Issue 1 by Tiger Iron

Issue 1 • June/July 2005

Helping children make good friends NVQ who? Your guide to getting qualiﬁed How to make a great wall display, step by step Time to sort TAs’ pay SEN: listening to parents Do your pupils drink enough? LS_Jun05.indb 1

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FROM THE EDITOR

Welcome In this issue … Friends united

Your health

Pass the peanuts

Classroom displays

Perfect partners

Train to somewhere

Thirst for learning

What can support staff do to help lonely children make and keep friends? How to look after your back Reports from around the country on the mounting pressure for national pay scales for school support staff First of two pull-out-and-keep guides

Schools need the expertise parents have about their SEN children There are plenty of opportunities for school support staff looking for qualiﬁcations, and career prospects are brighter than ever Drinking enough water improves children’s behaviour, and their work News

4-7

Software

Letters

Advice please

Viewpoint

Me and my job

Playtime games

Reviews

Welcome to Learning Support, the first and only dedicated magazine for people supporting children in primary schools. Dozens of teaching assistants and others have helped shape it with suggestions for making it as useful and interesting as possible. I hope you too will give your feedback by emailing or writing to me at the address on page 9. Learning Support is your professional magazine. Many school support staff are taking on extra responsibilities, and a growing number are also studying for new qualifications. But you don’t need me to tell you that you already make a crucial contribution to children’s education and their wellbeing. Primary school support staff have more one-to-one contact with more children than any other professionals. You know children, and you know that they are not government statistics, but people with complicated and often difficult lives. Your skill and commitment makes a huge difference, not only to children’s wellbeing now but to their ability to make the most of their education for the future. “Unsung heroes” is a bit of a cliché, but it aptly describes school support staff. Learning Support magazine is going to be singing about your valuable work at the top of its voice.

Frances Rickford Editor Learning Support June/July 2005 3

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DAVE KENDALL

NEWS

Red Cross launches school first aid drive CHILDREN SHOULD learn basic ﬁrst aid skills so they can help save lives after road accidents, says the British Red Cross. The charity has launched a three year campaign, called Don’t be a Bystander, aimed at persuading children and their parents to learn basic ﬁrst aid skills. Local groups are organ-

ising roadshows, displays and ﬁrst aid demonstrations around the country. 400 free classes are also to be held in schools in the north of England. Each year, 3,500 people – including 500 children – are killed on UK roads. The risk for children rises sharply when they move from primary to secondary school. An eleven-year-old

is twice as likely as a ten-year-old to be killed or seriously injured in a road accident on their way to school. Research by the Red Cross found that nearly three quarters of children between nine and thirteen do not normally use a crossing when crossing the road and less than half had learnt any ﬁrst aid.

Training ‘essential for staff handling medicines’ HEADS MUST make sure that school support staff who give medicines to children always have proper support and training, says new guidance from the Department for Education and Skills . Children who have medical needs have the same right to attend school as other children, says the guidance. Because teachers’ conditions of employment do not include giving medicines or supervising pupils taking medicines, schools rely on support staff to administer medicines, and must make sure they have enough people who are appropriately trained says the 64-page guidance document. Staff working with children who

have potentially life threatening medical conditions should be told about the condition, and any situations in which the child may need extra attention.

Information about children’s medical needs should be sought from health staff and parents. Staff should be told how likely it is that an emergency will occur, and what they should do if this happens. Back up cover should be arranged for

when the responsible member of staff is absent or unavailable, says the guidance, and staff working with children at other times, such as playtime supervisors, must also know what to do in an emergency. Schools should develop a medicines policy, and an individual health care plan for any child who needs one. The guidance document gives basic practical information about asthma, epilepsy, diabetes and anaphylaxis (extreme allergy). Managing Medicines in Schools and Early Years Settings is downloadable from the internet at www.publications.teachernet.gov.uk

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Fresh ingredients require more staff

