TAs - how much responsibility is normal for a lowly level 1 TA?

[Doraemon]

I am working on a maternity cover contract in Foundation Stage as a Level 1 TA (same pay rate as dinner ladies). The post was only created a couple of years ago essentially as an extra body to allow free flow indoor/outdoor play. School has now discovered a new-found enthusiasm for intervention in Foundation and I'm now doing speech and language interventions, a nurture group type intervention, and phonics small group work. The actual time spent on these is taking up about 50% of my contracted hours (the rest of the time is spent interacting with/observing children across foundation stage), and whilst I am working theoretically under direction either of the teacher or Speech Therapist a lot of the producing of resources or figuring out exactly how best to use them is down to me (largely in my own unpaid lunch hour....).
I like what I'm doing but am starting to feel that school are slightly taking the p**s getting me to do all this for Level 1 pay. I'd be interested to know what expectations are elsewhere for Level 1 or 2 TAs.
Thanks!

I used to be paid either L1 or 2 as EY Educator. Planning, Learning Journals, Parents' Eve, Reports - did it all. Teacher now!

Wow, who were you employed by? Our Nursery Nurse is on a significantly better rate than me and officially doesn't have to do all that (although in practice she usually works together with the teacher on most of it).

A primary school. You could look at it as being underpaid - or as a great chance to get experience. After the first year I decided to go down the teacher training route, so the experience aspect was appreciated!
I hate the idea of supervising free flow being seen as a 'extra body' standing around. Supporting child initiated play well is the most skilful part of the job imo - identifying the learning, knowing when to stand back, when to scaffold, when to move on - and I don't know many people who can do it. Otoh I've known a lot of people who prefer to be given specific, adult directed tasks to 'get through'!
I'd agree with you that EYFS salaries could do with a boost, definitely!

Just read it's mat cover - so not forever. Make the most of what you can get from it, you never know where these things lead.

The roles vary county to county, and tbh also school to school.

Sheffield's UNISOn produced a leafet which suggested:

TA 1

Working under direction/instruction
Supporting access to learning

Examples:
? Welfare/personal care
? Small groups/1 to 1
? General cleric

TA 2

Working under instruction/guidance
Enabling access to learning

Examples:
? Delivery of pre?determined learning/care/support programmes
? Implementing literacy/numeracy programmes
? Assisting with planning cycle
? Clerical/admin support for teacher/department

TA 3 including Cover Supervisors

(NB it is at the discretion of the headteacher whether a TA3 covers classes in the short term absence of a teacher)

Working under guidance
Delivering learning activities under the discretion of the teaching
Covering classes in short term absence (ie first day of illness) of the teacher, supervising work set by teacher, managing behaviour and setting expectations

Examples:
? Involvement in whole planning cycle
? Implementing work programmes
? Evaluation and record keeping
? Cover supervisor
? Specialist SEN/subject/other support

HLTA

Planning and delivering lessons including teaching activity (called “specified work”) whilst the class teacher has overall responsibility for progress

Examples:
? Delivering PPA cover
? Teaching (specified work) when there is a need for short term cover
? Planning and delivering learning activities with small identified groups
? Line managing TAs or Supervisory Assistants

Thanks Giulianna. It is all good experience and I have a fantastic Foundation Stage Leader (part of the reason I have been given extra things to do is because Foundation Leader wants to prove I am needed and should be kept on next year). It's my kids' school so the c**p pay is balanced out by reduced need for childcare, and I also have another role on HLTA rate which helps :-) I think EYFS functions so differently to later Key Stages that SLT don't always appreciate quite how much work is involved.

