Teaching Assistants

[Floralapron]

My DP is a TA/learning mentor in a secondary school.
He went in yesterday to organise what was happening.
None of the teaching staff were in and they were told it would be them on the ‘front line’ with the vulnerable and key worker children and the teachers would be doing remote lessons from home.
They were also told their union wasn’t as strong as the teaching staff so that’s why they had no choice but to be in.

He doesn’t get paid a great deal in his role. It’s teen time only pay and so works out as almost lower than the living wage altogether. I was just really upset when I heard.

Bump. Wondering if anyone has a similar situation ?

What does his union say about the situation?

If its unsafe he should contact his union. However, I'd assume that teaching staff aren't in because they're teaching from home.

I don't like this solution at all, but I can see why some schools are doing it.

We have one teacher and one TA per year group bubble. The other teachers are doing the online provision. TAs aren't qualified to teach children (I am one), how are they expecting the keyworker children to make sufficient progress in their learning when they're not being taught by a proper source??

My daughter is expected to be in, there are fewer than ten pupils in the class and two teachers. Sbe lives wirh vulnerable family members, Im beyond angry for the stupidiry of the headteacher and to?d her to contact her union. Sadly support staff seem to be the ones having to get their hands dirty for peanuts.

I'm a teaching assistant and we are now at home, as four teachers are staying with the head for the keyworker and vulnerable children, so the rest of us aren't needed in. For the wage teachers get compared to TAs they should be in.

Some TAs are qualified, my daughter has a degree in education and regularly covers the class and planning. She did want the responsibility of teaching, what a joke that's turned out to be!

If the kw/v children are doing the same work as the children at home, this does make sense as a division of labour.
Teachers teach remotely and TAs supervise and help the children in school.
Those two jobs can't realistically be reversed.
But if not all teachers are teaching remotely then YANBU.

TA's are paid peanuts; they ought not work in unsafe conditions, but of course, are vulnerable in a way teachers aren't - they often can't work from home, and if they don't work, they don't get paid.

I hope your partner is not especially vulnerable, OP, and that his Head has kept keyworker place numbers to a minimum, at least.

This is how they’re doing it at my work. Teachers at home planning, teaching and helping kids who are at home and TAs in school with keyworker kids. I’m hoping that we will do a good enough job for those kids. I’m covering KS1 so at least it’s ‘easier’
Work for me to teach.

Unison said pretty much what NEU said?

Unions won’t help as they advise being available to support kw/v which is what your dp is doing.
Secondary TA here, teachers working from home remotely teaching, Support staff (TA and cover supervisors) in school 3 days a week on a rota to supervise kw/v. About 10 students and 4 members of staff per year group. The students have laptops which they use to access the same work as those at home. Obviously we can help but are not subject specialists (well some are if their degree is in that particular subject but it’s not guaranteed).

There should be a rota system its not impossible o teach in a classroom and it cant all fall on he TA shoulder they are just as human and as risk as anyone else. Teachers were asked to offer to come in to work a rota.

We have a mix of teachers and support staff in throughout the week. Teachers are working form home 3 days a week and are in school supervising keyworker/vulnerable students 2 days a week. TAs and other supprot staff are also in 2 days a week as support with students or on reception etc.

As far as I'm aware the NEU accept support staff as members as well as teachers. Might be worth looking into joining them.

Teachers at my secondary are teaching from home to normal timetable (work for each lesson although not necessarily live video stream, available to answer questions via chat function and email). KW and vulnerable children are being looked after at school and given a device to access the online work. Staff supporting them are not teaching them just keeping them safe and encouraging them to do the online work, I guess a bit like a parent would at home (who wouldn't be a subject specialist either).

This makes perfect sense to me-if you have the teachers in school teaching all day, they can’t do the remote learning properly.

What work would your DH realistically be able to do from home?

Whilst I sympathise I absolutely understand why some schools have got TAs supervise the kw children who are in and teachers are teaching online from home.

If a teacher was babysitting kw children then how can they teach to those at home? And what would your DH be doing?

Rota at our primary school. All staff included. Im in next week every morning.

I'm a year 6 TA, we have two teachers in to cover the 16 keyworker / vulnerable pupils in school and the other TA and I are sharing the 'in school' days between us.
We have a great head who leads from the top. We all roll our sleeves up and crack on. Someone has to support the critical workers by opening the school for their children.

Yes, support staff hours are being used first, to support invited and keyworker’s children in school. Teaching staff used to cover breaks or for any additional hours. We’re on a rota for our/partner school and can be called if needed to work at other schools in our cluster.

@FlagsFiend that’s exactly how I described our role in the staff room today - we aren’t here to teach, we are here to play the role of the parent where their parents can’t support. And every piece of work submitted that is one more than they would at home is brilliant. It’s not perfect, but it is what it is

Same where I work. TAs are in school, teachers at home. Doesn’t seem quite fair that support staff are taking all of the risk. As I say that as a teacher.

Teaching assistants and some SLT only staff in at both our primary and secondary schools too.

It was the same first lockdown.

Thanks for all the replies.
He’s got a degree and actually worked as a coved supervisor previously. He then applied to do his PGCE but left early due to depression.

He’s not vulnerable, neither am I or our DS so we’re lucky in that respect. But I think a lot of the TAs there feel that their health and that of their family’s are being put at risk while the teachers are safe at home. I do understand it, but I wish they’d get more recognition, particularly in regards to their pay. I hope they are after this is over.