What would you define as "appropriately trained" for a TA?

[appropriatelytrained]

I've name changed for this.

We have had no end of bother with DS' statement. It has taken months to get a S&LT porgramme up and running. The TA hired is useless and has no experience/qualifications but worse still doesn't seem to be particularly bothered about DS. She also has an overinflated opinion of herself.

I have complained to the LGO. I actually think that, in addition to the sessions not being set up, the TA has not been 'appropriately trained' to deliver the S&LT sessions as required by his statement.

LA says the definition of 'appropriately trained' is whatever the S&LT thinks the TA needs to deliver the sessions.

Yet, she has had no training at all. Not even an ELKLAN course. She has seen one session modelled by a S&LT. She has never even been a TA before.

I think they are in breach of the statement even if the sessions start until this TA is properly trained. What do you think?

[appropriatelytrained]

It just gets worse. I got back today and was having a chat with the TA about putting things in the book when she starts going on about DS 'pushing her boundaries'.

Digging further, she says he has started to say no when asked to do things and saying he can do what he wants. Digging even further, this seemed to relate to one specific incident.

Now I am far from precious about DS but he really has no concept of pushing boundaries - if he says he doesn't want to do something, it's because he doesn't. Simple as that.

Yet usually he has been compliant in the extreme at school and has never said no before or been rude. This is not a healthy relationship.

Why didn't she tell me at the time???

[purplepidjin]

He's a child. His job is to push boundaries, and her's is to keep them firmly in place.

She didn't tell you because she's not up to the job and doesn't want to admit it.

I would go straight to the head and get an investigation into this incident. She must be open and honest about how she is working with your son. Otherwise, how are you going to know if she finds stuff that works? (I know you're mum but there's always something you haven't thought of, just because sometimes it takes someone a bit more objective or with different experience. This is not a criticism of your parenting skills)

I would want to know exactly what she is covering up. I don't mean to scare you, but has she hit him? Shouted at him? Grabbed him by the arm trying to make him do as she tells him? If she's covering it up, she's ashamed of it.

If she had made a genuine mistake, she should have gone straight to the head/class teacher and said "I did this, I know it was wrong. I'm struggling to cope today, please can someone else take over so I can have ten minutes time out."

I've actually avoided Disciplinary action three times (at least) by taking this approach. Two of those were medication errors which is sometimes called Gross Misconduct!! Mistakes happen, we own up and apologise.

[appropriatelytrained]

Thanks for this. It is frustrating and so disheartening.

The head is such a 'political' animal and she knows very little about SEN although she is aware of the efforts that have had to be put into suppoting this TA. It's a decision which has turned about badly for everyone.

The SENCO has proved to be on the level so far and helpful and she has the head's ear. I think I will have an informal chat/update with her and express my worries to her and ask how she thinks we should move forward. I've simply lost faith in this woman which wouldn't be a problem if she could do her job but she can't.

[purplepidjin]

If the head is crap, go to the Governors!

It's irritating for the other staff too - they're probably having to listen to how "awful" your child is when she's whinging in the staff room, hear her moaning about how her job is the hardest in the school, cover for her when she decides she can't cope, watch day after day as she gets things wrong yet be powerless to step in and sort it out (massively frustrating) even when it's disrupting the class...

I bet you've had colleagues like that - you know how draining they are

[appropriatelytrained]

Thanks. I think the Head is just overcautious perhaps rightly because she hired this woman knowing she was without experience and because she feels very shaky on SEN issues.

The SENCO is the testing ground really.

[purplepidjin]

Good luck

[appropriatelytrained]

Going in this afternoon - cover me!

Need to keep a cool, non-judgmental head on but be firm.

[mycarscallednev]

If you have a statement you should have a 'caseworker' based at County Hall (ours only came out of the wookwork when we discovered we were covered by DDA and Human Rights Act - Access to Education - as will you be).
The Lamb Enquiry a couple of years ago sited all these as the reason schools fail SEN children. You can take a look at it on-line at the Equalities Commission site. Our sons TA wasn't trained in anything at all - she had no idea what to do, so did very little other than sit our son by himself in front of computer games - he was 6. We had a full SSEN on physical needs. Our son couldn't cope, there was no one there to help him cope. He was critised in front of his peers and their parents - it had a lasting affect on him. He has PTSD now thanks to his school. He is now Home Educated - and I don't know if I will ever trust a school again. Our teachers teach the children without the SEN, the SEN children get taken out of the classroom and put with the unqualified TA or parent helper. How can this be right? It happens accross the board - the children who need the qualified quality teaching miss out. Our schools fail SEN children and put the blame on the child and their parents. It's as if we asked for our children to be different, it's not asking for much. It's a basic right. Access to Education and Disability Discrimination Act - quote that at them - it should make them sit up and take notice!

[purplepidjin]

Nev, I have 6 years experience working with people with SN, 5 of which was in school environments, and never knew that. Thank you.

AT, you got the statement. This is part of an ongoing political and sociological battle to get fair treatment for SN children, and fair recognition for SN workers.

PS I get £6.25 an hour in a residential home pulling 12 hour shifts. And I've got NVQ3!! So you can battle on my behalf too - for the respect those of us who have got training (done in our own time) deserve

[appropriatelytrained]

Thanks. SENCO has noted all concerns and will talk to head.

There was another incident today that SENCO and not TA told me about. DS tells me she accused him of swearing when he didn't want her help at playtime. He didn't know what she was going about so stood there while she told him off.

School know he has no history of defiance of difficult behaviour. Even if he is doing this, he's clearly getting stressed out with her. When we spoke, he said he wished she wasn't helping him.

I don't know what the answer is but I've told school they need to work out where we are going with this.

