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Mr Gove and his DfE are considering phasing out Teaching Assistants in a bid to save £4 Billion a year. Here’s my response to his idea.
Dear Mr Gove,
I concede that I don’t know as much about education as you do as I’m merely a teacher but this is my plea to you. Please don’t take my teaching assistants away. They are the most valuable resource I have. They are unbelievably wonderful and I can’t do my job without them. Here’s a flavour of what they do.
My school is SEN and in my class there are 10 children with an ability split from P4 to NC2. That’s quite a large ability range Mr Gove, in case you don’t know. Much differentiation is needed. Each term we plan a new topic. I have 4 TAs plus myself. At the start of each new term we brain storm our new topic together. We plan all our activities together so that everyone has ownership of the plans and can see the bigger picture and what we are trying to achieve. That’s the best type of planning Mr Gove. My TAs are very creative and provide far better ideas than I can think of to keep my behaviour challenged children on task.
In my class there are 3 boys with challenging behaviours, 2 PMLD children working with sensory resources, 2 on the National Curriculum and 3 who are working around P7 level and need special access technology. My one and only girl in the class has very high needs and is tube fed. 8 of these children need therapy in the form of standing frames. Therapy, standing frames and tube feeding all continue during my lessons. Have you guessed who carries out all these specialised tasks Mr Gove? It’s my TAs!
Each TA has been specially trained for a certain role according to their talents and interests. The TA who does the special access technology has won national awards and spoken at educational conferences due to her high capabilities. She will attach a switch to any part of the body that the child can move independently and attach it to a high tech device in order to give a non communicating child a voice. She programs dynavox, eye gaze, Big Mac and any other AAC device you can think of. She is hugely talented and very highly trained and qualified. Another TA has been trained in therapy and is so highly qualified that she now trains other schools to do their own therapy. Several TAs in my school are trained to give tube feeds or administer oxygen to very poorly children. This is really a nursing job but our TAs willingly accept this huge responsibility since the removal of school nurses.
One of my TAs is a Level 4 and is in charge of the sensory curriculum for the whole school. Teachers seek her advice for their classes, so great is her knowledge. She can make my lessons accessible for my P4 children like no one I’ve ever seen. This lady is amazing. As I’m a senior leader I’m often taken out of class for various reasons. Guess who steps in as teacher during my absence Mr Gove? Yes, it’s my TA. Remember, she has helped me plan, knows the learning outcomes and will willingly stand in for me if required.
That’s a small flavour of the TAs in my class Mr Gove. I’ll move on now to the whole school, just to show you the impact the TAs have across school.
We have around 20 TAs who deal with children’s bathroom requirements. They are all trained, qualified to NVQ level 3 and carry out this job in a sensitive manner for our very special children. No child is ever made to feel uncomfortable or embarrassed. These TAs are fantastic as this is not a role to be envied.
Other TAs are specially trained in ‘Teacch’. In case you don’t know Mr Gove, this helps children on the Autistic Spectrum deal with their everyday lives and make sense of the world. On occasions these TAs have been physically assaulted and they are regularly verbally abused by children who are upset at a change in their routine. Do these TAs worry about that Mr Gove? Not a chance! They carry on regardless because they care about these children and want to help them.
We have TAs who are trained mini bus drivers. Who would drive the children on much needed outdoor experiences without them? We have TAs who are trained swimming coaches. Who would get in the water with these very special children if not a TA Mr Gove? It’s not the best use of a teacher’s time surely.
All our TAs are specially trained to work with the children on their computers. Most of our children can’t write. The TAs have specialist knowledge of clicker, board maker, pecs and countless other educational programs. Who would support the children as not one in my class can work independently.
Our Health and Safety rep is a TA. My assessment assistant is a TA and without her this aspect of my job would consume my working day. This is really a teacher’s job, but hey ho, we haven’t any money for that. Another TA has won awards for leading Enterprise and is instrumental in helping our children succeed with this subject.
One very talented TA is a gymnastics and swimming teacher in her own right. She adapts PE to enable our children to access games they would never otherwise have chance to join. She was instrumental in helping one of our students to become a Paralympian last year. Hats off to her and her talent!
