Should my child's class have a qualified teacher everyday?

[Jap26]

Aibu to expect that my year 5 child has a qualified teacher everyday at school. Teachers have been announced for the next school year and the year 5 teacher is part time doing 4 days a week, no teaching cover has been arranged and the plan is for various TA's to cover the 5th day. The school have confirmed that with ppa time for the class teacher they will only have an actual teacher 3.5 days a week. None of the TA's have any relevant qualifications. As an ad hoc arrangement to cover sickness I think this is fine but they are planning do to this every week. Before I complain I just want a reality check on if this is standard practice

I should add, 1/2 a day without their regular teacher for PPA is standard. Some schools used a cover teacher employed by the school or on supply. Sometimes this is a HLTA who will possibly be delivering pre planned lessons. Some smaller schools might have the head teacher covering. Some schools use sports coaches / drama / music teachers (not usually qualified school teachers) to cover so the children receive specialist education in that area. In the latter cases I would be less concerned that they are not qualified teachers.

They did not sued to. It may have become common under the current government. It did not used to be the case.

Standard practice. Is it right? No. It makes a mockery of our degree. Not that some TAs aren’t fantastic and do a better job of some teachers.

Can schools afford the alternative? No! Support teachers - this is why they strike. There is no budget for staff and so it’s taken from resourcing pupils.

it’s one of the only jobs that as you progress and gain experience, you become less desirable as they can no longer afford you.

Well, it sounds like they only have the capacity for two year groups to do swimming so chose 2 and 4. That means they’ve ‘left’ R,1,3,5,6 out, not just year 3! When there is limited capacity, choices need to be made.

They'll get bunged with pshe or RE. Honestly, don’t disrupt the end of your child’s primary years to demand things like this. TAs can’t teach core subjects (doesn’t stop some schools) so make a stand on that maybe but not the moving.

This is the state of education funding today.

I would definitely avoid casting judgements on the qualifications of the TAs.
I work as a TA - have done for quite a few years - but I am a fully qualified teacher; I picked this role as it allows for a better work/life balance. At my current school, half of those hired as TA3s or above are actually fully qualified teachers, some of whom worked as teachers for a number of years (one for 20 years!) before stepping into a TA role. The others have relevant teaching assistant qualifications. So, whilst I understand the concern, please do not assume that TAs are incapable or unqualified to deliver lessons.

But you're very much in the minority, especially in some parts of the country.

None of the TAs I had in the 20 years at my last school had any post 16 education. In fact the best TA I ever had, had major literacy issues. But that didn't matter because it was a special school, and she had such an imstinctive and wonderful way with behaviour management and empathy for the children, that she more then made up for it. And because she was lovely, my other TAs very happily took on more than their fair share of the tasks that she struggled with.

Our school was in a very deprived town. A town that many teachers would avoid teaching in, and where the pool of highly (or even well) educated people was considerably smaller than in your leafy suburbs or nice middle class towns.
So there you have the double whammy. A lack of teachers, and a lack of TAs who can cover to a high enough standard for more then the odd day.

https://neu.org.uk/advice/member-groups/support-staff/hltas-and-cover-supervisors

only on a short term basis or in an emergency.

What do you think a T.A does?
Do you realise that the teacher doesn't read with your darling child? Do you know ow it's actually the T.A who sits and reads with them? Do you know the T.A takes groups and works with them on projects and works with individuals on things they are struggling with? A T.A is marking things and preparing the room and snacks etc.

The teacher plans the lessons but the plans are in place at least a week before. The T.A is very capable of carrying out the same work. Many T.As are actually working towards a teaching qualification.

Go work in a school and you'll see just exactly what they're doing....and no thanks from parents either! All the praise goes to the teacher but never to the T.A who is actually the one given quality time to teach your child.

Of course you should expect it but I’m afraid in many schools (and ever increasing) this is the new norm. I’ve just left secondary school teaching for a better work life balance and I think parents would be shocked at the amount of lessons that are being taught as standard by teachers who are not qualified in the subject and also how many lessons are led by unqualified teachers.

This is just the start of your worries.

There is a mass exit of teachers in the UK they are going abroad, private schools or the cooperate world leaving a huge teacher shortage.

Teachers are over worked and abused daily by children and their parents. It’s scary and I’m just thankful our school seems to teachers for next year but hate to think what’s coming as all the staff with experience are gone.

It’s not ideal, but they probably can’t get a teacher for just 1 day but have to accommodate flexible working to retain the ones they do have. Agency teachers long term is probably too expensive. As others have said, I would voice my concerns and find out how suitable the arrangement is, maybe also consider a position on the governors if you feel strongly to be able to have the chance to make changes.

