Support for teacher with disability

[KaliOMalley]

I have a friend who is training to be a teacher. She has ADHD and dyslexia, and during her years at uni has had extra support such as step by step instructions recorded by her tutor for each task, weekly check lists created by her tutor, extended deadlines, reduced timetable when on placement, break out times when on placement, and other support. She was talking about her NQT year, and how she isn't used to working full days or full time, and will need the same support through her NQT year as she has had at uni.

I tried to gently explain that this kind of support could be tricky for schools to provide, as her IT/ mentor will most likely be a full time teacher themselves and not be able to spend that time on everything. She said that as she has a diagnosed disability she is entitled to this support, and if they don't provide it she can sue for disability discrimination.

I asked her how she would cope if she did pass her NQT year, with all the support, then the support was withdrawn once she was in her second year of teaching, as there would be no expectation for the support any more. She seems to think the check lists, step by step instructions, extended deadlines etc will continue indefinitely through her teaching career, as that's what she needs in order to teach without becoming overwhelmed.

She has applied for an accessibility grant that could give her a laptop and she thinks she could get a TA, which she already plans to use as a PA by the sounds of it, getting them to do all of her marking and planning.

I am really concerned for her that she is being mislead by her uni. I've never heard of support such as this being offered beyond the NQT year. Does her diagnosis ensure this support will be permanent/ as long as she needs it?

I can’t see how this would work at all! There isn’t enough money to support children with needs never mind staff.

I'm a TA and there's no way in hell I'd do half the job for her. I do marking, I even took books home to mark when things went tits up, I cover lesson and I helped with planning , but mostly as an emergency or a favour or because I know something will work better etc. I wouldn't do it as an expected part of my job , I've got more than enough things to do.

I can’t see it working out tbh.
I’d like to be a firefighter, but my health conditions mean that someone else would have to do all the ladder work. And any heavy lifting.
One of the key requirements of being a teacher is that the children's needs and safety comes first, and the school should employ someone who can fulfil that requirement . She’s putting her needs first, which might work in some jobs.

There are a few points I can answer -

She's training to be a primary teacher.

On placement she had a TA in the classroom so when she had to 'break out' the TA stayed in the room with the children. No idea how long the break outs lasted!

The additional TA would be employed using the funding she has applied for, so not a current TA employed by the school. This funding can also provide a laptop with a voice package on it to support her with the dyslexia.

I am glad so many of you free that the adjustments the uni have provided to help her achieve her degree will not work when she's working full time.

I can't see her working part time, as she would not be able to organise herself sufficiently to share the work load with a job share.

I think she would better as a TA or perhaps some other childcare work. Sch as play work, personal tutoring, Working in education behind the scenes. I am dyslexic,dycalculate. I work in childcare but no way do I feal I have good enough basic skills to teach. (well not beyond nursery)

This is going to sounds so dickish but how is she going to teach spellings,test them, mark them in the kids work or read the various writing styles some kids have. I have children that them themselves can't understand what they wrote the day before.

How will she cope with children with SEN in class that will need adjustments,differentiated work,will have meltdowns etc.

Will she get funding for her entire career to ensure she can pay for the extra person to support her?

I think she would better as a TA

No she wouldn't.

So you are looking to a teacher needing a TA for 1:1 support. Who will presumably also be responsible for the emotional well-being of the children’s coping with a teacher who snaps at them, walks out and is inconsistent.
And the uni thinks that will work?

She’s deluded!

As harsh as it sounds, I think she needs to find a different career path.

Whilst dyslexic teachers can definitely work (I have mentored some excellent ones), it’s her attitude which will be her downfall as a teacher....they have to do x y and z or I’ll sue them.

How on earth does she expect a Ta to plan lessons for her?

I cant get past the snapping at children either. Part of being professional and creating a good learning environment is being able to keep your emotions in control and respond to situations appropriately.

I also think she has really misunderstood the meaning of the word 'reasonable'.

As a dyslexic and dyspraxic myself, the teachers I looked up to in school also had learning difficulties so i certainly don't think someone shouldn't be a teacher purely because of that.
However, they were very independent and had very good coping mechanisms and the main support they would have used was tech rather than any human support.
I had plenty of support at uni but that was technology and a study support tutor who helped me learn skills to help me cope.
I'm afraid I think your friend hasn't been allowed to fail to learn coping mechanisms on their own so they haven't been set up well to be a qualified teacher(I say this knowing what it's like to have had no support at all through years of my life).

I think access to work funding is tricky to get and I know in many cases you can't get enough points for PIP with learning difficulties if you don't have physical care needs so I can't see her getting anywhere near the level of support she has to been used to I'm afraid. From a legal standpoint, they could just say that what she feels her requirements are aren't reasonable.

She seems to think the check lists, step by step instructions, extended deadlines etc will continue indefinitely through her teaching career, as that's what she needs in order to teach without becoming overwhelmed.

Checklists and instructions created by who? She’s going to be a teacher who more often than not is going to be doing the same thing for her pupils - so someone’s going to create a checklist for her to create a checklist for someone else? Step by step instructions on how to write step by step instructions for someone else? That’s ridiculous. She needs to look into finding ways to support herself, not getting someone else to constantly do it. I’ve never heard of this being done for an adult in any working environment, never mind a demanding job like teaching - I sympathise with the fact that it must be difficult but to be honest she sounds a bit childish and like she’s been a bit spoon fed up until now, not supported - she needs to take responsibility for herself.