ELLEN RICKFORD

SCHOOLS WILL soon have “no excuse” for serving poor quality school meals, says education secretary Ruth Kelly. Fifteen thousand school meals staff in England are to begin training courses next term, and £220 million has been promised to schools to improve the quality of meals. A minimum of 50 pence is to be spent on each primary school meal, and 60 pence in secondary schools. Kelly was speaking at a Unison conference for school meals workers. But Unison’s education ofﬁcial Christina McAnea has warned that to prepare meals using fresh ingredients means taking on more staff for more hours. “The staff have been doing their best with the resources and time available. But we want them to be given the time to cook meals from scratch. This can only be done by increasing the hours they work and employing more people.” The Unison conference was chaired by Irene Stacey, a member of Unison’s national executive council who started her ﬁrst job as a school meals worker thirty years ago. She said “I want to see a return to those ideals, where staff are given proper time and ingredients to prepare good quality nutritious food for the children”. The government has appointed a panel of experts and frontline staff

LESLEY MCINTYRE

Union calls for more school kitchen staff to improve dinners

including school support staff to review school meals. The School Meals Review panel, chaired by former chair of the Food Standards Agency Suzi Leather, will develop new minimum nutritional standards for primary and secondary school meals. The government is setting up another organisation, the School Food Trust, to advise schools, local education authorities and parents on how to improve school meals.

■ Private catering companies have warned that the campaign to improve school meals could mean many staff actually lose their jobs. The sale of school meals has dropped, said the Local Authority Caterers’ Association, as negative publicity has led many parents to abandon school meals in favour of packed lunches. Britain’s biggest provider of school meals has seen its profits fall and its share price drop. Compass foods, which owns school caterer Scolarest, lost 2 per cent of its business last year. It has come under fire for providing poor quality meals to children. After profits fell by 8.6 per cent, Compass announced a package of cuts, which ironically could mean fewer hours for kitchen staff.

They’re children, not yobs, chief advisor tells politicians THE GOVERNMENT’S chief advisor on youth crime has appealed to politicians and the media to stop calling children “yobs”. Rod Morgan, who heads the Youth Justice Board, said that young chil-

dren shouldn’t be lumped together with young adults and branded “yobs”. They hadn’t “chosen their parents, their neighbourhoods or their circumstances and couldn’t walk away from them,” he said.

Children were being condemned as thugs in hooded tops, and the overwhelmingly negative images of them in the media made them really unhappy, Morgan said in an interview with the Observer newspaper.

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NEWS

New Scottish law to protect children

with children, paid or unpaid, in any SCOTLAND HAS introduced new setting. powers to protect children from sex It would replace and extend the abusers. Department for Education and Skills’ New legislation will allow chief “List 99”, and a similar constables to apply to scheme used in the the sheriff court for an health service. The order restricting the government says “The activities of people who new scheme will be are believed to pose a more comprehensive in risk to children, even if coverage and will draw they have never been on wider sources of convicted. information than the The Protection of current barring lists. It Children and Prevention will be proactive rather of Sexual Offences than reactive, ie vetting (Scotland) Bill also will take place on ﬁrst tackles child porn, Consultaton is taking application to work with child prostitution and place on proposals children or vulnerable internet abuse. from the Bichard adults and it will be It creates a new report into the offence of grooming murders of Holly Wells continuously updated.” The consultation children for sexual and Jessica Chapman follows the recommenpurposes, and makes it by Ian Huntley while dations of Sir Michael an offence to purchase he was caretaker at Bichard who led the sexual services from their school, Soham inquiry into the deaths anyone under 18, or to Village College in of Holly Wells and encourage or arrange Cambridgeshire Jessica Chapman. such services. ■ The consultation closes on July 5. In England, the government has Visit www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations asked for responses to new proposals to read the proposals and have your for a national register of people say. believed to be unsuitable for work

Scoubies ‘too dangerous’

A PRIMARY school has banned Scoubies as “too dangerous”. Staff at Cliff Lane primary school in Ipswich told children to stop bringing them to school after pupils ﬂicked each other in the face with them. Scoubidou – lengths of brightly coloured plastic which can be woven together to make friendship bracelets – ﬁrst became popular in the 1950s when children used the plastic coating from electrical wire to create

objects, according to the manufacturers’ website.