The last TA I will mention Mr Gove is our Network Manager. What a girl! She keeps the entire network running. That’s no small feat considering every child in my school has their own PC or tablet. I can’t list the things the Network Manager does, her days are too full. I only know that she keeps everything tech wise running smoothly. This is vital for our very special children. This girl has won educational awards in her own right. Not bad as she’s merely part of ‘Mum’s army’! (DfE June ’13).
I could carry on all day with this praise for our TAs and the roles they fulfil Mr Gove, but I think you get the picture. You should do, you’ve visited my school. I have pictures of you working with the children. That said, how can you possibly think of removing the TAs? You’ve seen them in action and should therefore know how vital they are to schools. The days are gone when TAs mixed paints and listened to readers in the corridors. They are now hugely talented, highly qualified and specialised people. This is not just in SEN schools but right across the board. Mainstream schools have these wonderful people too.
Lastly Mr Gove, I think you may have been misinformed. Most TAs are actually paid very little money. Many earn around £7 an hour for all their work and their qualifications. Fair enough some earn the princely sum of £9 an hour but its hardly a vast fortune. I don’t know any in my area who earn £17,000 a year as reported in the Daily Mail this month. Therefore they do not do their job for the money. In my school they do it for the special children because they want to improve their lives for them.
So there you have it Mr Gove. I urge you to think again before you embark on this mass removal of TAs. My school cannot run without them and I for one am hugely indebted to them.
Kind Regards,
Cherryl
Readers please sign the petition http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/say-no-to-removal-of-teaching-assistants
Oddny Jonsdottir said:
Having moved here from a country where class room sizes are no more than 26 I was shocked to see that in some classes you have 36 children being taught by one teacher and a few TA’s. Thankfully my children don’t need much help and they get by, but often feel frustrated that they get no individualised teaching, little support when needed as they are doing ok, and often feel rejected because they don’t get the help they feel they need. I think it is high time that children in this country get proper teaching in smaller classes with proper support or we will have children that cannot read, cannot write, and leave school feeling dejected. Is that what the government really wants?
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cherrylkd said:
Thanks for replying and for giving me an insight in to what happens in other countries. I’m sorry your children don’t receive individualised help. Although luckily they don’t need it. They are still entitled to the attention of their teacher. Without TAs this won’t be possible. Hope you’ve signed and urged others to do the same. Thank you.
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miss m ringguth said:
please dont let our children suffer this
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cherrylkd said:
Thanks for replying. I’m doing my best. Hope you found time to sign and share. Thank you.
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Sarah Athey said:
My son has dyspraxia and in spite of his disability is doing very well at school. This is down to team work between his teacher the special needs teacher and critically the TA in his class who gives one to one help. Take away the TAs and we will return to the nightmare of my childhood where special needs children were unsupported and left school grossly under achieving.
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cherrylkd said:
Thanks for responding. I agree with you. Fingers crossed this won’t happen. With any luck Mr Gove may think again and make his savings elsewhere. Hope you found time to sign and re share. Thank you.
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Catherine Fadden said:
All of my children have been lucky enough to have a TA to support there learning. Please let this continue!
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cherrylkd said:
Thanks for replying. I’m doing my best for children like your son. Please sign and re share and I’ll ensure he sees all the comments. Thank you
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Sandra Powell said:
I have signed, would just like to say what a wonderful letter you have composed, I am sure every TA will appreciate you highlighting their skills and hard work. Well done and good luck x
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cherrylkd said:
Thank you very much. Thank you also for signing.
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Heather said:
I’m staggered. I had to leave teaching because I became ill due to overwork and stress – and that was DESPITE the almost full time support of excellent TAs. I cannot imagine coping alone, not even in mainstream. I will share and sign.
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cherrylkd said:
Thank you very much. I hope you’re better now. No one should be poorly through stress at work. TAs will have befn a God send for you.
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Sarah said:
I am a TA currently supporting a child with Autism and I have 2 teenage lads on the Autistic Spectrum. I was horrified to read that the government are even considering getting rid of us!!! I can safely say every teacher I know says just how valuable we are in the class. Please Mr Gove reconsider this dire suggestion.
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cherrylkd said:
Thanks for replying. It’s a truly awful thought isn’t it. Hopefully it will come to nothing. Good luck in your job and with your boys. Please find time to sign and share if poss. Thanks.
