Teaching assistants who foster The magazine for teaching assistants Issue 35 • Spring Term 2  2011
Working with job sharing teachers Starting a club
Boys and girls Do we treat them fairly?
from the editor
TAs crucial in troubled times
The magazine for teaching assistants
What makes a difference? 10 Why are boys falling behind girls at school, and what can be done to boost their achievement?
Stay in good voice 13 Top tips for keeping your main tool as a teaching assistant in good health
Dealing with a job share 14 How a TA can be the bridge between two jobsharing teachers, not piggy in the middle
Frame it 16 How to make frames in the classroom
Keep it simple 18 We wind up our series on learning difficulties with practical advice
TAs as foster carers 22 Experience as a TA can be very helpful to foster carers
Lifelong learning 26 We chart a path through the maze of new qualifications Update 4–8
Children’s health
25
TA campaign
9
Man’s world
27
Club time
12
Children’s books
28
Web world
20
Ask Sue
30
Displays 21
Playtime 31
More than 3,000 people have signed Learning Support’s petition against cutting teaching assistant jobs, and the battle is far from over. So far there has been a lot of talk and worry but, by the time you read this, your school should know how much money will be available for the coming year. Many, if not most schools are facing budget cuts. The government will be taking money away from some schools to give it to others, under the Pupil Premium arrangements, but there will also be a knock-on effect from the big cuts to local government budgets. On top of that, school rolls are rising, but the money they get for each pupil is now capped – so as inflation eats away at its value, schools will have less to spend. Growing unemployment, and cuts in local government services, will take their toll on many local communities, and schools will have to pick up the pieces as vulnerable families come under more pressure. Last year TA jobs in England jumped by another 7%. Schools are hiring more and more TAs because they know how valuable, and versatile, they can be. Ofsted’s recent report on literacy found that the schools doing best rely on well trained and supported TAs as much as teachers. And just as important is the personal support and encouragement TAs offer to children whose lives are difficult – and could be set to get more difficult in the months and years ahead.
Frances Rickford Editor Learning Support Spring Term [2] 2011 3
CLUB time
experience A new
Want to set up a club? Hazel Bennett tells you how
A
ttending an extra-curricular club adds a new dimension to a child’s education. It is often the enjoyment and satisfaction they have had from a new experience that they remember with greatest pleasure. A club can also help you to build a better relationship with the children and enhance your status within the school.
Setting up the club
●● Ask for a slot during assembly to present the children with an outline of what you will be doing. Speak enthusiastically, making it clear that you are looking forward to it and that it is going to be fun. ●● If the club is at lunchtime, give clear directions for the room or area of the playground, the day and the time. Repeat the details because children rarely take it all in first time. ●● Estimate how many children you want and tell them that the first 20 (or so) children whose slips are returned will be allowed to come and any others will be on a waiting list. Allow for extras because there will always be some who do not turn up. If you want 20, say 22. ●● If the club takes place after school, it is necessary to inform the parents
in writing and have a permission slip signed and returned before any child may attend. Have copies of the letter prepared with several extras because some will lose them. The letter should include details of the type of club, day, time and place. Make it clear when it ends and ask parents to make sure that they pick children up on time. On the permission slip, ask parents to fill in whether their child is allowed to walk home alone. ●● Depending on how well you expect them to behave, emphasise that you want everyone to enjoy it so anyone who spoils it for others will not be allowed to come. (This may not be necessary in some schools). ●● Make an A4 poster, on the computer or by hand, to advertise the details. You can enlarge it, photocopy it and pin copies up around the school for children who always forget.
the thorny issue of pay When you offer to start a club, the head will probably be delighted. But when you ask if you will receive the same rate of pay as for your current work, s/he might say that teachers are not paid for running a club and we are living in difficult economic times. Smile confidently and point 12 Learning Support Spring Term [2] 2011
out that teachers are not paid for running clubs because, as professionals, they are fulfilling a contract, whereas TAs are paid a small amount by the hour. If you are proposing a homework club, say that it is educationally advantageous to the pupils. If your club is at lunch-time, say that the
mid-day supervisors are being paid for working during the lunch hour so it is logical that you should be also. If appropriate, point out that you are offering something beneficial which is either not provided during school time, or of which the children would like more.
Learning Support is the only professional magazine for teaching assistants in primary schools. Explore lots more free articles and find out how to subscribe at www.learningsupport.co.uk