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Original poster

HLTA as the class teacher

67 replies

ChristmasTreeRock · 12/12/2021 14:48

My junior aged child will not have a teacher with QTS for at least a term, due to school apparently being unable to replace a retiring teacher. A HLTA is going to take the class. Now I know nothing of their own qualifications, but is this legal? School is not an academy. Quite concerned after two years without being in school full-time.

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TizerorFizz · 13/12/2021 07:20

@zaffa
There is no requirement in any school for the Governors to discuss day to day management of the school. This includes deployment of staff which is 100% the role of the Head. I would expect the Head to make this decision and merely report it to governors. The role of governors is strategic and does not include staffing arrangements for classes. They should expect the Head to recruit a qualified teacher in line with their staffing policies.

OnceuponaRainbow18 · 13/12/2021 07:21

Basically the only difference between a TA and a teacher is the wages and having to do the planning/assessment

Oh please…! Clearly said by a non teacher

mummymathsteacher · 13/12/2021 07:21

Well, their marking is not to a standard I would accept ( hard when one is in the same profession!)

I'm slightly confused, do you also work in education?

There is extensive research on marking and all other forms of formative assessment. What are they doing wrong?

TizerorFizz · 13/12/2021 07:23

I have found that schools where the Head is known to be very good do attract teachers. Teachers like to feel supported and work in a well run school. Poor heads do the opposite. They haemorrhage staff. So it’s not really about Ofsted “good” it’s all about SLT “outstanding!”!

CaptainMyCaptain · 13/12/2021 07:24

If the retiring teacher left without full notice e.g..went off suck with stress I would assume the school has even bigger problems than you imagine.

I say this as someone who has experienced thus myself and seen it happening to other older (expensive) teachers

TerraNovaTwo · 13/12/2021 07:32

It's not ideal, though how experienced is the HLTA? Do they have a degree?

It's not easy to find a teacher replacement when there is a shortage of qualified teachers/ high volume leaving the profession.

TizerorFizz · 13/12/2021 08:00

Teacher training for primary education has grown by 30%. If is a job that’s seen as attractive by some. Unlikely to ever be out of a job! Yes, those leaving the profession have slightly increased according to the government but recruitment isn’t bad. It’s just bad in some schools!!

MyOtherProfile · 13/12/2021 08:15

Given that one in 6 teachers leave after a year and 44% leave within 5 years numbers are still not great, and of course we know that the number of available teachers is very geographically specific so not terribly helpful.

Mumdiva99 · 13/12/2021 08:54

It won't be a cost saving exercise. These decisions are rarely made because of saving money.

DBI78 · 13/12/2021 08:59

It's not ideal but hltas are also qualified and on a short term basis considered suitable fillin for teacher. I know hltas who have degree in education just like teachers but chose not to take final step. I would give benefit of doubt unless you are unhappy for other reasons then could consider moving child or homeschooling

Notwithittoday · 13/12/2021 09:05

The supply fb groups are ridden with primary NQTs. Yes demand for supply is high but they’re still being paid somewhere between 90 and 110 a day after the agency take their fee. Most would jump at a permanent position and a decent wage. Yes teachers have left in droves but it’s mainly from secondary schools where frankly you need danger money to go into

TizerorFizz · 13/12/2021 09:29

Yes. The stats point to secondary having a much bigger issue. It could be the op is in an area with teacher shortages. I would also expect to see NQT teachers available in some areas. However the school might not want them!

Wizardora83 · 13/12/2021 09:32

The TA’s at DD’s primary school can’t even complete a YR2 spelling test. They mark the correctly spelt words as incorrect. And the children have to teach the TA’s how to spell…. and mark their own tests. (Teacher isn’t around for the weekly spelling test)

Bloody nightmare!

@ChristmasTreeRock our school is like this and I do not recommend. I started a thread about ours last week and today I’ll be adding my DD to a waiting list for a school that’s staffed properly, follows the curriculum and has qualified teachers.