Hulababy that's really helpful thank you :-)

Good luck Doraemon! it sounds like they think a lot of you. The more you do the more fascinating it gets! A good EYFS leader - excellent. There's so much in the curriculum and approach to inspire.
Don't get me started on SLT and appreciation for EYFS. It isn't always the case, but it can often be 'you 'just' play, don't you' etc - plus one colleague at my school was really surprised at my grasp of Maths, I think she thought basic addition was my limit! lol
It's the Foundation fgs - we all know you can't build on sand!
(and I remember now, I did the lunch hour thing, too ... takes me back. Am still in touch with the FS leader, she's moved schools and KS's, and is doing her best to get me a new job with her!)

It's great experience BUT I think there is nothing wrong with looking around to see if there is another school that will pay you more for your great experience.
I think schools are massively guilty of exploiting female labour, frankly.

Bear in mind that some schools will recognise potential and put you through a pgce, while paying you, by way of school direct.
Other schools will just work you to death for minim wage and no thank yous.
Which school would you rather work for?

I have planned delivered and evaluated interventions both small group and 1-1 as a level 1 ta. I was doing the level 3 qualification at the time though so needed to for my college assessments. I now have a job at the same school as a level 3 qualified. Most of the level 1s at my school (not many most of us are level 2 or 3) will deliver teacher planned interventions and feedback to teacher. Tbh level 1,2,3 & 4 pay is determined by qualifications at our school not really by the job description as there is a lot of overlap. A level 1 ta at our school will cover classes in absence of a teacher but won't get paid level 2 or 3 unless they have the qualification.

This should be unacceptable, you know. It really is a way of de-skilling education as a profession and driving terms and conditions of employment down within the sector as a whole.
It drives me mad because it is such a female-dominated industry -and look at what we accept!

I agree with the catfromJapan.

A level 1 TA should not be doing any planning imo and you definitely should not be doing any prep in your lunch break. Where I am level 1 TAs are only employed in EYFS and basically supervise, do personal care, classroom prep etc.

Level 2 TAs also do no planning but just deliver programmes planned by teachers/OT/SaLT and support learning under the direction of the teacher.

Only those employed at level 3+ are doing their own planning and differentiate the curriculum.

At my school only level 3 TAs plan and that is just for the interventions they are teaching. Though this is usually done with and shared between other level 3 TAs, having been told by teachers what the focus is. Though we use a lot of bought in intervention materials also.

Level 4 HLTAs plan and prep their own lessons. Officially this is supposed to be under the guidance of the teacher who has overall responsibility for progress of their class. However, as a subject specialist I plan the whole of my subject area for my year group, and also other year groups at the moment too.

Level 1/2 TAs are not supposed to plan at all at my school though some choose to be involved - especially if they are training and intending moving up the levels.

Cassgate I am quite shocked that the school would let a Level 1 TA cover for the teacher - regardless of how good they might be I think that's really unfair on both the TA and the children. All cover in our school is either done by the HLTA or supply teachers - there was a HLTA/Cover supervisor post advertised a couple of years back but no-one was appointed. There is a general reliance on TA good will though, most of us work beyond our paid hours on a fairly regular basis.
thecatfromjapan I was actually supposed to be starting a PGCE but it fell through for various reasons, and I doubt that I could actually cope with a full time teaching role on top of having 3 DC, a husband who works long hours and no family support.

Our level 1&2 TAs are not allowed to have a whole class on their own - not even for 15 minute break cover let alone a whole day cover for teacher absence.

Our level 2's don't prep any work or figure out how to use them.
Resources are prepared by teachers, salt or level 3's or above.
No-one works during their lunch break.
The level 3 is allowed to cover the class for 30 minutes. This is seldomly done.
The HLTA does cover teachers fully.

Assessing, level 2 do the bare minimum, just feedback to the teacher for how the lesson went.

Level 3's and above are more involved with assessing.

I would google your area for the job description as set by the local council. Its a standard one that is advised by the council, but of course school do make alterations to meet their requirements. You should also be able to find info about pay scales for your area. I would use this to negotiate a pay increase.

If you haven't I would also join Unison. They can be invaluable especially when negotiating pay increases based on the JD. They can also help to get it externally graded as well.