Too many part-timers working in schools

[Titogovi]

That;

a) Only work 8.55-3.15pm, not a minute earlier, not a minute later.

b) Have hissy fits if you ask them do anything 'from home' (their place of worship)

c) Actually, just re-read a) and that really says it all.

Who suffers - the children.

Question: who created their jobs in the first place then? And who decided that "working flexibly" (aka, doing the bare minumum and caring more about taking little Johnny to his sax lesson on the other side of town rather than giving your all to the school your work in..) would work..?

I feel ashamed to be a part-time working mum athe moment.

TAs let the side down, big style.

I blame it on the children
this whole culture of clocking off at 3.15, where did that spring from
if they were in the City they'd be at their desks until 10
slackers

Titogovi - what actually is the problem? How are the children suffering?

My DD has 3 TAs in her class at school. They are absolutely brilliant, and one of them particularly has made my DD's first year of school a real pleasure. I regularly see them helping at school fetes on a saturday, dressing up for the end of school party etc etc. Generally going over and above. Only one of them currently has DCs at the school.

Sounds like you've got a bee in your bonnet about one specific situation OP. Two of my friends have been TAs for a year, prior to teacher training, and were paid a PITTANCE. Its a crying shame that they get paid so little, yet do so much for our children.

I reckon the OP was a crap teacher if she can't see how teachers can work together. Shame.

Any job can be a part-time job. What a strange post.
I'm suspecting OP is not in a union.

"My" TA was at school today from 6 until 7 to take part in the school end of year disco, for which she wasn't paid, she was at school from 11 am to 5pm on Sunday to help at the school Fete, for which she wasn't paid, she has made Cd's for all my yr 6's of pictures from their year trip in her own time, for which she wasn't paid, she worked through her dinner hour today to make cards for other school helpers, for which she wasn't paid, what more would you like her to do? ( and that's only this week, heaven help us if she ever decided only to work the hours she is paid for)

The OP is clearly out of touch with teaching today.

what a mean-spirited, small-minded OP

I'm a teacher with a 21 month old. I used to arrive at 630am and leave at 6pm daily. When I had ds I just learned to manage my time and plan my work more efficiently. I do collect ds after school and only stay a half hour extra now (unless parents eve or I have a meeting or meeting with a parent...etc). I worK every night after he's in bed for several hours and during holidays ( but around him - night and during naps). Yes I do feel so fortunate not to have a job that keeps me away from him from when he wakes until bedtime daily and with many holidays. But it doesn't mean I don't work as hard now. I work just as hard and just as much. I'm just vastly more efficient with my time. I still do extra courses and conferences (outside of school time)...etc. So, just because someone doesn't see me at school until late every night - that means nothing.

TA's I suspect are paid minimally and hourly. Why should they put in more hours at home? I think I should, but I'm the teacher!

It's called having ambition and ideas to take things forward.

Before getting all positive, enthusiastic and energenised, you have to pinch yourself, remind yourself that c60% of the workforce will just raise their eybrows at whatever you say because, oh come on don't you know, they just do not have the time......so back to the deflated status quo then.

Again, I agree that people should be paid for the hours they work and, again, this works like a dream in Tescos but tis a nightmare in schools. Would have thought this was pretty obvious

ha ha

ecactly teamedward
I reckon the OP is on a wind up

don't know why you are so irked op
you moved out of the profession into admin
I am a ta and no way is my life like this, I regularly work unpaid overtime, pay babysitters so I can attend training courses/study and do the bulk of my own admin and planning reports etc in my own time

It doesn't tally with my experience of TAs. My daughter's TA runs before- and after-school care as well as being a TA during the school day (I think before- and after-school care might be beyond the call of duty, but she is presumably paid for the extra hours). She is superb: a real support to the teachers and children alike. She does it so that she can spend the rest of the time with her own daughter. The children love her, and so do the parents. Whatever time she has 'off' at home is thorougly deserved.

'thoroughly'. Bah.

so sticking to the hours you are paid for determine how good you are at the job do they?

not intelligence, commitment, love and understanding

you are really a twat aren't you?

I work to rule - I do work at home if I want to but I leave on time every day because I ahve my own children to care for and if I wasn't able to do so I wouldn't work - and I am bloody good at my job so up yours (I'm not a TA but do work in education)

Is the OP really Gove trying to turn us all against TA's?

So it's funding then? Rather than actual people.
You think the TAs should be employed for more hours?

Have you been on the wine?
Given the disjointed, unintelligible nature of your 'argument' I'm rather glad you're working in admin rather than teaching my kids.

Maybe your ideas aren't very good, if you keep getting knocked back by the TAs. If you are having trouble "selling" new ideas to other staff, you need to show them how they tie in with things they have to do, how they will make their experience at work better/more efficient/more enjoyable.
You might be working with a few particularly reluctant TAs, but it's only pissing people off to extrapolate from that to your thread title.

I've delurked as this post has rather incensed me somewhat!

I'm a Primary TA with 3 children of my own. My contracted hours are 9am to 3pm.

I am in the classroom before 8.30am to chat with the teacher and be ready to meet the parents (Reception class) when the bell goes at 8.40am. I often don't leave school until 4pm - tonight it was 4.15pm as I spent time uploading my class photos onto the school website.

I have bought enough card home with me this weekend to complete the parent helper cards - the children designed the pictures using the computer. I often have to bring "cutting-out" things home with me to complete.

On Monday night, I will be back at school at 6pm helping with the Year 6 Leavers Concert to Parents, and will be there until about 10pm.

I love my job and really don't mind going the extra mile - the children and parents make it all worthwhile....but please don't spout the shit about us not pulling our weight!

DD1 is starting reception in Sept and has two teachers, one working Mon Tues and the other working Wed Thurs Fri, with a full time TA. When speaking to one of the teachers about it as I wanted to know how they would get to know the children properly (and present a combined front) when each was only in half the week, she got a bit defensive and started telling me that she had a right to be a mum as well (naturellement) and wanted to spend time with her kids (which I never disputed) as well as teach.

I'm not sure how this is going to work in practice - in order to allow the teachers to work part time, the consistent element is the TA not the teacher and somehow that doesn't quite feel right - but maybe it's the way of things these days I don't know.

I know a teacher in the independent sector who asked his school if he could work part time and the answer was a resounding NO. He took it to appeal and the answer was still NO because they felt it wasn't in the best interests of the children. Thought that was v interesting.

I have certainly seen the 'work to rule' as an characteristic of some part-time teachers. It is not something full-timers can get away with. With full-timers, there are no limits to how many hours you work, but part-timers fiercely guard their hours.

I have been in schools where this has been a real problem in terms of flexibility.

Full timers are just as capable of being out the door on the bell, not getting involved in new things etc as part-timer, IME.