 to 1 I still work with the rest of the class!

Super shitty. There were 2 1:1’s in my son’s year 6 class but my son and the other kids loved them. No way did they only assist the children they were providing 1:1 support for. They were part of the whole class family. Of course they should be included.

I find this quite upsetting. As others have said, supporting a child with complex needs is to the benefit of all children in the class.
Most schools are super stretched financially and that stretch will impact the work load of all staff including TAs. An incredible, exhausting, juggling act.

Look for a new job.

you’re kidding, right?

on the basis that a thoughtless parent doesn’t buy you a christmas prezzie you’d jack in a job?

Actually had this happen to me. I was working 1-2-1 with a child, and for a few Christmases was completely ignored by the rest of the class. Was quite hurtful, its not like I ignored the other children in the class, and didn't help and support where needed. I wasnt expecting a grand gesture, but a box of chocs and a card would have been appreciated. There was no other TA in the class either.

I came on here to say exactly this!!

Really shitty, I'd voice my opinion directly tbh.

In my experience that'll be because they children have specific and possibly complex needs, so not necessarily a walk in the park. And quite possibly allowing the other 28 to get the most out of the teacher because of the TAs' efforts.

Grumio · Yesterday 17:00

Anyone who thinks that 1:1 support work solely with that child is completely wrong

Not always, they often work in groups but I’ve also had very autistic children in my class whose 1-2-1 literally just shadows them, leaves the class with them, interacts with them, and them alone. It depends on the severity of the SEN and if the child has social skills.