Kelly orders review of literacy THE GOVERNMENT has ordered an independent review of the way children are taught to read and write. Education secretary Ruth Kelly announced the review after calls from a committee of MPs to take another look at the national literacy strategy in the light of evidence that nearly one in ﬁve eleven-year-olds is not reading at the level expected for their age. The review will examine the role of synthetic phonics in teaching reading, and also look at the most effective way of helping children who have fallen behind with reading and writing skills. Ruth Former Ofsted Kelly: director Jim Rose is to new look examine the evidence and make recommendations on best practice in primary schools and early years settings. Evidence from a seven year study in Clackmannanshire, Scotland, found that children who had been given an intensive synthetic phonics programme for 16 weeks when they started school were more than three years ahead in word reading ability by the time they left primary school compared with children who had been taught reading using a standard analytic phonics system, commonly used in Scottish schools. Among the children taught by the synthetic phonics method, boys were 11 months ahead of girls by the time they left primary school. There was no signiﬁcant difference between the word reading abilities of children from disadvantaged homes and others. Ruth Kelly said the time was now right to renew the literacy framework, though “standards in primary schools are the highest they have ever been”. ■ Read more about the study at www. scotland.gov.uk/library5/education/ sptrs-00.asp

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LESLEY McINTYRE

Rights ‘ignored’

LABOUR’S POLICIES for children and families are in breach of its international commitments on human rights, says a study. Despite the government’s promise to end child poverty, it refuses to give them their rights under international law including a say over their choice of school and discipline issues, or access to sex education says the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Behaviour task force

A TASK force on pupil behaviour and discipline has been set up by the government. The group, consisting of heads and teachers who are good at managing behaviour, will advise on how to “deliver a culture of respect” in schools.

TAs will not be covering for teachers in more than half of the schools surveyed

New role for TTA

Heads are resisting class cover by TAs LESS THAN half of primary schools are planning to use teaching assistants to cover for classes next term, according to a survey. Under the National Agreement on School Workforce Reform, teachers must be allocated a guaranteed minimum of 10 percent of their timetabled teaching time for planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) from September 2005. The government has been encouraging schools to deploy teaching assistants to cover for teachers during their PPA time, but a survey by the TES newspaper found that about 55 per cent of heads are planning to cover classes themselves, or to use music or PE specialists supported by teaching assistants. Unions representing school support staff – Unison, the GMB, Association of Teachers and Lecturers and the TGWU – favour the reforms which they believe will bring better training and career opportunities, and

better pay, to their members. But the agreement has split teaching unions, with the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) joining the National Union of Teachers (NUT) earlier this year in opposing it after initially backing the agreement in 2003. The NAHT says the reforms have not been backed up with enough extra money to pay for them without damaging children’s education. Now a group of teachers’ organisations and employers – plus the Department of Education and Skills – have called for a more radical shake-up of school roles. The Reward and Incentives Group suggests teachers should no longer take registers, attend school assemblies, supervise children or write reports about children’s personal and social needs. They made the proposals last month in a submission to the School Teachers Review Body. See Viewpoint, page 9

THE TEACHER Training Agency takes on responsibility for the whole school workforce from September 1. Under its new name, the Training and Development Agency for schools (TDA), its job will include helping schools arrange training for support staff, and helping support staff choose the best training.

Common skills for all A COMMON core of skills for everyone working with children has been published by the government. The skills will eventually be incorporated into training courses to enable staff to move around more easily between different settings, and to improve communication between agencies such as schools and social services. www.dfes.gov.uk/commoncore/ docs/5610_COMMON_CORE.pdf

Black boys’ education BLACK BOYS are in danger of becoming a permanent underclass, the government’s chief race equality advisor has warned. Trevor Phillips, head of the Commission of Racial Equality, told the Guardian that black boys’ poor school performance was reaching crisis point, and that new solutions were needed. He has previously called for black boys to be taught separately.

