Teaching assistants - should they be "phased out"?

[frickfo]

The government has axed the whole central budget for training teaching assistants, and one of its favoured think tanks, Reform, is proposing that ALL teaching assistant jobs are "phased out" to save money.

If you think this is a bad idea, please join our campaign weneedtas.blogspot.com/

didnt you already start a thread on this?

Yes, is that not allowed? I thought different people might see it here.

oh yes- sorry- of course, the more the merrier. i was just a bit confused. i can see my post seemed aggressive, it wasnt meant to be. i am pleased you are pointing it out to people- it is really quite shocking. i have completed the campaign. i think TAs are amazing and make all the difference to so many many many children.

Hi,
Tribunalgoer, no, they are not suggesting an alternative except fewer staff and larger classes.

Here's a quote from their document Reform budget 2010:Taking the tough choices. I can't post the link because it's too long but if you Google Reform Budget 2010 you'll get it.

"Research for DCSF shows that many teaching assistants add little value, while Ofsted
has warned that they may jeopardise the quality of education if used as a substitute for proper teaching time. Teaching assistants should be phased out in most classrooms, saving around £1,700 million a year when these changes are fully implemented. Decreasing class sizes is often automatically assumed to be positive, and this assumption has been a major driver of education policy. The impact of this has been the marked increase in the number of teachers (10 per cent higher than a decade ago) and teaching assistants (twoand-a-half times the number of a decade ago). Despite the policy focus on class sizes, academic evidence consistently shows that teacher quality is the single biggest influence on student
progress.
The systematic reduction of class sizes should be halted."

The systematic reduction of class sizes should be halted."

But they are already too large!

Shocking. Have signed.

the way I read it is that they are not intending to decrease class sizes. It sounds like they are saying that a quality teacher can handle large classes on their own. But I may have got the wrong end of the stick.

but MrsWoolf they are not saying reduction of class sizes with a qualified teacher they are saying stop the reduction of class sizes (ie make class sizes bigger again or keep at 30) and do away with TA's, a terrible terrible idea, TV's are invlauable when uterlised correctly, I would hate my childs class to loose it's TA's, she is currently in reseption in a class size of 26 with one teacher, one nursery nurse and 2 TA's (one of those TA's is for a child who is regestered blind but the TA is very much part of the class and benifishal to all the children).
I will join with you to make parents feelings on this known.

MrsvWoolf, the report says the reduction of class sizes should be halted. Reform is calling for bigger classes, with no teaching assistants, and fewer teachers.

I said that this would happen to TA's before the election and most Tories came right back at me saying "don't be ridiculous".......and here we are a couple of months in........

I can't see how anyone thinks this is a good idea.

The kids will be sharing books again in a few years

Stories like these make me want to weep.

And swear.

A lot.

I despair, really I do.

Have signed up-as mother of autistic and dyspraxic child in mainstream school I can honestly say if it wasnt for the outstanding contribution of his experienced and supportive TA, my DS would not be attending school today.

Thanks for posting this, I have signed the petition.

Done

Not seen this.

So, who is wating to get rid of TAs and what do they ropose as an alternative.

I am a TA BTW.

Dont schools fund TA's from their own budgets though so will the schools receive less funding or just no extra for TA's? The blog just says no funds for the actual training.

There are good and bad TA's, some heavily qualified with lots of experience others with minimal qualifications but the hours suit their own lives so may not necessarily be an asset to the classroom.

Happymum is right. Lots of TAs are qualified and trained prior to going into schools, often at their own costs too.

I am a qualified secondary school teacher (so have teaching degree and QTS) with 10 years teaching experience, 3 years experience working in advice and guidance, a years worth of voluntary primary school experience as well as other exp working with children.

I chose to work as a TA as the hours suit me and are more flexible whilst my DD is younger, as well as giving me a better home work life balance.

We have several well qualified TAs in the school I work at - including a number of ex-teachers.

Hmm would be interested to read about it properly.

Hate the conservatives BTW, but notice it says "phased out" not "sacked outright."

I would guess it means that a class does not by default have a TA, that classes will still have TAs if individual pupils within them need support.

We never had TAs when I was at primary school. I wonder what has changed that they are needed now.

Oh I have noticed the OP says "The government has axed the whole central budget for training teaching assistants" [my italics]

Most teaching assistants are not trained.

we never had TAs either, but we never used to have differentiation as a teaching method, we used whole class teaching.

Well, we have a Tory/ coalition (ha ha) government now so we can't be surprised by this.