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mandy said:
I have been a ta for 13 years and no we don’t get 17,000 but regardless of that we do our job because we care about the children and want whats best for them .I wish mr gore would come into our school and see what an amazing job tas and teachers do . i did my job free for 6 months and would do it again i doubt mr gore would do that he needs to realize its ALL ABOUT THE CHILDREN .
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cherrylkd said:
Thanks for responding. It’s incredibly unfair of him to make such harsh decisions. This is the lives of vulnerable children he is messing around with. Hope you found time to sign and share.
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Leigh Yates said:
Leave them alone ! We need them!
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cherrylkd said:
Well said, in a nutshell. Thank you. Hope you signed and shared.
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The Swans New Party said:
We are now seeing what Austerity actually means, proved by the spread of petitions on 38 Degrees. Austerity final conclusion will be the end of the welfare state, state pensions, social medicine and leaving the poor to starve as the present parties did in the 19th Century with the New Poor Law.
What Europe has got away with, will come to the UK.
80% of Austerity Cuts are yet to come.
In 2014 the 70% non-voter with not the least interest in politics
(and why indeed with an entire current political class believing the fairy tale that Austerity can solve the recession and pay off the deficit, when government is not business, trade, shop, showroom or factory, nor indeed high finance industry),
can utterly change the UK in 2014.
See how on my personal website:
http://www.theswansnewparty.org.uk
My petitions on 38 Degrees are:
http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/state-pension-at-60-now
and
http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/change-way-pensioners-and-those-on-benefits-viewed
Your petition directly affects my friend’s ability to live, as well as help the most vulnerable of children.
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cherrylkd said:
Thanks for replying. Such a comprehensive reply as well. I’ll have a look at your blog soon as I get chance. I fear you’re right. These austerity measures are really kicking in now. Labour over spent, it has to be said but this is ridiculous. The good thing is they won’t get in again. Labour need to get an act together pretty soon as Stephen Twigg is ineffective. Hope you found time to sign and share. Thank you.
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Pingback: Letter to Mr Gove re Teaching Assistants. Please RT. | pud227
cherrylkd said:
Thank you 🙂
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Christian Bank-Pedersen said:
I am a primary teacher and I have done oodles of supply work. There isn’t a single school that I have been which could run as well or run at all without their TA’s. I would walk on parliament if this goes through, as would thousands of others. It’s an ill timed and ill informed motion based around cost cutting. It makes no sense in reality. Well done for writing this letter, i wish he could see the reality and the lives he would affect…
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cherrylkd said:
Thank you. Many people are upset and worried by this latest idea. He’s threatening to make savings from our most vulnerable children. Such a shame and badly thought through. Hope you’ve signed and shared. Thanks for helping.
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Monica Haley said:
Good on you for writing such a great detailed letter. T A s are invaluable. As a retired headteacher, I always thought they were the best resource money could buy. Their salary isn’t worthy of the commitment and dedication they have.
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cherrylkd said:
Thank you for responding. As you can tell I’m hugely aware of how important my TAs are. I literally can’t do my job without them. Thanks.
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Geraldine Roach said:
A brilliant letter Cherryl. Only an idiot could ignore the contents
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cherrylkd said:
Thank you Geraldine. I value your lovely comments 🙂
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heavenali said:
I love your letter : ) – I am a T A – with 23 years in the same school – I enjoy my job, and care about the children I work with, Having been at the same school so long, I feel very much a part of that community – and I know that I work very much as part of a much larger team.
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cherrylkd said:
Thanks for replying. I’m glad you feel appreciated and part of the team. That’s as it should be. You’ll be highly valued for your expertise. The children will love you too.
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Pingback: Teacher's plea to Gove: don't take away my teaching assistants | For Special Needs Children
cherrylkd said:
Thank you 🙂
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Bridget said:
I am a teacher and am fortunate enough to have a TA attached to my class. I work a 9 hour day at school and bring work home with me and simply would not get everything done on my own! TA s are worth their weight in gold(most if them anyway) and many children would not achieve their expected levels without the extra support! It is a crazy idea to get rid of TAs and at the same time keep expecting higher and higher levels! You really can’t have everything! And we wonder why many teachers are finding options other than teaching! Signed and shared for sure!!!
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cherrylkd said:
Thank you for replying. I value your thoughts. It’s so sad that dedicated teachers are looking elsewhere these days for employment. Education and the children will suffer due to this and many other policies. Thank you for sharing.