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A long time coming

LESLEY MCINTYRE

LETTERS

I HAVE just been told about your magazine due to be launched and thought I would drop you a line! I have been a TA for five years and LOVE my job. I have just finished my NVQ3 and am about to apply for HLTA funding. I have lots of experience, but enjoy the new challenges that the job brings (never a dull moment with children). You are learning something new every day. A TA’s job is so important and rewarding. I think that this magazine is a fabulous, and much needed idea, that has been a long time coming. I am very lucky to work at a school where we are kept very much in the picture about the latest news and views in the teaching world, and we are invited to all staff meetings etc. I do know of lots of other TAs that are not so lucky, so a magazine like yours is GOOD NEWS for all of us TAs!! Can’t wait to read the first copy, this kind of publication bridges a gap and has been a long time coming – THANK YOU. Katherine Matthews Tiverton, Devon

Help and ideas are vital

I WAS very pleased to hear about your new magazine for support staff and wish you every success. While some support staff belong to unions or other organisations, and some read magazines and papers designed for teachers, something for those who support the teachers is long overdue. Communication, information, help and professional development ideas are vital for us all. I hope that there will be material in your magazine especially for those

There’s never a dull moment when you’re working with children who directly support teaching and learning in the classroom – my particular interest. I also have an often voiced desire that each group of support staff will form their own national professional association so that they can have a voice of their own and professional support suited to their needs – secretarial or bursarial support, for those assisting at lunchtime with play or lunch cooking, cleaning and of course the teaching and learning assistants (TAs). If this is of any interest to any of your TA readers, I am very happy to try to link people together if they contact me via email. I cannot start a professional association for teaching and learning assistants myself as, while I have done most jobs in schools, I have never been a TA. I want them to speak for themselves! I hope they also write to your magazine. Dr. Anne Watkinson Colchester, Essex (Retired teacher, headteacher, adviser, researcher, now an educational consultant and author for and about TAs)

anne@watsnees.co.uk

Something to say? DON’T keep your views and experiences to yourself – write to Learning Support now. We’re giving a £20 book token to the writer of our top letter in every issue. Email your letter to editor@ learningsupport.co.uk, fax it to us on 0871 733 5474 or post it to Letters, Learning Support, 83 Alkham Road, London N16 6XD. Don’t forget to provide a full postal address (we won’t publish it but we need to know that letters are genuine) and indicate clearly that your letter is for publication. Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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VIEWPOINT

Stormy weather ahead Learning Support 83 Alkham Road London N16 6XD www.learningsupport.co.uk ISSN 1747-1990 © Brightday Publishing 2005 Editor Frances Rickford editor@learningsupport.co.uk 020 8806 9646 Production Alan Slingsby at edition.co.uk Cover Stephen May Subscriptions and business manager Trevor Chalkley trevor.chalkley @learningsupport.co.uk 020 8442 4149 Advertising enquiries 020 8806 9646 info@learningsupport.co.uk

Chris Davis, chair of the National Primary Headteachers’ Association, welcomes the new status for support staff, but predicts that implementing workforce reforms won’t be plain sailing

ROM September 2005, the role of school support staff will be changing in most schools. Workforce Remodelling has brought them a new status, new responsibilities and new opportunities as now teachers will be entitled to a minimum of 10% of their timetabled teaching hours for planning, preparation and assessment (PPA). Job descriptions will vary in detail but higher level teaching assistants (HLTA), teaching assistants and many learning support assistants will be given the legal authority to take charge of whole classes. Some schools will be more willing to implement these new opportunities than others. Learning support workers need to be aware that there are sensitivities involved. Teachers’ unions fought for many years to

achieve an all-graduate profession and many feel that this is now being undermined. The reaction of parents is another concern and remains to be seen. Few headteachers doubt the value or abilities of school support staff but many will still try to cover as much PPA time as possible with qualiﬁed teachers. This is not a cheap option. Some schools will be unable to afford it. Others might wholeheartedly embrace the wider use of support staff while most will probably do some of each. There are strict rules regarding the implementation of PPA time. Where support staff take charge of a class, it remains the teacher’s responsibility to plan the lesson and organise resources. An Assigned Teacher must also be available to be called into the class if required but this cannot be the teacher on PPA time.

