What are the minimum qualifications for a teaching assistant

[Lazydaisy]

Hi, Can anyone tell me if a school (state primary) is allowed to use unqualified assistants to teach children or is there a basic requirement that anyone teaching in a school must have?

Many Thanks

Taking a group of 6 children isn't considered leading a lesson coldcupoftea it's considered working under teacher guidance (semantics in some ways)

Teaching Assistants aren't professionals though, Jackie. The fact that people are permitted to work as TAs without qualifications means they are not part of a profession and the salary reflects this. It's a nice job to fit around caring for your own school aged children.

The TAs I've worked with have all been highly professional ... not unqualified people fitting the job around their kids.

oldbootface I'm a little offended by your comment there tbh.
I am a TA, I have no qualification, but I am a very good TA.
Comments like
"It's a nice job to fit around caring for your own school aged children."
implies that we are worthless and are holding down pointless roles.

Every school I have been to state that they are far happier with experience over qualifications.

Mrz, I was just trying to answer the OP's question, not sure if she is concerned about TAs working with kids on their own in general or if she means taking the whole class.

Obviously it is not leading a full lesson, but it is more than just taking a group out of the normal lesson to work on something prepared by the teacher- I work with all the phase 3 phonics children while the teacher takes the phase 5s, so we do completely separate activities and I am expected to do the planning myself.

I started without teaching qualifications and did NVQ2 on the job. I liked it so much I am now a teacher!

Thanks all, am more concerned with TAs having had training in how to teach phonics & numeracy (particularly to the weaker groups) and assumed that that would be part of whatever qualification is required to be a TA in the first place. Apparently, classes at our school have been taught by TAs for days at a time while teacher is off sick etc. Initially, I didn't have a prob with this as assumed some sort of qualification was needed to do this, so it does come as a complete shock to see that none are required. But from my understanding of MRZ's post it would appear that leaving a TA teaching an entire class for upto a week is not allowed either so would appear that school are in the wrong.

Thanks again for all your comments, it has been really informative

It really does depend on the school. At my school support staff attend all training alongside teachers but I know other schools where the teacher who has attended the training has to teach the TA

In our school - living and breathing will do.

The TA qualification doesn't help TAs to learn how to teach children phonics, reading, writing, spelling, maths, science etc. That is all taught on the job or at training sessions they attend while working.

TAs need no qualification to start working in a school, as has already been stated.

But no, they shouldn't be covering sick teachers and the like for days on end (unless they are HLTA for example and it's short term). This is happening more and more because it's easier for the school (and cheaper) than getting in supply staff. I wouldn't be happy with my children being taught for a week by a Teaching Assistant.

I know of a school who took on 2 new TAs. No work experience. No qualifications. Within a couple of weeks, they were covering classes for odd days when the teacher was sick/in a meeting/on training.

I find it very unfair that in the next county to mine there are itinerant TA mentors and TAs are actively encouraged to go on NVQ courses.

In my county, TAs attend some school INSETs and some of the more ambitious TAs drive their own CPD for NVQs, etc. They have no-one to turn to for specific advice.

I thought new standards for TAs were supposed to come out last year. Did that ever happen? We definitely need some national codes of practice.

www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/nos_for_supporting_teaching_learning.pdf

Thx. Have found a breakdown of these on the DFE site, which will be very useful:
National Occupational Standards for Supporting Teaching and Learning