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/

Who said it was 'tribunalgoer'

and what's with the sewers?

Thanks very much everyone for your interest and support with this. It's wonderful to read so much appreciation of teaching assistants' work.

Reform will probably be referring to this study www.education.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/DCSF-RB148.pdf

Teachers tend to pay less attention to children who are supported one-to-one by a teaching assistant than to other children in the class. If TAs don't get timetabled planning time with the teacher, the child is likely to miss out. Which is why it's good practice for TAs to support children within a group rather than being velcroed to one child.

It is absurd to suggest this is a reason to get rid of teaching assistants - unless you're going to replace them with salaried, qualified teachers. As other people have pointed out, the issue is how the school uses its TAs, who are hourly paid and already do more unpaid overtime than any other group of local government workers (Unison survey). Scrapping the training budget is certainly not going to improve the situation

I would love to hear Reform's response to the points parents have made in this thread. Mick Brookes of the National Association of Head Teachers told us newsblog.learningsupport.co.uk/he thought we were being "softened up" for being told we don't need TAs.

Obviously parents' voice is going to be totally crucial so thanks again for making a stand.

Frances Rickford
Editor, Learning Support magazine

the TAs at dd's school are absolutely invaluable. Both to the kids and the teachers. I only have experience of Foundation and KS1, but can honestly say they make a massive difference to how safe, loved and supported the children feel, how often they get read with/individual attention, and how confident/well-communicated with the parents feel to boot.

I'm appalled at the thought they could be phased out.

have joined campaign. dh too.

As a dedicated, hard-working, infant school TA the government's attitude towards people like me is depressing and unjustified. I work non-stop teaching and caring for the chidren and maintaining a bright and exciting environment for them to learn in. As well as constantly studying to improve my skills. And for peanuts! If budgets have to be cut - cut out the pen-pushers at the top. One of them would enable all the TAs in my school to stay in employment!

If a teacher has to do everything will our children be so well-cared for do you think? I'm thinking of things like group guided work in literacy, maths and reading for example. And having time to tend to individual children. Lots of things really. I think it's sad we are though so little of.

I'm a qualified TA (with a PGCE). I work one to one and if they got rid of me the child wouldn't be able to do anything he'd either get left behind or would take up too much of the teachers time, and would have to go to a special school which his mother and the previous 'inclusive' government doesn't want.

Our school is lucky enough to have a TA in each class and while some teachers could probably do without them others utilise them fully and it makes their lives easier.

My DS school has dedicated TA in reception then volunteers in the other classes. This I object to, I think anyone working with children should be qualified to do so, not just have some free time and a bit of generosity.

BalloonSlayer,

Most TA's ARE trained, infact its virtually impossible for an untrained or unqualified TA to get a job, unless they are already in a post they have held for years. But this would mean they are trained by their peers/seniors even if they have no formal qualifiations.

:-)

Hi DedicatedTA

I think it must depend on the area. Round where I live you just apply for a TA job and - hopefully! - get it. I know all the people who have got the TA jobs at my DCs school over the last few years and none of them were trained when they got the jobs, although they may well be training now.

I worked as a TA too and again, no experience, straight into the job.