‘Learning support workers need to be aware that there are sensitivities involved. Teachers’ unions fought for many years to achieve an all-graduate profession and many feel that this is now being undermined.’

How does your job get done in other schools? YOU can ﬁnd out through the Learning Support message board. Use the message board to exchange information and ideas with other primary support staff

across the country on all the issues that matter to you, and them. With dedicated forums for learning mentors, playtime supervisors and school

secretaries as well as for special needs staff and teaching assistants, the Learning Support message board puts you in touch. It’s free, and you won’t ﬁnd any ads

on there either. www.learningsupport. co.uk

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FRIENDSHIP

The proverbial Billy No-Mates is not only less happy at school. He also learns less. What can support staff do to help lonely children make and keep friends?

OR children, friends are one of the big pluses of going to school. Most children want and need friends, and luckily most children do manage to make them. Research shows that as well as making school fun, friendships play an important role in how they learn, right through from reception to year 6. So what can adults do to help isolated children make friends? Dorothy Miell from the Centre for Children’s Development and Learning at the Open University has done several studies of children’s friendships in primary school. She says that isolated children tend to

fall into one of two groups – those who are neglected by other children, and those who are actively rejected. “Neglected” children may be shy, or perhaps have joined the class late and were not able to ﬁnd their way into any established friendship groups. Dorothy says, “If a neglected child ﬁnds another neglected child they can make friends. A good strategy is to give them a joint responsibility with another shy child. But the children who are rejected carry on being rejected without some very active intervention.” Children can be rejected for many different reasons, says Dorothy. It

can either be because stand out in some way, or because of the way they behave towards other children. But whatever the reason, children cannot work well at school if they are being rejected by other children. “If children are being rejected because of their behaviour then the SENCO needs to be involved in developing behaviour management programmes. “A lot of people make the mistake of imposing their standards on children’s behaviour by saying things like ‘That was a nasty thing to do’. It’s more effective to ask the other child ‘How did it make you feel when

Friends u 10

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A lot of people make the mistake of imposing their standards on children’s behaviour by saying things like ‘That was a nasty thing to do’. It’s more effective to ask the other child ‘How did it make you feel when he said that to you?’

he said that to you?’ You have to remember that angry children who are horrible to other children may be behaving like that because of what is happening at home.” Rejected children not surprisingly are likely to have low self-esteem. One way to help is to give them some responsibility which they will succeed with. Find out ﬁrst what they like doing, and then suggest a small job – something like fetching the footballs that have been kicked into the bushes, or helping the caretaker pick up litter. Dorothy says, “These children don’t have many social skills, and don’t know how to be with other

children. Don’t set them up for failure though by being too ambitious. Suggest small goals such as “Don’t push anyone when you’re putting your coat on your peg”. Children without siblings, especially if they haven’t had nursery experience, can sometimes find it difficult to make friends when they first start school, says Dorothy. “They might seem spoiled just because they haven’t had a lot of experience of interacting with other children before they come to school so they haven’t learnt about sharing, turn – taking or not talking while other children are talking.” Nicola Schofield works for Bully Free Zone (BFZ), an award-winning charity working with schools in the Bolton area. Nicola agrees that school support staff are in a very strong position to intervene and help isolated children make friends, with big dividends for the children. She says, “It’s about empowering children rather than telling them they should be nice.” Some of the schools working with BFZ have designated “buddy benches” in their playgrounds where children on their own can team up with others, and where specially trained child “buddies” befriend them. Another strategy recommended by BFZ is to talk to the isolated child and ask if it would be OK for other children to be involved in solving the problem. “If the child agrees, you can then gather a group of children together at break time, explain that there is someone who is feeling unhappy and doesn’t have anyone to play with, and ask if anyone’s got any ideas. Then suggest that they get back together in a week to see how it’s going. “Children are often very thoughtful and generous with their friendship when they are asked for suggestions.”

