To think its crazy that LSAs require more qualifications to run an after school club than look after a class of 30

[ReallyTired]

My son's after school club is not yet OFSTED registered. The reason being is that the two higher level teaching assistants who run it do not yet have NVQ level 2 in child care.

Its really frustrating that the after school club is not OFSTED registered as we cannot use child tax credit to pay for it. Also the after school club are only allowed to look after the children until 5pm. My son loves his after school club and it is well run.

However both these women are higher level teaching assistants and are allowed to baby sit an entire class for a day while a teacher is away. One of the women the NNEB (qualifed nanny) yet she still has to do the NVQ level 2 qualification.

Surely looking after an after school is easy in comparision with taking a whole class for PPA time.

Bloody ridiculous.

I have an NVQ3 I was told this is the same qualification as a NNEB...

I think the fair point is that in the daytime there are other, senior staff around while at an after school club the TAs are on their own.

But I'm confused by the NNEB thing, I also thought it was equivalent to an NVQ3. Maybe it's because NNEB doesn't qualify you to run group care but only look after a family in a domestic setting. (And isn't an NVQ2 only GCSE level? So hardly reassuring...)

I disagree with teaching assistants being used to cover for a class of 30. I think its an abuse of teaching assistants. My son deserves be taught by a qualfied teacher, but thats another thread.

My son's after school club is excellent. The two ladies who run it are caring and its well organised and resourced.

They may not have NVQ level 2, but they do have a higher level teaching assistant qualification. They have done first aid courses and have plenty of experience of looking after children. I am happy with their qualifications, but OFSTED isn't.