Notwithittoday · 13/12/2021 09:33

@TizerorFizz

I think this is more the case. The school don’t want to recruit for this school year. That’s why I said upthread the op should ask if they’ve advertised and why not. She has the right to know why her child is being taught by a HLTA. Yes sometimes HLTAs are very qualified but sometimes they are not

Wizardora83 · 13/12/2021 09:37

I went on a rant in my PP, sorry!

I actually came on to say I’m a HLTA but I was qualified about 15 years ago. I did so many assessments to gain my qualification. I had a career change in the end as I had too much class teaching time and felt really used and under pressure. (A couple of teachers went on long term sick and the school wouldn’t recruit and used me to fill the gap instead!)

Not good for the HLTA and definitely not good for the children!

Sorry for my ranty PP

CaptainMyCaptain · 13/12/2021 11:19

@Mumdiva99

It won't be a cost saving exercise. These decisions are rarely made because of saving money.

Not true.

Mumdiva99 · 13/12/2021 12:27

@captainmycaptain - so you are saying that you know HT's that decide to staff a class with an HLTA rather than a qualified class teacher to save cash? Can you evidence this? Because that wouldn't be appropriate allocation of a school budget.... they may choose to use an HLTA instead of a supply teacher for the term...but no HT chooses HLTA over full time member of staff.
There might be many other reasons this is an appropriate solution but the primary driver will not be to save cash.

MyOtherProfile · 13/12/2021 12:36

@Mumdiva99 lots of schools chose to use HLTAs instead of teachers when PPA was brought in as it was too expensive to find a teacher to take the classes. That was definitely a cost saving exercise.

TizerorFizz · 13/12/2021 12:42

Yes but that wasn’t instead of a full time teacher for weeks on end. Just a few hours a week isn’t an issue.

Chilver · 13/12/2021 12:43

My child's (former) school did this last year - and the children have left in droves from the year group as, once covid home schooling highlighted the standard of learning (yes, even taking into account the challenges the teachers faced switching to an online environment), it became apparent how far behind the children had fallen since HLTA's were being expected to do the job of qualified teachers.

Redlocks28 · 13/12/2021 12:48

so you are saying that you know HT's that decide to staff a class with an HLTA rather than a qualified class teacher to save cash?

I’m not the person you were asking but yes, this absolutely happens in primary schools round here to save money.

Mumdiva99 · 13/12/2021 13:48

@Redlocks28

so you are saying that you know HT's that decide to staff a class with an HLTA rather than a qualified class teacher to save cash?

I’m not the person you were asking but yes, this absolutely happens in primary schools round here to save money.

Again I ask for evidence. Are you a member of SLT in a school that does this? If so why wouldn't you query it? Are you a governor in a school that has done this? Again why wouldn't you query it?

As I say there are times when the best option for the children is to temporarily have an HLTA run the class.....but the reason cannot be cost saving as that's not appropriate.

MyOtherProfile · 13/12/2021 14:20

Of course it happens. Why would there be an unqualified teachers pay scale if not? Some schools are incredibly strapped for cash. I also know a school who uses student teachers on their Scitt year as the class teacher.

CaptainMyCaptain · 13/12/2021 16:15

@Redlocks28

so you are saying that you know HT's that decide to staff a class with an HLTA rather than a qualified class teacher to save cash?

I’m not the person you were asking but yes, this absolutely happens in primary schools round here to save money.

The question was directed at me. I'm jot going into details that would be outing but I know of more than one school that bullies out expensive teachers and replaces them with NQTs or HLTAs. Academies, in particular, can do what they like.

Redlocks28 · 13/12/2021 16:29

Again I ask for evidence. Are you a member of SLT in a school that does this? If so why wouldn't you query it? Are you a governor in a school that has done this?

I have been a supply teacher in numerous schools where this has happened. I don’t need to supply evidence-I know it happens. If you choose not to believe me, that is up to you.

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