What to wear as a teaching assistant

[Rainbowmum32]

I’m a TA in primary, my work wardrobe needs updating any suggestions?
we aren’t allowed to wear trainers

This style over leggings so everything’s covered. With Mary janes.

www.fatface.com/style/su770174/h59275#h59275

Footwear-wise, I wear FitFlop Rally trainers in white. They're just lace up leather shoes, so aren't particularly trainer-esque.

I tend to wear stretchy black ankle length trousers, or side stripe pull-on trousers. I'm lucky in that 2 of my days are PE days so I can wear joggers/school PE top on those days.

Be very aware of cleavage - test everything by bending over in front of a mirror first - I work in a primary school (office) and its amazing how much workwear looks appropriate until you bend over at kid-height

Just smart casual- blouse/shirt/ top with comfortable trousers & comfy flats- brogues/ loafers/ ballet pumps or flat boots. Or comfy dress & thick tights or cord or canvas a-line skirt.

Don't wear see through leggings & the same cardigan with holes in like one of our staff do.

Vinted is your friend, as is Tu at Sainsbury's.

Leggings that you can’t see through and a dress like the one from far face. Or trousers and a top with no buttons (they always gape!). Shoes is the school let you wear smart trainers then that’s they way to go. Otherwise I wear comfy boots or shoes I can run in.

I’m afraid I wouldn’t want to see TAs or teachers wearing dresses over leggings as it’s not a dressing style I would want to set before small children.

You could probably find absolutely everything you want at Uniqlo.

Or Community Clothing, if you have more to spend.

@PadamPadamPDoom can I ask why?

Get an M&S jacket from Vinted - costs about a fiver

It’s just such an ugly look - and far too often (noticeably on S&B) the last resort of women who for one reason or another don’t believe they deserve nice clothes. So I guess I associate it with misery and self-hatred.

Totally agree with this.

I’m also quite surprised to see leggings over a dress suggested in S&B! I think I probably lean too heavily towards Oliver Bonas for my personal aesthetic, but I think a lot of that could work for a TA role.

These trousers look really smart, and the elasticated waist makes them unbelievably comfortable. I usually wear them with smart jumpers from Vinted — mostly Reiss or Mint Velvet — and I’m going to buy some plain long‑sleeve tops once the weather warms up.

www.whistles.com/product/tessa-casual-trouser-34196.html

Our teachers and TAs are often in sports gear! Working with small children requires clothes you can move in! Maybe a dark sweatshirt/jumper over leggings with Doc Marten boots? Something like this:

Awful leggings and dowdy tunic judging by experience.

I wear supermarket or Primark.

This is always my start, because I get paint, puke, wee and snot over myself ona daily basis.

After that, I wear leggings a d a baggy t shirt or a jumper, patterned dungarees on on days I'm covering the teacher or we have important visitors, I wear a knee length dress, tights and shorts on top for the inevitable rolling around the floor...

It's definitely a job where practicality comes before style. I'd be ruined in a school with no trainers and a smart casual policy. Bless my SLT and their love of trainers and leggings!

Apart from your general guidelines….I've worked in schools wear TAs can’t wear leggings/jeans/trainers/sandals/flipflops/open toe shoes and sandals…one school wouldn’t even let teachers or tas have pockets on the back of their trousers , saying they looked untidy or too much like jeans…..what is the general vibe of your other colleagues? I always think that’s the best way forward. I feel you often see a group of people who work together/belong together because they take cues on what’s acceptable and what’s not. Even myself, in new jobs, I’ve gone in very safe and neutral until I’ve really found out what the vibe is.

I guess it depends also on what age you work with but I never think you can go wrong really with the supermarket offerings in a work place. Although not as cheap as they once were, the clothes are cheap and cheerful enough to be worn daily and get good wear out of and definitely appropriate for the mess of school life. As a teacher I always bought a lot of my basics in marks and Spencer and a couple each of black and navy trousers will go along way with a few colourful tops from Vinted and Sainsbury’s, plus a couple of blazers for smarter events 👌

Having worked as a primary school TA, practicality wins. You will find yourself kneeling on the floor, sitting on the floor, dealing with paint, glue, glitter, chasing the runners, clearing up accidents, receiving snotty hugs (at crotch or belly button height), doing various outdoor tasks, paperwork, managing the dodgy, clapped out photocopier/kettle/toilets, and coping with extreme temperature changes.
And keep your hair tied up (lice).
Not sure if secondary schools have it any better :)

I’m sure (particularly) senior school teachers lives were more pleasant when school uniforms were made of natural fabrics. Synthetic shirts, polo tops and sweatshirts hang on to Every Single Odour. (No matter how scrupulously laundered.)

When I was a teaching assistant I tended to wear the same type of things as the teachers. We were all encouraged to dress professionally - so definitely not leggings and no open toe sandals or trainers. Obviously different if you're taking or supporting sports classes Think about how the children see you, if you want to be taken seriously and treated like the professional you are, then dress like one. I tended to wear tailored trousers with blouses, tops, jumpers and/or blazers depending on the time of year.

Why? What’s wrong with a dress over leggings? Might not be the height of fashion, but why is it inappropriate?

Scroll back to see my reply to that question.

I used to wear black leggings, a long (usually black) sweatshirt, or top, and Chelsea boots (trainers on PE day; walking boots on Forest School day).

The children, and teachers, respected me because I was good at my job, not because I wore a blazer.

How is it inappropriate in front of children though? You think they'll start to hate themselves too if they see a woman in a dress and leggings?

I did not use the word ‘inappropriate’.

’Depressing’ would be closer to my meaning.

"... not a style I'd want to set before small children..."
🙄
A TA's clothes need to be comfortable and practical enough to allow a full range of movement, easily washable, and reasonably smart. Of course a dress over leggings is fine.