I hate my job as SEND teaching assistant

[fluffy71]

I hope I won’t get flayed alive for this but exactly the above. Started in KS1 at a mainstream school in Sept to work one to one with a child with an EHCP. There were two jobs advertised to look after 2 children 1-1. Turns out the ratio is actually 2 adults to 3 children apart from an hour at the start and end of the day where it’s 1 adult with all 3 children. The third child has no care plan in place so the one to one support the other two are entitled to is being shared with this third child. I understand now that this is the norm in schools due to shortfalls in funding. I thought this would be manageable as I believe children need to develop independence and learn to play with others and not have a 1-1 breathing down their necks all the time. The staff at school are really lovely and devoted to all the children. Though I just feel exhausted. I feel like my heart is racing all the time, trying to manage their unpredictable and often destructive behaviour. All three children are developmentally around 3 years below their chronological age. School are happy with the job I do and I do my very best for the children every day but I don’t know how much longer I can carry on. Though leaving would badly impact the rest of the staff and all the children in the class but I’m starting to dread going to work. I am a parent and have worked with older students with additional needs before so didn’t go into this role totally blind to the demands.

Thanks for all your responses. I think I’m going to enjoy Christmas and then start looking for another job in new year. My heart is thumping in my chest at the thought of going in tomorrow.

Good luck with the job search. Do what's right for you

I couldn't do it, a thankless job and must feel quite pointless in many ways. I would leave.

The SENCO is probably working overtime trying to get things in place for these children. It may be that their needs cannot be met in mainstream but there isn't a specialist place for them yet or the placement hasn't been agreed. Unfortunately there are the in-between times, very often in KS1, where the school acknowledge they are not best suited to a child but the child needs to continue in that setting for the time being.

If its not the job for you look for another one. Sadly yes days are long gone of 1:1 bring solely with one child and manging their behaviour. They are often managing several children who don't have ehcp

Yes I’m definitely not in full possession of the facts. I’ve looked at my temporary contract and it says I have to give them a months notice yet it doesn’t mention what notice they have to give me. (Presumably no notice). Speculating this is because the school may have already indicated to the LEA that it can’t meet the children’s needs and they are bodging together ad hoc (inadequate) support until the LEA grant their request. Whatever is it, I won’t find out and I’ll find something else.

Surely you should see the plans otherwise how can you see their outcomes and provisions if you are supporting them

Does seem a bit much if they are all high needs

As WASZPy said... look for a job in a special school.
I've done both.. TA in mainstream as a 1:1 and as a TA in special school.
1:1 is often soul destroying as you end up supporting more children than you should and no one gets the benefit they should..and it's exhausting, the funding is never there, or enough.

Working is a special school is also exhausting, BUT you generally have classes of around 8 or 9 pupils and a ratio of one adult to two children (or three in more able classes) and you can swap in and out when dealing with challenging behaviour, the curriculum is actually tailored to the children's needs...it's just a better way to work.
I've now been 20 years in special school. Still exhausted at the end of the day but I enjoy it, enjoy working as part of a team rather than solo!

It's so bad in KS1, though, the placing of children in mainstream who are NEVER going to be mainstream pupils. The total non-verbal children with severe autism who just don't progress because it's just not the right setting at all. The pressure on their one to ones. It's just babysitting all day while they wait often up to 2 years to be placed in a special scohol. So sad. It's like their parents are in total denial of a) how far they differ from their peers and b) what they think a mainstream school can provide. I just have no idea why they choose them when applying for a Reception place.

I did this work for a period of time and you genuinely couldn’t pay me enough to do it again. Once I was actually hired as a 1 to 1, but it was my first time experiencing that role in a mainstream setting so I didn’t realise how shit it would be. I was young and nervous about changing jobs so I tried to stick it out but it was awful.

The second time I took a role which was advertised as a general class TA - but a few days in, it transpired that it was a 1 to 1 role. They’d struggled to hire a 1 to 1 so much (because of how challenging it can often be) so they’d advertised for a general TA and then stealthily tried to get me to be a 1 to 1 TA instead. I left immediately and I’m really glad I did.