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Pingback: Update: A Letter to Mr Gove. Please RT #MichaelGove | cherrylkd
alex said:
I agree! I was taught in a school that never had the help that is available today! I now volunteer in a school and they are so grateful for the help. Both reception and year 1 classes have a TA and volunteer in to help the teacher and I have spoken to both teachers and they would be completely lost. TA’s help make the tradition from lesson to lesson easier and assist in dealing with a class or small group of children if an incident has occurred for example the TA will continue to read a story to the class if I have had to deal with a situation with a child from my class at the time etc. They are a great asset to the school and should not be over looked. Especially by someone who was in education without them? Who in my eyes can clearly not comment clearly on a situation you would know next to nothing about experiencing? Listen to the parents/carers, teachers, governors and volunteers that can all see they are a huge asset. Please do not get rid of TA’s without clearly understanding.
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cherrylkd said:
Thank you for commenting. I agree with all your thoughts as you may have guessed. As you point out TAs should not be removed without a great deal of thought. The stakes are high here. This is the future of our children and they deserve the best chance we can give them. Thanks 🙂
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Jan dawe said:
I am a ta and I believe working in smaller groups helps children with learning diificulties, cope with the concept or just even A CONVERSATION, considerably more with their self esteem and learning. Todays society is all about money not about a childs development but let me say TAs wages are more then well spent, there are teachers who are amazing in their own right but cannot work miracles and these children need SUPPORT
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cherrylkd said:
Thank you for responding. You’re absolutely right! Teachers aren’t miracle workers. We need and value the support of our TAs. It’s all about teamwork. Everything my TAs do is for the good of children and the help they give is second to none! Thanks again.
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Paul said:
My sister has Down’s Syndrome and is in a mainstream secondary. It’s down to her excellent TAs (amongst others) that she’s been able to access the curriculum and gain a couple of grade C GCSEs. I’m a primary school TA and about to go into teacher training. If there’s one thing I appreciate hugely it’s the impact a skilled TA can have on a class. TAs are no longer ‘teacher’s assistants’, they/we are ‘TEACHING assistants’. I may not have the qualification (yet) to plan and teach a year’s curriculum but due to good training and classroom experience, I feel both comfortable and confident running a classroom.
As an aside, this comfort has only come from experience as a TA… Where will our next lot of outstanding teachers learn their classroom presence? NQTs are finding it increasingly difficult to get control of difficult classrooms because they get only 2 school placements in a PGCE and many have very limited previous experience in schools. Compare that to a couple of years as a TA plus 2 placements and you can imagine who’ll have the better behaviour management/teaching techniques.
However, I digress… TAs do a great job supporting not only the LA groups, not only the HA groups, not only the class but also the teacher. If the teacher is expected to fully differentiate and teach to levels across the board in every year group the overall standard of teaching will drop. It’s inevitable. You cannot teach a class consisting of NC2-NC5 at the same time. Focussing on either group will fail the middles and ignoring either group will suppress their learning.
Sorry for the essay but I work in a school with highly skilled TAs and this sort of thing is already starting to be implemented much to the dismay of a lot of teachers.
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cherrylkd said:
Thank you for responding. Please don’t apologise for the essay. You can be assured that I will be forwarding your reply to Mr Gove. I’m doing this on a weekly basis and have yet to receive a reply. Last week he announced that education funding would continue to be ring fenced. However, as your reply shows the cuts are so severe that TAs are already losing their jobs. This is a great shame for all our children. He can ring fence it all hi likes but we are witnessing the devastating results. Good luck in your career if you do continue in to education. You appreciate already that it’s team work that matters. The teacher cannot manage without the support of skilled and talented TAs. Thank you.
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simon said:
I did some time as a TA and i loved every min of it .
i had a ta as 1 to 1 suppart when i was in school and i would not be were i am to day withe out her suppart
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cherrylkd said:
Hi. Thanks for replying. I’m pleased that you had a talented TA who helped you. It’s also good to hear that you’ve been a TA yourself. Without these talented individuals education would be in a far worse state than it already is. Thanks again.
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Corky said:
Great letter. I hope Mr Gove starts listening to the people who know about and understand education – the teachers – before he totally destroys everything. I am leaving teaching at the end of this term having been made ill due to stress but without my amazing TA I wouldn’t have made it through the last 6 months. The TAs I have had the pleasure of working with have been worth their weight in gold and the school wouldn’t run without them.
