I'm a useless TA?

[puddleduck272]

Hi, new here (first post!) so hope I do it right! I'm after a bit of outside advice regarding my job and some issues I've been having. Long post for background info - issue explained in third paragraph onwards!

I'm a TA, working part-time in a primary for the last 6 years. A couple of years ago (before covid) I was working with a fantastic teacher, felt we got on really well and a good amount of responsibility given to me - I like to be busy! She was really supportive of me developing my skills and was comfortable leaving me to manage the class, cover lessons if needed, deliver lessons to a year group while she worked with another etc. I felt like I was being given a lot of opportunities for professional development (I would like to be a teacher myself someday). During covid times and while members of SLT were off long term I ended up taking on more and more responsibility, to the point I was quite often alone with the class for the majority of the day, delivering lessons she had planned but also planning and delivering my own lessons like PSHE and art. Probably shouldn't have been asked to do so much, but I loved it.

This year I've been working with a different teacher who has been with us on a year long cover post, and the difference is insane. I knew it would be different so went in to the year with an open mind, friendly and helpful, welcoming etc etc. The new teacher asked me loads about how I was used to working, what responsibilities I was used to etc and pretty much immediately dismissed everything I said as "well that was during covid times, we're getting back to normal now" - fair enough, I wasn't expecting the same amount of responsibility. But I was expecting some? I've had every job and responsibility taken away from me over the course of the year. I'm now at a point where she just dismisses me from the room and doesn't give me anything to do.

My question is... is it normal for a teacher to not manage a TA at all? I'm talking not sharing planning, not discussing lessons, not giving me any tasks to do, any children to work with, any displays to maintain - literally nothing. It had reduced to a point where all I was doing was listening to readers, and now I'm not even able to do that as they all get done on a day I'm not in work. This week, in three days, all I was asked to do was "change the reading books". I'm quite literally bored to tears, and am struggling with intrusive thoughts and anxiety (am I just awful to work with? have I offended her horribly? what's wrong with me? etc etc) My confidence is at an all time low, the idea of going to the head about it fills me with panic and I just feel so useless and deflated - complete opposite of feeling confident, useful, needed, part of the team like I did with the previous teacher I worked with.

Any advice please? Where should I go from here?
Thank you

[woodhill]

Have you not got any pupils with SEN you are assigned to?

Very odd, most teachers like to have a TA to assist?

[HTPri]

Sounds like a very poor teacher in terms of staff deployment. Point 8 of the teacher standards says a teacher needs to be able to deploy a TA effectively. I would be having an open and honest conversation with your Line Manager.

It sounds like the first teacher took advantage of you though - almost expecting you to do their job for them.

Meeting somewhere in the middle between the two teachers would be best.

[puddleduck272]

No, there are pupils in the class with additional needs (some medical) and I have been trained previously to support them and followed them through the school but this teacher has taken over completely (all staff have received the training but I was the one who previously dealt with the child majority of the time)

[DaisyDozyDee]

Do you have an appraisal due soon? I’d be honest with SLT about feeling underused and undervalued. In my school, they’d be looking to make sure everyone is working to their strengths and they’d move people between year groups to make sure that happens, but I appreciate it’s not the same everywhere.
If you don’t give the school a chance to fix the situation, you’ll end up hating the job.
If you’re really left with nothing to do, you could also offer to take on something else that’s being neglected at the moment - extra one to one reading or fixing up the book corners or something like that. Or find out if there’s any training courses you could be doing that could offer a niche bit of expertise - the Open University Reading for Pleasure course is a good option and it’s free.

[puddleduck272]

@HTPri

Sounds like a very poor teacher in terms of staff deployment. Point 8 of the teacher standards says a teacher needs to be able to deploy a TA effectively. I would be having an open and honest conversation with your Line Manager.

It sounds like the first teacher took advantage of you though - almost expecting you to do their job for them.

Meeting somewhere in the middle between the two teachers would be best.

Yes I suppose that was the case - but as we were short-staffed and not able to get supply in due to covid it was 'make the most of a bad situation' and go with it! I knew I wouldn't have that level of responsibility this year, but to go from that to nothing is just..... demoralising?

[RudsyFarmer]

Will you be assigned a new teacher in September? If so I’d just get to the end of the term and write this episode off.

[Assistanttotheregionalmanager]

@puddleduck272

No, there are pupils in the class with additional needs (some medical) and I have been trained previously to support them and followed them through the school but this teacher has taken over completely (all staff have received the training but I was the one who previously dealt with the child majority of the time)

That is poor practice though as teachers
should also have a lot of responsibility for send children. It shouldnt be left to the TA

[daisychainsandrainbows]

Come and be my TA?

Seriously though it's lovely that you're so keen, enthusiastic and willing but don't let yourself get taken advantage of like last year. If you love teaching then become a teacher, don't do a teacher's job on a rubbish TA wage.

This year sounds way too far the other way. Teachers are generally crying out for support and it's bizarre she can't find any job for you to do. Is she a new teacher? I'd have another chat with her and spell out the fact you're supposed to be supporting her and the class and don't feel like you are doing either. Otherwise just start working with children and groups and maybe initiate things that need doing "oh I've noticed x is struggling in their reading, i thought I could do some 1-1 phonics practise with them" "the children did some fantastic artwork last week, shall I pop it on a display?" And if you don't get anywhere then speak to your line manager.