I know there probably are people who genuinely love that sort of work - but in reality those people are few and far between; which is why schools really struggle to find them often. The pay does not represent how hard you have to work - and being with a very small number of children with often challenging behaviour, who need a great deal of support, is draining. I have also found a lot of mainstream schools simply aren’t equipped to meet the needs of the children they have there - but even when parents would like them to be transferred to a special needs school, they can be waiting for years for a space. I cared for one child in year 4 who had been waiting for a space since reception.

if you feel miserable just leave as soon as humanly possible. The time you spend working is a huge chunk of your life - don’t waste it feeling unhappy any longer than necessary.

From speaking to people working in education and parents of children with SEN have got to know - often parents feel that if they send their children to mainstream, it’ll help them ‘catch up’ with their peers and that sending them to a SEN school (which would actually be far better equipped to meet their needs) would stop them from progressing as there are not neurotypical children around for them to learn from. It obviously isn’t true, but I can see why parents may feel mainstream is preferable if they’re making a choice based on emotions, and they’re hoping their child may just catch up.

This was my thoughts exactly. I think the issue is though that only one of the children will have the funding and diagnosis in place for a 1:1 but all 3 children will need help and so school have tried to make do with the one TA they can afford, rather than take the piss.

Having said that I'd complain if my child was entitled to a 1:1 and the TA was being used to support 3 children.

I agree schools take advantage of TAs. They can’t get 1:1s so they lie and advertise for a classroom TA.
It’s a thankless task.
Look for another job op.

It’s crazy you’ve not seen all the EHCPs as it outlines so much you need to know.

best look for alternative jobs.

Id be tipping the school off to the local authority. No ehcp and not using funding correctly to provide adequate ratio support.
Ofsted and CQC would be all over that

the school system sadly lets families with SEN children down. EHPC says 1:1 yet they are 1:3. These poor families often have to fight tooth and nail to get their children’s EHCP met or to be accommodated in a more appropriate specialist provision.

We have no evidence to suggest the school is doing anything significantly wrong here. If the children's EHCPs specify 1:1, then the school is doing the wrong thing. However, very few EHCPs do specify 1:1, even where a child clearly needs it.

I also don't think you appreciate how hard it is to obtain an EHCP. It's not a case of school seeing a desperate need and immediately getting one.

The thing that is wrong is the lack of communication with OP about the children's plans.

Insist on seeing the EHCPs of all the children you are working with. It's important as they will, if they are written properly, say a lot about what you should be doing to support the children concerned.

More importantly, you need to know whether those EHCPs require the children to have dedicated 1:1 support or 1:1 during all or most of their time in school. If that is the case, then they should not be sharing care with another child, and the school will be getting funding for it. If so, you need to raise it with the SENCO, and/or possibly alert the parents to what is going on and refer them to charities like IPSEA and SOS SEN to take steps to enforce their children's rights.

Are you sure that is the parents' choice? All too often children who desperately need specialist places are in mainstream schools only because there is no place available due to significant planning failures by both LAs and the DfE. I wish more mainstream schools would be prepared to dig their heels in and say no in that situation, if they really cannot meet the child's needs. If they would provide statements setting out all the ways in which their provision would fall short then they would be providing parents with valuable ammunition with which to force local authorities to meet their statutory obligations.

Hahahaha, you don’t seem to realise that the problem is not the school, its the local authority who will already know how it is because THEY are the ones not providing enough funding.

But that's an entirely sensible first step into forcing the LA to fund properly. If the support is properly specified in the EHCP, the LA has no choice but to secure it, otherwise it risks being taken to court and it will have no defence.

Good luck op. My sister used to do this job but ended up burning out and now she does something else.

High needs kids and high needs parents.

And more the parents.

my 5 th year of teaching and think I am adding to that statistic.

Yep, I hear you. I cant do this any more- my heart is racing at the thought of this last week of term and all the stress it brings from every angle.
I just feel pretty unemployable tbh and have no idea where to turn.

Try taking a take a step back and take all the emotion out of it -or most of it.

You applied for a job and you are not doing the job that is advertised. FACT. That is the only fact you need.

You have 3 options

1. Resign stating the jobs is not as per the jobs description and you do not have the capacity to carry out the additional tasks required
2. Live with it
3. As for a meeting with the head to discuss the issues stating the issues I point 1

If it were me and I didn't need the job desperately I'd do route 1 because I know route 3 wouldn't change anything.

We have a team of 4 tas a threes TAs left this year and of those two of them resigned and went of sick. Please don't do that. But resign now and you will only have two weeks to work if you have to give 2 calendar months notice.

Or you could wait until the new year.