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cherrylkd said:
I’m so sorry you’re having to leave through ill health. Stress is a terrible thing. I’m pleased to hear you value your TAs though. At. Least they will know they’ve done their best to lighten your load for you. I hope you’re ok very soon. Best wishes.
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Scoobydoo said:
Hi. I wondered if passing on information about the petition to organisations such as Tes or unison, might help to reach more people.
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cherrylkd said:
Thanks for your thoughts. Unison have had the post and have used it widely. TES have had it but didn’t use it. The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph and our local paper have all used it. Teaching unions have used it and also a couple of MPs. So it’s ticking along well. Thank you. Please feel free to share with your local Unison branch though.
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Miss.Grace said:
Hello, I have been in the job now for 13 years. I worked as a cover TA for a while but I suddenly realised I was being taken advantage of. I taught a class in KS1/2 if a teacher was out and because of the dedication towards the children I never handed out holding activities or “worksheets”. Sticking to the plans and teaching was the order of the day. After teaching 5 days in a row one month I asked if I could resign that post. All for an extra £50 a month. Outrageous. We have no time to plan and prepare our lessons and working with the children who are less able all the time is not fair on the class. There is in my opinion a huge gap and lack of resources to accommodate the children who need the extra support. The article written in the Daily Mail was so condescending, but there you go! A brilliant report was published in a “left wing” newspaper that basically stamped out these opinions but I am trying not to be political in my comments. I am shocked at the lack of grammar and punctuation in some of these replies. No offence to be taken please. It is my choice to do what I do and I enjoy the holidays but let us expel the myth that we get paid for our time out. Thankfully I work in a school where we work as a team and support each other where we can. Everyday is a challenge for us and the children. If Mr.Gove offered to job swap for the day I would volunteer without any hesitation. Thank you for reading.
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cherrylkd said:
Thanks for commenting. Obviously I agree with everything you’re saying. Our TAs are such a talented group of people. Many are perfectly capable of standing in for the teacher. We try not to take advantage of that fact as every child is entitled to a qualified teacher. Good luck in your job. It sounds like you’re truly appreciated which is wonderful to hear.
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beejay said:
Thank you so much for your fantastic letter to Mr Gove, your blog and helping to defend my current role, a job which I love and value.
I have been a TA in an infant school for the past 7 years it is certainly not an easy job.
Every day is different and during the course of my work I have had the privilege of meeting and helping to educate our next generation and their families a role which I take really seriously.
Within our school teaching assistants deliver teachers planning regularly and are observed by head teachers and visitors to school against learning outcomes (we are not just washing paint pots!) for no extra salary.
Often it falls to us to give support to struggling pupils educationally and emotionally, not to mention the behavioural difficulties we are expected to sort, as teachers are busy teaching.
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cherrylkd said:
Thanks for commenting. I can tell you work hard and are very dedicated. Just like the TAs in my school. It’s very wrong that Mr Gove is slashing budgets so badly that this happening. Good luck to you. You can be assured that I’m doing my best for all TAs.