FRIENDSHIP TIPS FOR SHY CHILDREN From Jen Scott, National Pyramid Trust ROLE model eye-contact when speaking to the child and gently ask them to try to look at you when they speak. It could be helpful to put yourself on the same level as the child. Encourage the child to work on a paired task or game with yourself or another child. The focus will be on the task and not on the child so shy children feel less self conscious about interacting. Praise friendship skills demonstrated e.g. taking turns, eye contact, empathy, listening/feeding back etc. Play games where you need to notice something positive and feed it back to each other (eg your shoes are shiny today). Finding a positive way to start a conversation with someone you don’t know is a good friendship skill. Practice listening and responding by throwing an object (ball) back and forth. First person says ‘My name is... and I feel......’ Repeat for second person. Now start game again but person throws the ball and says ‘your name is... and you feel...’

s united

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FRIENDSHIP

How friendships affect children’s learning F

RIENDSHIPS affect the way children work, and learn, right the way through school. Young children who start school with an already established friend settle in more quickly, and communicate more effectively than children who started school without the support of existing friendships, studies have found. And not surprisingly, when they are doing classroom tasks which involve collaboration and co-operation, friends get down to work more quickly. “Our research suggests that it is counterproductive to separate children who are a friendship pair in the ﬁrst year of school,” says researcher Dorothy Miell.

Later on too friendships make a difference. In another study, Dorothy found that when year 6 pupils were working in friendship pairs together on a musical composition, they got higher scores than the pairs who weren’t already friends. Boys’ friendships work differently from girls’. Researcher Peter Kutnick from the University of Brighton found that boys’ friendships are centred around shared activities – such as playing football together – but boys are not good at collaborating with their friends. When boys were paired with their friend for a classroom activity, they would compete rather than collaborate and worked better together if

they were paired with someone who wasn’t a friend. Girls’ friendships are also based on activities, but girls tend to see it as part of their friendship to help each other with their school work. So unlike boys, girls have been found to work much better with a friend than with someone who isn’t a friend. Children are often very aware of which friends are good to work with and which ones distract them. At the top of primary school, high ability girls don’t mind much who they work with, and high ability boys prefer to work independently. Low and middle ability children prefer working with friendship groups, says Dorothy.

Why children need to chat in class

HILDREN talk in class for lots of reasons. Sometimes even when they’re not “meant” to be talking, chatting can be an important part of learning. Some children are happier asking other children for help when they don’t understand something rather than asking an adult, and if they can’t ask their neighbour for help they might not ask anyone. But there are other, less obvious

reasons why children need to chat. If they’re working together in a group for the ﬁrst time, they will need to do the child-equivalent of adults’ small talk before they can get down to the task. Dorothy explains, “They need to spend some time working out their role in that group, and doing acquaintanceship-building before collaborative working can start, just as adults would need to.”

And even when friends are chatting about something totally unconnected to the class activity, they’re not necessarily wasting time, says Dorothy. “Children need time out, just like adults. We take refocusing breaks too – your brain is still working away in the background, and the next bit of focused work you do is better for the break.”

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N CARING professions such as nursing there has been a huge drive to prevent back injuries since new regulations came into force in 1992. But the education sector has been slow to get on board. Back disorders are the most common form of ill health at work, but training in safe manual handling and workplace risk assessments are almost unheard of in many schools. But now the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is trying to tackle at least one of the routine hazards faced by classroom assistants and primary teachers: the use of childsized chairs. The practice may sound harmless enough but sitting on chairs designed for small children for long periods of time can play havoc with your back, experts warn. The HSE has commissioned research from Loughborough University looking at the risks faced by staff working with infant and nursery children. The move is welcomed by teaching assistant and manual handling trainer Sharon Phillips, who says the use of small tables and chairs by primary school staff has gone on too long. “I don’t think it’s possible to remove every risk but this is one hazard it should be easy to eliminate.” But Phillips added that she would like the scope of the research widened. “I wish they would look at the inclusion agenda and its effect on mainstream schools where staff are having to deal with children in wheelchairs for the ﬁrst time. Some of them have no idea about how to move these children without injuring themselves. “The risks attached to using small tables and chairs are just the tip of the iceberg.”

