Does anyone work in a special school?

[Meltinthemiddle]

I work in a nursery and thinking of moving to a special school as a TA. What's it like?

Yep I do. Think very carefully it's very full on and physical . Rewarding but demanding.

Can I ask what age group you work with?

I worked in one for a while and it was lovely in terms of feeling you’re doing something amazing to give the parents respite, but I’d say more stressful for the staff because the children were more easily deregulated and you have to protect the more vulnerable children from the ones who lash out and shout. Also there was lots of heavy lifting children into winches by the pool, 10 year old obese children on to nappy changing tables. Some staff had black eyes and bruised arms and some had their hair pulled.
Also you need to be really on the ball with giving medication/ oxygen etc.
I think if you have a team of colleagues who are good at keeping things light hearted and fun you’ll get a lot out of it.

I teach KS1, age from 6-8 in my class. Yes as above lots of physical work, you need to be hot on PRICE but I've had nothing more than a chair thrown which I ducked and a few scratches and pinches, you shouldn't be in a position to get a black eye or hair pulled though.
You need to be calm as ringing 999, giving emergency meds/oxygen are every day occurrences.
Positives- you see a lot of progress in some pupils- major milestones eg walking, reading, showing preferences etc.
Negatives you may have to watch a child you care about slowly decline then attend the funeral .. done this twice.

It all depends on the needs we have, Asd, GDD, cerebral palsy, retts, lots of different needs.

It's busy. It's very, very busy. I'm a special school teacher and I really enjoy working with the kids but I am on high alert almost all of the time. I have been bitten, scratched, hit, kicked, pinched, spat on and had (large) things thrown at me over the years. I teach kids with a high level of need. I used to teach mainstream nursery and reception and I know that is busy too but special schools are busy in a different way. Special school staff tend to be flexible and usually have a good sense of humour and are resilient. You don't take the behaviours personally, you reflect on why they've occurred and what the child is communicating with them. So that's no different to mainstream.

Special schools vary, just as mainstream schools do and just as Nurseries do.
When I worked in special schools many of our TAs had previously worked in PVIs. I think working in some special schools can be more akin to working in a Nursery than working in a mainstream school is.

I did enjoy my years in special, but agree it can be more physical and generally more 'extreme' than special schools.

I work in a secondary special needs school as a TA.
On a regular basis staff are verbally abused. The f word is not admonished as it is so common and normal now. Staff and other pupils are regularly attacked.
Having said all of this, it is extremely rewarding. SLT are very supportive and everyone looks out for each other.