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Alison Young said:
I have today been made aware of this situation. I am appalled at the proposals I am living in France where Special needs education is something of a rarity! Seven years ago I was working in a wonderful Special Needs School in Bristol. I worked there in the Early years unit for eleven years and before I had my own children I worked as a Nursery Teacher as a qualified Nursery Nurse. In my last job I worked in a class of eight children with one teacher and four T.A`s working one to two children. The children there had severe physical and sensory deprivation, needing help with their daily hygiene needs, feeding often via gastrostomy, medical needs, giving medication that had been drawn up and carefully labelled by the school nurse, giving oxygen, helping with physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, riding for the disabled, taking out in the minibus which in itself is nothing short of an expedition getting in and out of electric chairs, changing seating , clamping, unclamping, making sure all medication is taken on the outing—-which in many cases might only be a half hour trip down to local park or shopping centre—- feeding, which needs specialist training by Speech and language team,—- a child with limited swallow needs to be fed carefully with the right consistency of food, in case of choking. These children need to be given access to all the sights, sounds, and touch of the world that able bodied people share. It takes time for a TA to help a child with little or no speech,or a deaf child, or a blind child—- to enable the child to make choices—- to recognise the flicker of eyelids, or the slight movement of the head—– Many of the TA`s earn less than £15,000 per annum and do this job because they love the children and know the value of their work is more than the paltry wage they receive. For me despite having to deal with the upset when sadly some of our pupils passed away— I would not have worked any where else. I imagine that Samantha and David Cameron know also the benefit of these special people who work so tirelessly in Special Schools. You are so wrong Mr.Gove
and please don`t think that main stream schools can cope without T.A`s—– because they can`t—– take them away—- and who helps little Johnny when he has problems in the bathroom, who deals with a nose bleed—- does the teacher stop teaching to sort that out—- as the school nurse doesn`t exist any more—- and even then the T.A can`t do much because of over the top concerns re excessive contact etc—- and recently a report stated that not enough was being done to help gifted children in the classroom— well who is going to take them aside and teach them—– and what about those with dyslexia and dyspraxia….. In France don`t kid yourself that they don`t have assistants too—- they have—– but we should be proud that we do have individuals who understand the needs of children—- because few in the French Education System recognise the special needs of some individuals. This initiative Mr.Gove— will cost our education dearly—— not cost cutting—- but the precious league tables will show even poorer results and some of the most deserving children will be denied their human rights.——-If this can be sent to Mr.Gove—- please do it on my behalf.Have signed petition—- Alison Young Special Needs Sensory Impaired Assistant/N.N.E.B
National Nursery Nursing Examination Board.
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cherrylkd said:
Thanks for commenting. What a comprehensive response. I think you feel as strongly as I do. You can be assured that I’m sending all your responses to Mr Gove on a regular basis. The blog post has been viewed around 171 000 times and I’m giving him regular updates on the comments. Thanks again. Best wishes.
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Inclusion Expert (@InclusionExpert) said:
http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2013/oct/02/teaching-assistants-unsung-heroes-education-schools?
Thank you very much. I obviously agree with every word of it.
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Kate Osman said:
Thank you Cherryl for such an eloquent piece of writing. It would be nice to think Gove would take the time to read it!
For the princely sum of £7.19 an hour before tax, as a TA I have been bitten, kicked, scratched, sworn at, punched, threatened and had missiles thrown at me – and that’s not an unusual day. I don’t do that for the money, I don’t do it for the job security, I do it to enable children to learn how to be in main stream education so that they have a future, so that they have a voice, are able to trust enough that they want to learn. A teacher with a class, quite rightly, is not able to provide that level of support and I don’t know of a teacher who’d work for what I earn. So Gove, come and do our job, just for a day and I’ll do yours… Who do you think would be most effective in supporting individual learning and education of our children?
Sadly I am unable to post this response on my fb page when I share your link due to working in the village I live in and the local parent politics – it will be a much abridged version!
Thank you so much Cherryl for adding your voice and trying to educate Gove!
Kate
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cherrylkd said:
Thanks for your comments. This has struck a chord with teachers and TAs everywhere. He’s a little misguided with the role that you do, bless him. I wish you well. Keep up the fabulous job that you do. As a teacher I can’t do without my TAs and I truly appreciate everything you do.
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Mike said:
I’ve signed, because I’m not convinced getting rid of TA’s would be the best way to save money.
That being said, I’m interested in the opinions of teachers on here. If you were Michael Grove, where would YOU try to make savings?
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Deborah said:
I am currently working as a TA in a special needs school and have done so for the past four years. The majority of TA’s in my school are degree level. In our class there is one teacher and two TA’s supporting 6 children, all on the autistic spectrum. All need individual programmes for both academic and behavioural needs. The teacher just simply could not manage the class herself, we work as a team. It is a second ‘career’ for me; the first was an account handler in an advertising agency, given up 21 years ago to raise my three children, one with special needs. I was earning nearly 3 times more than my current salary 21 years ago. I have never worked so hard for so little (remuneration) in all my life, but it is the most rewarding job I have ever done. The bottom line is without TA’s the children, particularly in special needs education would suffer the most. The Government may well need to cut back…but cutting back to the detriment of children who are simply trying to achieve their full potential and need the support in which to do it, speaks volumes about the shortsighted Mr. Gove. The knock on affect will cost the Government more in the long term. But any idiot would know that.
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nichola said:
What a fabulous post. Special school TAs are just amazing and like you, I know I couldn’t work without them.