Look after your back

YOUR HEALTH

LESLEY McINTYRE

Back pain is the most common health problem at work. But schools are only just waking up to the importance of prevention. Janet Snell reports.

Working with children means working at the same height as them. But spending too much time bent over can cause back pain.

IF YOU are experiencing back pain, speak to your head, or someone such as your union or health and safety rep who can relay your issues to your head and discuss what can be done to help you stay at work. But prevention is better than cure. ● If small chairs are all that’s available it may be better to kneel ● When children are on the carpet sit on a (full size!) chair behind them ● Always bend your knees and keep a straight back when lifting

● Try squatting instead of bending over when you need to work at children’s level ● Avoid manual lifting of anything heavy (including children!) ● Ask for a risk assessment of your workplace ● Take regular gentle exercise to strengthen your back. Yoga, Alexander Technique and Pilates may be worth investigating. ● Find out more about looking after your back. The Health and Safety Executive recommends The Back Book by Kim Burton.

It was the first time any of us had given our backs a thought … BEV BOWAN is a classroom assistant at a south-east London primary school with 600 pupils. “I work in reception and we do sit on the small chairs. You have to because you want to be at the children’s level. And when you move around the classroom you tend to lean over the low tables to work with the kids. I can’t really see a way round that. “The only training we’ve had on any of this was when someone came

in to do a computer course and he told us how to sit at a screen. I think it was the ﬁrst time any of us had given our backs a thought. “Most people see bending and lifting as part of the job. If a child falls over in the playground and is lying there hurt you just scoop them up. It’s true that even picking up a reception child is often a struggle as they can be quite heavy. But what else are you supposed to do?”

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Pass the peanuts PAY

School support staff’s pay is a mess. Simon Vevers reports from around the country on the mounting pressure for national pay scales.

OW much are teaching assistants paid? What kind of salary can a learning support assistant expect? How long is a piece of string? Pay and conditions tends to be a popular topic of conversation for school support staff – not surprisingly. Teaching assistants’ annual pay varies massively, depending on which local authority and even which school they are working in. Both trade unions and head teachers have been pressing the government to introduce national scales for school support staff. Heads are concerned that without them the workforce remodelling policy – under which teaching assistants cover for teachers to allow them time for planning and preparation – could fall apart. National Association of Head Teachers general secretary David Hart wrote to David Miliband, then schools minister, last November, urging him to publish “national guidance” on pay if national pay scales are not on the agenda (see letter, right). Now, after years of insisting that local councils should be left to set support staff’s pay scales, there are signs of a change of heart by the government. Education Secretary Ruth Kelly recently suggested in an inter-

In Cheshire UNISON, which represents 80,000 teaching assistants nationally, has warned that its members face pay cuts of between £2,000 and £4,000 because, says the union, the county council has not provided enough money for the single status agreement. Keith Bradley, the union’s regional ofﬁcer, warns that TAs in the county are so angry that they may take industrial action. (see box) Last year Brighton and Hove City Council tried to reduce the number of paid weeks a year from 49.5 to 44 – a Last year unions in Birmingham move which led to strikes by more sealed a landmark deal for TAs than 1,000 teaching assistants. Both sides agreed to binding arbiwhich means pay now ranges tration and the independent concilifrom just over £12,000 on the ation service, ACAS, has ruled that over lower end of the scale to the TAs should be paid for 46 weeks £22,000 for higher level a year. Growing regional disparities in teaching assistants pay thrown up by the single status process have been accompanied by a general drift away from TAs being and non-manual council workers, but paid for a full year as teachers are, to many teaching assistants seem to being paid on a part-time, term-time be losing out as a result. While most only basis. This is an anomalous posicouncil staff work an average 37 hour tion because they are not entitled to week, TAs are reckoned to work only claim job seeker’s allowance during 32.5 hours so are deemed part time. the school holidays on the basis that As a result many now ﬁnd their pay is they are “employed”. being cut as they are only being paid Last year unions in Birmingham on a term-time rather than a whole sealed a landmark deal for TAs, year basis. view with the Guardian newspaper that she may consider national pay scales for teaching assistants. Regional differences in pay have been exaggerated by the way in which a 1997 deal between employers and unions has been implemented locally. The “single status agreement” created a common pay and conditions framework for manual

