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Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

Original poster

Using TA/HLTA to cover teacher absence

37 replies

Benjispruce4 · 09/10/2022 11:14

I’m a HLTA and cover PPA across the school. I also cover teacher absence due to training or sickness. Lately there has been several weeks of teacher sickness and I am covering. Teachers, who are at home sick, are asked to supply me with planning and I don’t feel comfortable with that but obviously it’s preferable that a quality teacher plans core subject lessons. There is never a mention of supply teacher cover. Is this standard procedure in your primary schools too?

OP posts:
TwitTw00 · 14/10/2022 19:39

swallowedAfly · 14/10/2022 08:26

Here cover supervisors earn between 16 and 19k (at the very generous/desperate end) per year. No planning or marking.

That is more what I was imagining. I don't understand how a cover supervisor with no class responsibility, planning responsibility or subject leadership responsibility can earn £28.7k? I earned that on about M3 and have only been teaching 10 years.

swallowedAfly · 14/10/2022 20:26

Yeah. There is a big difference between unqualified teacher (subject specialism, degree, does all planning and marking etc) and a cover supervisor.

vindaloopy · 20/10/2022 20:49

I'm a bit late to this party, but came to say I'm a cover supervisor in a primary school so they do exist. In fact I've seen quite a few advertised around here.

Tbh I think it's a way of getting a HLTA on the cheap as we are paid less but basically do the HLTA role. I think it's nominally around £23k full time but obviously TTO and 32.5 hours pw brings it down a lot. I have an MFL degree, have achieved HLTA status and have 6 years experience across the primary age range.

According to my contract, I'm not supposed to cover more than 3 days on the trot (which is a joke as it's often way more than that) plus my job is not actually cover supervision, as I actively teach what the teacher has planned - I don't just supervise and manage behaviour). It's still better than when I was a TA and only got paid extra at HLTA rate for the hours I was covering though.

Having said all that, I love my job! All the lovely parts of teaching with hardly any planning and far less responsibility and stress. Just hope we aren't the first roles to get cut when next year's budget hits :(

Meredusoleil · 20/10/2022 20:52

vindaloopy · 20/10/2022 20:49

I'm a bit late to this party, but came to say I'm a cover supervisor in a primary school so they do exist. In fact I've seen quite a few advertised around here.

Tbh I think it's a way of getting a HLTA on the cheap as we are paid less but basically do the HLTA role. I think it's nominally around £23k full time but obviously TTO and 32.5 hours pw brings it down a lot. I have an MFL degree, have achieved HLTA status and have 6 years experience across the primary age range.

According to my contract, I'm not supposed to cover more than 3 days on the trot (which is a joke as it's often way more than that) plus my job is not actually cover supervision, as I actively teach what the teacher has planned - I don't just supervise and manage behaviour). It's still better than when I was a TA and only got paid extra at HLTA rate for the hours I was covering though.

Having said all that, I love my job! All the lovely parts of teaching with hardly any planning and far less responsibility and stress. Just hope we aren't the first roles to get cut when next year's budget hits :(

Surely that just makes you PPA Cover rather than a Cover Supervisor?

vindaloopy · 20/10/2022 21:01

I do one afternoon a week PPA cover, but the rest is ad-hoc cover when teachers are out for sickness, training, meetings etc. We have a big staff body so lots to cover. I guess I'm basically a supply teacher all over one school.

Meredusoleil · 20/10/2022 21:13

vindaloopy · 20/10/2022 21:01

I do one afternoon a week PPA cover, but the rest is ad-hoc cover when teachers are out for sickness, training, meetings etc. We have a big staff body so lots to cover. I guess I'm basically a supply teacher all over one school.

I know exactly what you mean. Definitely the best of all worlds 😉

swallowedAfly · 21/10/2022 05:57

Cover supervisors at my school (secondary) also actively teach the work set - it is surely the expectation rather than just leaving kids to flounder? You would likely go mad with boredom too if you didn't get stuck in and teach.

I did day to day supply for a while and always tried to teach the content - I didn't realise that wasn't standard till I saw how many supply teachers expected to get paid just for sitting on their arse with chaos erupting around them.

vindaloopy · 21/10/2022 07:08

Oh absolutely, and I enjoy the teaching, but that's not what my contract says.

Original poster
Benjispruce4 · 21/10/2022 07:47

I teach from bought in schemes(PSHE and French) as I cover PPA daily. I also teach from teacher planning on other occasions. I still need to do a certain amount of planning at home to ensure I have resources and know what I’m going to be talking about.

OP posts:
Meredusoleil · 21/10/2022 08:00

Benjispruce4 · 21/10/2022 07:47

I teach from bought in schemes(PSHE and French) as I cover PPA daily. I also teach from teacher planning on other occasions. I still need to do a certain amount of planning at home to ensure I have resources and know what I’m going to be talking about.

Ooh, can I ask which SoW you use for French please? I used to be responsible for French at my last school.

Original poster
Benjispruce4 · 21/10/2022 16:40

Yes it’s the good old Catherine Cheater scheme on DVD.

OP posts:
Meredusoleil · 21/10/2022 19:16

Benjispruce4 · 21/10/2022 16:40

Yes it’s the good old Catherine Cheater scheme on DVD.

👍

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