school over funded.

[user1497480444]

Surely I can't be the only one that feels this.

I am a TA. I am paid 15k a year to support children who refuse to accept my support, don't need my support, or are too academically limited to make use of my support.

There are 25 of us in my school

nearly half a million pound s year spent on nothing.

If children were made to behave, if children were in lessons leading towards appropriate qualification for their abilities, if children were encourages to work independently etc etc they would learn far more anyway, and all that could be done WITHOUT us.

No you are supposed to help her at her level. There are other exams she could be entered for, functional skills etc.

no, not at our school there isn't. Everybody does GCSE, without exception. Because it is parental choice to put your child in a school where everybody does GCSE, is what I am told when I raise it.

I am an education professional

Are you? What are your qualifications? Because it really sounds like you don't know what you're doing, or meant to be doing.

You are failing the children you are working with, do not blame it on anyone else.

Was it not your job to get this girl ready for her G,c,s,e and to make sure she would be able to do it??? Sounds to me like you have not done your job properly.

There we go again, this attitude of "demand miracles, and blame the staff if they don't happen" she is never going to be GCSE material. Never. She has learning difficulties.

I agree about the behaviour but not about the TA job. There maybe issues about how your time is used by the school, but that doesn't mean no TAs are helpful.

What we do about behaviour, I really don't know. It wastes countless hours of teaching time. And yes, many TAs end up being 'just another adult in the room' to help keep a lid on difficult kids rather than actually giving individual help. One of the TAs I see regularly tends to sit with the disaffected girls and talk to them about make-up and boyfriends .

You are failing the children you are working with, do not blame it on anyone else.

how am I failing the children I am working with. Come on, you tell me how you would "support" a boy who tells you to fuck off every time you speak to him, and will never vary from this

Seems to me that a lot of posters on this thread don't like to hear the truth. Don't attack someone for saying it as it is. If the system is faulty, if the children don't care because what is being taught is not relevant to them, if staff are having their time and (often extreme) effort wasted, thank goodness that someone is prepared to say so.

if children were encourages to work independently etc etc they would learn far more anyway, and all that could be done WITHOUT us.

Ever heard of scaffolding?

OP, some people find it hard to believe that there are students who will never be able to pass GCSE maths. I would have thought the same until I became a teacher tbh.

Of course there are students who will never pass GCSE maths. However entering them for GCSE maths doesn't mean that they can't also be entered for other, more suitable qualifications.

Because youobviously do not have the experince to get through to the children thats why, have you ever worked with specail children? you have to have a specail way on get them to come round, you obviously do not have that, I would personally say you are in the wrong job.

barrygetamoveonplease, the system is not faulty. If it is it is understaffed if anything.

It would be nice if op could name the school she works at so we could ring themup and ask them if they are overstaffed and why they cannot do their jobs properly.

Is GCSE maths really multiple choice now? (Your comment about getting grade 1 from waving pencil about)

I go into lots if schools. Some TAs are great,some a bit rubbish. But the vast majority seem to be really trying. Sounds like a culture problem at your specific school.

I can kind of see what you are saying. You've just phrased it poorly.

Yes, the system is crap. Students who can't manage level 1 Maths should not be entered for GCSE. However, all schools will enter them because functional skills do not count towards the progress 8 measure. Thanks to Gove for that.

Behaviour is also not a TA's job. That is a failing with your school.

However, I disagree that employing TAs is a waste of money. If used effectively then TAs can make a world of difference to a student. But the frame works need to be in place to help both the TA and the child perform well. IMO using a TA in the class room is pointless. They should be with drawing students for 1 to 1 b

Is GCSE maths really multiple choice now?

AQA has a handful of multiple choice questions on their papers. Other exam boards don't.

Schools are just burning money for nothing

Balls.

I am an education professional

Is this the same as an educated professional?

It would be nice if op could name the school she works at so we could ring themup and ask them if they are overstaffed and why they cannot do their jobs properly.

That would be interesting, wouldn't it!

Thanks noble

I'm a TA in secondary education and feel extremely useful, even if the pupil will never achieve meaningful qualifications. I work with pupils who still struggle to count within 10 an can barely write a sensible sentence. I have no issue sitting with them and continue with the work they did in primary schools because I believe we should develop them as much as possible, even if it's never enough to achieve GCSE level (although I''m not in England or Wales).

I work in a school of 1400 and there are usually 5 TAs on duty due to several of my colleagues on long-term sick leave. We have two children on 1-1 (both very low achievers) and the rest of us work in the classes with the most behavioural disturbances. It's very rarely that we have the chance to work 1-1 with anyone. I know at least one of our teachers expresses the opinion that our time should be spent with the middle-range achievers rather than the bottom sets as they're the pupils who can either way as they go further up the school. She reckons that if primary teachers couldn't teach these kids the basics, then nobody can.

We're extemely good value for money and there are way too few us. I only earn £12k per year and I work for every penny of it.

We have about 7 TAs now for around 1800 pupils because of funding cuts. As I've said before, we've also got one music teacher, one drama teacher, one RS teacher and the history teachers.

OP just because you think your school is wasting money doesn't mean others are. It is tough out there. Really tough. The English Department have just had another hour of contact time a week added to their timetables, an extra duty a week and about five students to each class. It is madness. Most of our groups are now 35 kids. I wish I had a TA!

If you honestly can't think of some strategies for how to support a child who tells you to fuck off repeatedly, you really shouldn't be anywhere near education. This is not the job of "managers" or "society". This is YOUR job, and you sound incapable of the kind of imaginative, inspiring and kind educational support that numerous other TAs have genuine talent and skills to carry out.

For God's sake, quit and go work in another field where you aren't working with children.

On the other hand, I also can't quite believe that you're real - it sounds more like you're a parent doing a reverse to try and stir things up. Heartened to read replies from TAs above who sound excellent and really do their best and care. Those are much more representative.