[PepperPepperPepperSalt]

It’s tricky. I’m a primary teacher and honestly, I prefer not to have a TA in the classroom. In my current school, we have a TA who works over several classes and that suits me much better. I’m happy for TAs to do admin jobs like photocopying/trimming sheets/ displays and listen to 1:1 readers, but I really don’t enjoy having a TA in the classroom just sitting there listening to me teach. It makes me feel awkward and judged.

Perhaps the current teacher you’re working with is like this, and has come from a similar school setting? They may be used to working with TAs differently. FWIW, it does sound like you were taken advantage of during Covid and essentially doing that teacher’s work.

You sound extremely motivated and talented. If anything, maybe your experience this year will just prompt you to get your PGCE application in asap! Have you looked at school-centered training roles like TeachFirst? You sound more than ready to teach full time. Good luck!

[wonderstuff]

Teachers don’t get much (any?) training in managing TAs and it really varies, I’ve done the job in secondary and work now as a teacher in SEN so see TAs a lot and differences between teachers is huge. Some just really don’t like having another adult in the room. I don’t know why, I’m always delighted!

I’d raise it with SLT, or SENCO, your teacher surely can’t have the time to be doing absolutely everything well. If you were working for me I wouldn’t want to lose you, skills between TAs ime us huge and I’d maybe consider moving classes to get a better fit between TA and CT.

What are you doing about getting into teaching though? Have you talked to school and are they supportive? In my secondary we’ve got 2 TAs starting teacher training next year. Wages and career progress is so much better in teaching, there’s loads of training options and we need good people!

[Amdone123]

No, you are not a useless ta. Far from it. I was a primary school teacher for 20 years and I worked with many ta's just like you : keen, enthusiastic, passionate. When you get the right 'mix', the job is amazing.
It sounds to me like the new teacher needs the control and is perhaps fearful of letting that control slip ( i don't know the teacher, obviously, it's just that I worked with a few teachers who were like this ).
You can either 1) see the year out as a pp suggested, but in the meantime, keep yourself busy and motivated doing other tasks you see fit or 2) speak to your key stage manager and say it exactly as you've said here.
Long term - get teacher training. Not only will you love it, but you'll have first hand experience of how to work most effectively with a teaching assistant.

[DelphiniumBlue]

You do need to speak to your line manager. They are paying you to do nothing, at a time when school budgets are stretched to the max. They need to be aware of that and they might be able to redeploy you, at least some of the time. I'm sure they will want to ensure that you are value for money.
You should be taking out groups for interventions, or at least working with small groups in class.
It does sound strange that it was the teacher last year who decided you should be covering lessons, that would normally be an SLT decision.
However, it is almost the end of the school year, so I don't think much will happen for the next few weeks.

[woodhill]

Aren't the kids you normally work with asking you to help?

It does sound like new teachers feels "threatened" by you as perhaps you are more experienced?

I'm sure you are fantastic but sometimes it's hard as teachers can make you feel like how you described

[puddleduck272]

Thank you all - I'm glad it appears like it's not just me that thinks it's strange!
I've always felt myself to be flexible and adaptable to whatever has been asked of me, working in the room, out of the room, with big or small groups etc - I would be happy to work with her however she wants me to work and I have tried so many times to be involved in the class, show initiative, not overstep etc. She just will not communicate with me or give me anything to do! (Eg she used to email the planning for the week, and now she doesn't. She has set up the classroom so there's nowhere for me to sit to work with children at their tables. Loads of stuff like this that by itself could be an oversight but altogether just feels like she wants me out of the way and not to deal with me at all!)

Regarding a performance appraisal - I haven't had one this year! They got cancelled and haven't been rescheduled, and I don't know if they will be. I guess I should ask for one, but I'm not very good at standing up for myself at the best of times, let alone when I feel so down about everything and useless. I think my mental health is really suffering which is making it harder for me to see the best way to move on from it all or proactively improve the situation.

I'm at an all time low. I wish I had the confidence to consider a PGCE or equivalent but after this year I feel so out of practice. I just don't have the ability to sell myself :( Career-wise it's been a massive step backwards, when I feel like I should have been moving forwards, developing my skills etc. Not taking on a teaching role, but supporting the teacher and working with the kids.

Being so close to the end of the year I think you're right, that I can just wait it out and hope next year will be better. I guess I just feel let down that my personal/professional development this year has gone out the window!

[Amdone123]

I've been out of the classroom for about 5 years now, but when I was teaching, we were obliged to e mail our weekly planning to the ta. It's not fair to expect someone to go in 'blind.' It's also unfair to not give you a space in the classroom to call your own.
Don't let this knock the stuffing out of you. Write it all down and request a meeting next week. I know it's hard to speak up, but now is the time to learn. The more you do it, the easier it will become. And, when, not if, you become a teacher, you'll find speaking up for yourself ( and your students), will be an invaluable skill.
You can do this.