Frequently asked questions
How can I become a teaching assistant ?
The recruitment and training of support staff including teaching assistants is done at local level — by LEAs and individual schools — and not directly by the Department for Education and Skills. You may want to contact your local schools or your LEA direct to see if there are any vacancies in your area. You may also wish to scan your local papers since posts are often advertised in these, or ask at a Jobcentre.
What qualifications would I need to be recruited into a teaching assistant role?
It is a matter for local employers to decide what skills, experience and qualifications are necessary when recruiting for any school support post bearing in mind the nature of the support required for the specific posts they wish to fill.
What do support staff do?
School Support staff (including teaching assistants) are employed in a variety of functions in support of teachers and what they do varies between schools. Some support individual pupils with special needs, others support the whole class or groups within the class, especially with literacy and numeracy. Support staff may also provide administrative support, or technical support, or be involved in pastoral care.
What funding will be available?
For 2004-05, we have included £279 million to contribute to Support Staff salaries and £51 million for their training and development in a new single grant for schools, the School Development Grant, worth £647 million in total. Schools will be free to spend their School Development Grant on any purpose to support improvement in teaching and learning. Details are available on the Standards Fund website.
Are you not putting children at risk if you leave them in charge of teaching assistants?
Not at all. It is up to schools to ensure that any new employees have passed suitable police checks, and all their employees are trained in the health and safety policies of the school, and that there is adequate supervision within the school.
Who is responsible for the employment and training of support staff and teaching assistants?
Schools and LEAs as employers are responsible for the employment and training of school support staff.
Are teaching assistants suitably trained to offer support to teachers?
We already have in place a 4-day induction training programme for newly recruited teaching assistants which aims to achieve greater national consistency in the quality and availability of teaching assistant induction training. The training will help ensure that new recruits have a clear understanding of their new roles and responsibilities and will improve the quality of support made available to teachers.
School and LEAs train and develop teaching assistants in line with their local job roles and priorities. Training may be for qualifications, but is often provided through a range of development opportunities and inset courses.
Are TAs really able to cover for teachers?
The Government believes that well-trained and experienced support staff can play a valuable role in undertaking cover for short-term teacher absence, for example when teachers are ill or undertaking professional development. However, we expect only well-trained support staff — normally having attained higher level teaching assistant (HLTA) status will be leading classes, and then only under the direction and supervision of a teacher. Details of the new HLTA standards and training routes can be accessed at www.hlta.gov.uk. Heads will need to be satisfied that support staff undertaking cover duties are suitably trained. Guidance on cover supervision is now available.
Is it true that the Government's intention is to replace teachers with teaching assistants?
No. The Government's policy is not about replacing teachers with teaching assistants: it is about separating out the functions on which teachers could be supported by suitably trained staff, so they can concentrate on the things for which they are qualified and developing training so that support staff can take on higher level roles. Support Staff will always complement teachers, not replace them.
Aren't you just recruiting teaching assistants since you have failed to recruit enough teachers?
No, more better-trained teaching assistants and other support in the classroom will mean that teachers can be free to teach more effectively. 427,800 full-time equivalent regular teachers were employed in maintained schools in England in January 2004. This means they have reached their highest level since 1981.
Are we not devaluing the role of teachers?
Certainly not. It is simply the case that the more teaching assistants are trained well, the better equipped they will be to provide teachers with the support they need and enable them to focus more on important teaching issues.
What developments have taken place to enhance the training and qualifications available to teaching assistants?
National occupational standards for teaching assistants have been available since 2002. To access details please click here www.lg-employers.gov.uk. The standards are relevant to assistants working with children from the start of infant school to the end of compulsory schooling and include specific units dealing with supporting special educational needs, literacy, numeracy, information and communications technology (ICT) and language. Established awarding bodies have now developed National Vocational Qualifications at levels 2 and 3 based on these standards which have been available since September 2002.
The Teacher Training Agency (TTA) has developed standards and training for higher level teaching assistants, building on existing training and qualifications, (including the new NVQs for TAs) and linking these to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) standards. See www.hlta.gov.uk for details.
Will help be provided to enable schools and teachers to make full use of better trained and qualified teaching assistants?
'Working with Teaching Assistants — a good practice guide' was published in October 2000. This contains real life examples of good practice, and a set of self-audit indicators to help schools measure themselves against what is good practice. The full text and further case studies are available on this website.
In addition we have produced two videos about management of teaching assistants (TAs) in schools Working with Teaching Assistants in Primary Schools (DfES/0114/2003) and Working with Teaching Assistants in Secondary Schools (DfES/0115/2003). The videos show how a variety of schools around the country have raised the profile, and developed the role and responsibilities of their TAs. Copies of both videos can be ordered by calling the DCSF publication line on 0845 60 222 60 quoting the reference numbers. Further training and guidance will be available in due course.
How much do support staff get paid?
The Government considers that decisions on pay and contractual arrangements for school support staff are best taken at local level — they can be more flexible and responsive to local needs and priorities. Many local authorities are now reviewing support staff pay in the light of the agreement — commonly known as the Single Status Agreement — made in 1997 by the National Joint Council for Local Government Services.
Will I get paid more if I take on extra work?
We would expect local arrangements to have sufficient flexibility to enable schools to attract and retain support staff in both existing and any new roles in a cost effective way, and to develop existing staff into new roles where appropriate. The National Agreement on raising standards and tackling workload makes clear that we expect support staff pay to reflect their level of training, skills and responsibilities.
For FAQ on other support staff please click here