[purplepidjin]

Your poor DS, he must be so frustrated They must have other TA's in school who can swap, this clearly isn't working! I'm Hants/Dorset-ish gizza job

[appropriatelytrained]

Oooh we are very near. Will let you know if they ever get to readvertising!

[purplepidjin]

Or if you fancy a coffee and a moan

[blueemerald]

I'm an SEN TA in a secondary school and whilst there is no excuse for her attitude I just wanted to chip in that I work with a visually impaired child who has MLD, SpLD and has English as a second language (as well as a possible hearing impairment) and two Irish Travellers who have MLD and can be very volatile have ESBD. I'm half way through my second year working with these girls, and whilst we are all getting on very well (increased their reading ages by years, attendance percentages up by loads etc) I have not had one single minute of training for my job. I love my job and have tried and tried to get training but nothing ever comes of it. And I get paid naff-all.

Of course a poor attitude is much more destructive than a lack of training, but sadly much harder to correct.

[appropriatelytrained]

Blue - I sympathise, I really do and you sound very dedicated. I think my appeal for training has been because it is so much harder to say what the real problem is i.e. no amount of training will make you connect with my son.

That is a very tough thing for a parent to conclude and even harder for them to say to a school but I've had enough of her self-interest, her moaning and her failure to support my son.

[purplepidjin]

Unfortunately, this is the result of "you can do whatever you put your mind to" which, while an honorable sentiment in encouraging folk to try new things, doesn't take into account that sometimes you're just not right for the job. It's why I'll never be a filthy rich accountant or banker!

No amount of training will make up for the fact that she's not in the right job. Luckily there's loads of lovely people like blue who are suited to it

[EllenJaneisnotmyname]

AT, you know I'm a TA myself, so biased, but unless the school can swap this TA with someone else already employed the school is going to find it hard to get shot of her. There would probably have to be some gross misconduct stuff. I think you said it would be hard to change schools, but unless they swap this TA, changing schools (or HE) may be the only option, long term. If they have someone new at the school in Sept who needs support, a swap could be arranged, maybe? Or perhaps her hours could be 'changed' (start and finish times) to make it too inconvenient for her?

I really feel for you, I know I've been lucky to get on fairly well with my DS's TA, but she wasn't my first choice. The lady who didn't get the job is truly lovely and just accompanied my DS on his residential trip. She's just easier to talk to, somehow.

[purplepidjin]

I was employed as a 1:1 TA, and my contract was dependent on that child being at the school. I was also employed for a few hours a week in a different class, and when it came to the child leaving (trust me, I did what I could unfortunately I was constantly undermined) I was left in the position of either working 4 hours a week or leaving...

[appropriatelytrained]

Thanks EJ. I know you are right. School have said they will try and find a workable solution. DS was upset tonight as he couldn't figure out what he had done wrong when we spoke about and neither could I to be honest. She told him 'you are not supposed to speak to me like that' when he said he didn't need help finding friends

Yet this was enough for her to march into the SENCO and tell her she was being disrespected and DS was being defiant. Fortunately, as I say, he has no history of defiance or difficult behaviour at school

How is that supposed to help a child with communication issues? He didn't know what to say but doesn't like to do things wrong and feels very anxious when he doesn't know how to work people out = he's got ASD fgs.

I really despair.

[EllenJaneisnotmyname]

Hi purple, I've been a 1:1 TA and a general class TA, but prefer the 1:1 stuff due to my experience with my own DS. I've had to leave schools when my 'charge' left to go to secondary. I left one school when I was a general class TA with a permanent contract because of the bloody horrible teacher, but also the school wanted me to do some extra 1:1 with very odd hours. Eg 11am start, hour unpaid lunch, one hour after lunch til 2.00 on my 2 days off. In other words, 2 hours pay for the whole day taken up. That's the sort of inconvenient hours that might put AT's TA off, or a 8.45am start if she has her own young children at a different school, etc.

[purplepidjin]

I prefer the 1:1 stuff too, but have only had the one job in mainstream which is a whole other thread I would put up with a knobend of a teacher if I felt i was having a positive effect on my 1:1, or the class, but when it's the HT undermining you at every turn it's an untenable position. From what I've read of this particular situation (this isn't the first thread) the TA just isn't right for either 1:1 work or TAing in general, I don't know. Sometimes, it's just a case that two personalities don't match well and there's nothing either side can do to change that, which is why you need flexibility IME. What do you think?

BTW, I was hired as a 1:1 to start in January as an "effort" by the school to keep the child there. They blatently didn't want the child in their school, which is why the parent's decided to move schools. The school would ask me to respond in a particular way to a behaviour, I would do so, then the HT would call me into her office to tell me that I had done it wrong and should try x strategy. X strategy usually being one I had suggested previously and been told that it wouldn't work. This pattern was repeated at least once a week leaving me dispirited and thoroughly lacking in confidence in my ability (which in other cases has been proved so I'm not trying to big myself up iyswim)

[appropriatelytrained]

It's definitely a case of them just not matching as personalities although I'm not quite sure whose personality would be right for this TA.

I think once you've lost confidence in someone, it's very hard to get it back. She has just consistently led him down.

It's a very tough thing to raise though.

[mariamagdalena]

Tongue in cheek but then i started to wonder if it could work... Could a need she definitely can't meet be added to the statement? Eg DS requires a male staff member to assist in boys swim changing room, staff must have at least grade 3 of a musical instrument so they can accompany music based communication sessions, be proficient in touch typing so he can read back conversational scripts.

[purplepidjin]

Heehee, AT, very diplomatic!

I think you're going to have to take the risk and offend her and maybe shell resign by pointing out what she should know already.

[appropriatelytrained]

That's an interesting point. I had thought of adding stricter training requirements to the working statement for that exact reason!