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cherrylkd said:
Hi Nichola. I write lots about my TAs. They are without a doubt fantastic. We can’t do our job without them. Spot on. Thanks for commenting 🙂
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Julie Grace said:
Please read my response from Gove department regarding my enquiries about TA jobs in jeopardy. Thanks. Julie
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cherrylkd said:
Where is it? I wrote the letter last June though. I’ve had a reply from the Dept and am reassured by it.
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Vanessa Ford said:
I left my job as a Senior Systems Manager nearly 9 years ago to go back to college and take my Teaching Assistant qualifications. Despite now earning a quarter of my previous salary, I love my job and put as much effort and time into it as I ever did my previous career. The satisfaction it gives me to see children grow in confidence and to see them enjoying learning is beyond measure. I believe we provide a vital role to support children in their learning but also in supporting families to help them support their children. Thank you.
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projectbrainsaver said:
Reblogged this on WorldWright's ….
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Pingback: Letter to Mr Gove re Teaching Assistants. Please RT. | WorldWright's …
cherrylkd said:
Thank you very much. TAs are a precious resource.
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m randle said:
I have been a TA3 for 26 years in the same special school! ! I do this job for the love of helping the pupils learn through thier own way and speed TAs are vast in our school and we could not operate without we have TAs who are actually more qualified than teachers .Each subject area has a TA attached to help school run smoothly and operate with appropriate resourses.I really haven’t seen a major payrise in 15 years but I do because I love my job.
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ovpaparents said:
Hi,
our TA3’s were ring-fenced during the recent “restructure” and have been sent on courses to refresh their Literacy/Maths GCSE skills. Us TA2 ( highly qualified) have all gone from 38 hours a week to 20. Unison did bugger all and the new Academies have it all wrapped up. I am not bitter because I now actually love having some spare time and have signed on to get help with Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction, thankfully. I did write a post previously regarding the job. You only have to look at the new SEND to realise the slashing of support staff has been on the cards for a long time now. Teachers are on their own in the afternoons with 30 children and children with SEN are included in that. The role of support staff is slowly but surely dwindling.
Good luck. Julie.x
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Alex Finlay Ging said:
I am also a TA in a S.E.N school, we also have experienced staff in all the above that is mention. Its a very challenging role, but as we care and love working with the young people throughout school we continue to expand our expertise, to enrich there learning, for very little wages. Our role is for ever growing, administration of emergency medications, and other medical procedures as we have a lot of students with complex medical needs. So not only being, T.A’s. We teach, manage very challenging behaviours, and now have a nursing role. For again no additional pay. I would like mr Grove to spend a day in the life of a Teaching assistant in my school. Then he can have the right to comment on our role.
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ovpaparents said:
Nicky Morgan replaced Mr.Gove last year as Education Secretary and has not been re- shuffled. Unlike us.
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cherrylkd said:
The post is 2 years old. Thanks for reading 🙂
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Dawn said:
i think you may be misrepresenting this to quite a high degree.
My understanding of the proposal is that those of us in senior leadership in schools are to look at the provision in terms of TA’s, because on paper it does look as though the numbers are high.
This is ‘look’ at numbers and how they are deployed …
There is no talk of removing a TA that is in a class for a particular statemented child, we may however have to ensure that this child who warrants a 1:1 gets that 1:1 and his TA is not carrying out other tasks in support of teaching staff … As you rightly point out TA’s are skilled and there for a particular reason.
We’re being held to account for how many TA’s we have and how they are used and will only be required to ‘lose’ any if they’re not deployed well or adding a significant and measurable impact.
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Judith Wilson said:
Maybe TAs should take (and pass) basic spelling tests too! [‘thier own way’, ‘there learning’, ‘resourses’, ‘mr Grove’…….comments like these do not exactly enhance the reputation of TAs]. I have just retired from a much-loved job as a Teaching Assistant and cannot help but think that teachers will not be encouraged to think well of a TA who cannot set the correct example to students. None of us is perfect but surely we should all be able to spell such simple words as this? I CRINGE when I see misuse of ‘there/their/they’re’ especially!
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anxious parent said:
Is this still running as it’s out of date and has started to pick up momentum
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cherrylkd said:
It has started again I think because of the new Govt. It is out of date so I am watching Miss Morgan to see what happens.
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