Should all teaching assistants be "phased out"?

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The government has cancelled the entire budget for training teaching assistants. And one of it's favourite think tanks, Reform, is proposing most TA jobs are axed to save £1.7b .
If you think teaching assistants are too valuable to lose from our schools please support this campaign.
weneedtas.blogspot.com/

Iv just spent alot of money to qualify as a TA so iv signed the petition. It does annoy me the poor children will lose out in the end.

Yes but I suppose in my area in SN school you work with 2 children one on 1 side 1 on the other however those with V severe SN have 1-1s at all times.

The TAs in SN school are usually if fully qualified are on 14 odd pounds an hour with more holidays paid for.

This is more than LSA's in mainstream

One of the children in my class's mum has just completed her level 3 TA qualification and started working in the nearest Special school where the staff are paid level 1 even though fully qualified. TAs in maintained schools here are min of level 2 qualified.

Its all swings and roundabouts though, the SEN school with us is V goog too with all grade 1s in inspection, they pay well even though funding is tight. Not all TAs in the area are level 2 or 3 some have been around donkeys years and have never trained.

This govt are going to finish everyone off

Schools in this area only employ qualified TAs our SEN support assistants are level 4 and also receive a SEN allowance to match their expertise.

salimali where is this SN TAs get £14 an hour? I am level 3 qualified in the early years and have been lsa 1 for 3 years. Luckily I have an EXCELLENT HT that relises the amount of responsibilty is huge and therefore some internal promotions have just been made - proper interviews etc. I am a LSA 2 now but have just have confirmation that I've passed my level 4 certificate in early years practice.

Qualifications DO NOT equal pay.

But then I wouldn't want to do anything else except teach SN when I qualify.

mrz can I come and work for you ?

As SENCO I would love extra staff not sure what will happen to my budget

Well it is the SN school who puts them on a higher pay scale as they know how much hard work they have to do, they also recive more weeks of holiday pay but they do work v hard for it. I visit the school weekly with a child with SEN so I see just how hard they work.

I am also level 3 and am about to start my foundation degree the things with the government at the moment is making me want to go and do as much training as possible.

"here you only need a GCSE/ Standard grade in English to be a TA even if working with children with serious support needs."

And that's the situation here, too.

SaliMali1 all qualified staff working with statemented children in maintained schools get paid the SEN higher rate of pay here.

StewieGriffinsMom I know it happens in other areas which is why some schools can afford to have support staff in every class and we can't but personally I prefer having qualified people.

I'd prefer to have them in every class too

I agree a ta in every class would be great but mrz I do think the qualifications do count - surely its better to have 1 qualified person than 2 non qualified.

quality v's quantity I suppose.

In the school I woek I don't think any LSA has ta qualifications and only a few of us are early years trained. I now officially have the highest level qualification

agreed I should have qualified my statement

I'd prefer to have a qualified TA in every class too as it is one highly qualified experienced TA is better value to me than a handful of unqualified staff

The TAs at my school are more trouble than they're worth. They're always crying, arguing, disappearing during lessons, messing up the simplest instructions and taking up too much time in the deputy head's office moaning. I'd happily do without one. I appreciate not all TAs are this useless though!

I would rather they didn't phase them out. I quite like my job. Yes, I could return to teaching - but I like the role of a TA. I like the relationship I can orge with pupils. I know I can make a difference in the classroom, especially for specific children.

Oh - and I promise that I don't cry, argue or cause trouble in my workplace!

And I am well qualified too - I am a qualified teacher with 10 years experience, plus additional work experince in other edicational based workplaces. And several of the TAs I work with are also as qualified as i am too, and even those that are not ex teachers - in our school anyway - are qualified to Level 3.