I do feel sorry for her, however stroppy or entitled she is. She’s been seriously misled by her tutors as to the realities of what she can expect as an NQT. If she sees anyone, it should be them.
Like other teachers, I have met colleagues with a range of disabilities who are excellent teachers, but they were willing to make huge efforts to become so.

Autocorrect!
if she sues anyone

She gets overwhelmed and has to leave the classroom? There are students out there who will make her life a living hell.

There are parents who will eat her alive. But I doubt she’ll get an NQT position, unless it’s a school that knows her from placement and is willing to take her on

I'm totally empathetic to disabilities.
I'm dyslexic and DS had genetic condition with asd.
I've spoken to him at length when doing work experience and college applications about considering a career he can cope with.

There's are plenty of careers available and everyone needs to loom for one that suits them. This is why those personality tests are used as guides too.

But I doubt she’ll get an NQT position, unless it’s a school that knows her from placement and is willing to take her on

They’ll probably be the least likely to take her on. There’s no future for her in teaching - amazing, talented and very resilient teachers have quit in the past due to tough work load and challenging working conditions, there’s no way she’s up to this job. She’s wasting her own and other people’s time here - and are education system can’t really afford it. She sounds incredibly selfish and deluded.

She has been done a huge disservice by everyone who has enabled her to complete the training.

We had an NQT who had anxiety issues (not disclosed at interview) and then once she was employed we discovered that throughout her training adjustments had been made.

She would get up and leave the classroom if she felt anxious (leaving 25 year 2 pupils) this would happen up to six times in a day.
She wasn't able to do playground duty as it made her feel anxious.
She refused to take her class on trips.
She wouldn't teach PE as it was too much for her.

Her needs trumped all other staff and quite frankly whilst she worked in our school it caused huge problems for us all and increased our workload/responsibilities - and ultimately the pupils certainly were not getting the quality education they deserved.

In the end she had huge periods of time off school and by the time her contract ended she had worked for less than 50% of the time and when she was in work had left her class on average twice a day.

The uni have massively given her false hope. She won't cope. Will the additional funding she's applied for be given consistently throughout her teaching career?! Will it be enough to fund a ta salary? Sen children aren't given what they need to because of lack of funding and they are going to fund a ta for a teacher?! Madness.
I'm not being harsh op but she needs to find another job.

Looking on the gov.uk website for Support in Access to work, it does include a support worker or job coach to help you in your workplace.

Start here www.gov.uk/access-to-work
two pages on www.gov.uk/access-to-work/what-youll-get it says
"What you'll get
You’ll be offered support based on your needs. This may include a grant to help cover the costs of practical support in the workplace, or getting to and from work.

The grant can help pay for items or services you need, including:
adaptations to the equipment you use
special equipment or software
British Sign Language interpreters and video relay service support, lip speakers or note takers
adaptations to your vehicle so you can get to work
taxi fares to work or a support worker if you cannot use public transport
a support worker or job coach to help you in your workplace
disability awareness training for your colleagues
the cost of moving your equipment if you change location or job
Access to Work can also help assess whether your needs can be met through reasonable adjustments by your employer."

So in some situations, a support worker paid for by the access to Work grant is definitely an option.

If she's only read that description, I can understand why she thinks her ideas can work.

However, she needs to find out whether this would actually be feasible in practice.
My understanding of a support worker is someone who enables the disabled person to do their job, not someone who does all of the parts of the job the disabled person can't do or doesn't want to do.

List of reasonable adjustments www.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments-for-disabled-workers

This isn't sustainable at all! I've left classes alone before (when I had terrible pregnancy sickness) but that was 14-18 year olds and it was a short term problem.
Also, as a teacher with a disability I can tell you that the RA for needing more time for rest/planning etc is to work part time and be paid accordingly. You certainly don't get a part time timetable and a full time salary!
I currently have a teacher in my department who is dyslexic. Actually, it's great because the only impact is the occasional spelling mistake. He uses a spell check for reports etc. I know another teacher who is dyspraxia. Her RA is to have two screens and she makes her own checklists to help her organised on one and works on the other.
She needs to be able to do this stuff herself though, either with some tech equipment or by being part time and managing on a part time salary, or she can't do the job and will be managed out on capability. It's pretty simple really.

She wouldn’t be able to have a TA to plan and Mark - she would need a second teacher! I’m not sure the grant would cover that, as you say.

I predict that the LADO would be involved very quickly if she is going to lose her temper with the children. Then it’s career over.

There is no way that she can manage with ‘reasonable adjustments’ from what OP has said. She would very quickly find herself on capabilities if she hadn’t already lost her job for the above reason.

I'm dyslexic, there is no way on earth I could be a primary teacher. I teach clinical skills as a guest lecturer in a university because it plays to my strengths and I'm not teaching adults how to spell!

The university are seriously misleading her. How is she going to handle children with additional needs if she needs time outs herself.

Reasonable adjustment mean that the individual is capable of doing the job with a few adaptions. It sounds like employing her would be extremely expensive and unpractical in this role.