Yes ours do cycling too. Swimming is only mandatory in year 4, so doing in year 2 is an extra offer by the school.
Year 3 is a transition year from infants to juniors and they have lots of new info to take on and it's already a very busy year, so they decided not to do in year 3

Absolutely, a skilled TA is worth their weight in gold. Especially with the younger ones, they are the ones who comfort the shy ones, patch up the injured ones and support the ones who are struggling. My daughters have prefered all their TA's to their teachers, who have also been excellent, but it's a very different (and valuable) role.
Our end of term collections are split equally between teachers and TA's as they are all essential

This - we all want best of both worlds.
Of course I want the sane teacher all week for my child, but I also value being able to work part time myself. It's unfair to place expectations on others which we don't fulfill ourselves. It'd like those who moan GP's are not open at 8pm on a Saturday - would they want to work Saturdays? Probably not!

Not as rare as you might think. I have worked in five schools during my 15 year career (sometimes as a teacher, sometimes as a TA) and every single one of them had a number TAs with qualified teacher status. Every single one. Often, they were people stepping down after teaching, who wanted to reduce the stress and the amount of work needing to be done at home... Also, I have never lived/worked in a leafy suburb or anywhere that wasn't sadly classed as deprived. My current school is more than 70% pupil premium, the last was 80% pupil premium when I first joined.

Sadly, schools are struggling with staff retention, budget squeezes and other difficult circumstances. To be honest, I don't think it is fair when TAs are expected to cover on a regular basis, but it has been happening throughout my career. Out of the last 5 school days, I have taught classes solo for 2.5 of them. Long gone are the days where TAs are only doing behind the scenes jobs, displays, prepping resources etc. So many are now in front of the class at least part of the week. Whilst most are more than able (and I've encountered TAs who are actually more able than the teachers they are covering), it is frustrating when the pay does not reflect those additional responsibilities and pressures.

Yes, that's technically correct.

Many schools interpret this far differently. Speaking from direct experience. Our TAs regularly cover classes and this is planned in advance and timetabled. They are amazing but it's not fair on them or the children.

Before you say it, they're not HLTAs and they're not paid extra.

It's happening in many schools.

I’d say this is fairly normal even for full time teachers - our teachers are out pretty much a whole day each week, some more so when they are on various training things which can last the whole year and we only get TA covering during that time. To be fair the learning is structured so it’s generally TAs doing PE day and personal/health/social/emotional learning etc which I’m not going to complain about.

But again, that doesn’t make it right. It is purely an abuse of power.
It isn’t really an interpretation when a TA/HLTA is required to cover a class every Friday for the whole year.

Also who plans for these lessons? In many schools the HLTA is required to do so meaning they are also required PPA themselves, but schools refuse to give it to them.
The class teacher isn’t paid for the Friday so they also argue that they are not required to plan for the day.

Being timetabled is fine but not long term.

I love my children’s HLTA’s and they are amazing but I would never expect them to cover my children on a permanent basis.
That is now why they are employed.

Anyone can be employed as an unqualified teacher as long as the head seems them suitable.

But the TA does an entirely different job. Hearing a child read, working with a small group (at work the teacher set, and with instructions on how to assess the particular targets the teacher is looking at) is entirely different from planning, differentiating, and presenting the curriculum to a class of 30, while simultaneously managing their behaviour and assessing individuals to their different objectives.

Of course children are prone to liking the TA more. The TA is the one that can give them individual attention. The TA doesn't get cross as often, because she's not the one setting the rules and she's not having to keep 30 children engaged and behaving.

If the same TA had to teach the class full time, they'd like her less!

Simply put, yes, our children should have qualified professionals teaching them. BUT… where do you expect the school to get them from if they aren’t out there? Pay is pants as is conditions. Secondary schools are in a worse position… but just look at all the professions within public service… they are all stretched and who the hell wants to go into them these days? People are leaving or want to leave in droves. Would you want to work in any of them?

so in your situation what do you think the complaint is going to do? Force the teacher to work 5 days? I bet they would leave the profession!!! Get them to buy in another teacher? Where from?

no it’s not good enough and there is there an easy solution, it certainly won’t be sorted before September.

Have you thought that the TA might be very good? Possibly with more years of experience than many teachers and possibly more knowledge.

In my LOs school there are some TAs who I would prefer to teach rather than some of the qualified teachers.

Presumably the TAs have TA qualifications? Maybe even higher TA qualifications? You do get some TAs who are also graduates (thinking about becoming a teacher perhaps and trying it for a year or so) and very occasionally a qualified teacher drops back to be a TA because they like the kids but not the work load of a teacher, or because they wanted to work closer to home when they had children of their own.