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THE PAY DIVIDE “Support staff pay seems to vary dramatically. I’m an experienced learning support assistant working in a pupil referral unit and my salary is £8000. That is for 30 hours a week. It is not enough to live on.” “I’ve been a TA for 10 years, have done specialist courses and am doing HLTA (higher level teaching assistant) training and I get £6.65 an hour. Feeling pretty fed up” “I get paid less than £9000 and a head who grudgingly pays me extra for doing school boosters. I’m on the top level in our LEA but only get paid 25 hours/40 weeks a year.” Source: Staffroom thread on TES website: www.tes.co.uk

Headteachers are lobbying the government for national pay scales for support staff

which means pay now ranges from just over £12,000 on the lower end of the scale to over £22,000 for higher level teaching assistants. Rob Kelsall, regional ofﬁcer for the GMB in Birmingham, is currently seeking similar pay levels for TAs in neighbouring councils in the Midlands. He says local authority leaders have indicated they too would be happy to see national pay scales. Tricia Pritchard, a senior professional ofﬁcer for the Professional Association of Nursery Nurses (PANN) which represents 7,500 teaching assistants, points out that sharp differences in pay between neighbouring counties are not conducive to a stable, motivated workforce. She cites the gulf between Nottinghamshire where unions have negotiated some of the best pay and conditions and Derbyshire where pay levels are much lower.

This has resulted in some staff from Derbyshire losing patience and drifting across the county border in search of better conditions. Rob Kelsall recalls lobbying former education secretary Estelle Morris to press for TAs’ pay to be determined at national level. He says she was adamantly opposed to it at the time and there were even suggestions that the government wanted to decide teachers’ pay at local level too. He welcomes signs of an apparent government u-turn on the issue, but warns: “Examination is one thing, adoption of a national pay scale is another. The devil will be in the detail. But at long last the government seems to be recognising that the current array of pay and conditions for school support staff is not conducive to raising standards in education.” Watch this space …

FLASHPOINT IN CHESHIRE LINDA Hand stands to lose her special needs allowance worth just over £1000 a year on top of a cut in pay as Cheshire County Council moves to term-time only payments for teaching assistants. She says that while the council’s implementation of single status makes it appear that teaching assistants’ pay is being upgraded, some could be between £2000 and £4000 worse off because they will in future be paid pro rata for 195 days a year and they will no longer be paid for school holidays.

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PAGE DISPLAYS LABEL

In the ﬁrst of two pull-out guides, Elaine Simpson explains the basics of making a wall display to be proud of

WHO?

DISPLAY creates a welcoming atmosphere and sets the scene for purposeful learning. It should be eyecatching, but most importantly it says to the child “We value your work. We think you deserve to work in a supportive and beautiful environment.”

FOR optimum effect, displays need to be changed frequently. The idea of a display is that it is noticed and no matter how well presented a display is, once it has been up a few weeks it loses it s impact. Set aside time each week to add to, change and develop the classroom environment. Your school’s display policy should tell you how often displays should be changed.

IT may sound obvious, but we sometimes forget – the whole school environment should be geared to the child, and should stimulate and support learning. Captions can be added to explain the work to adults.

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GATEWAY SCHOOL WESTMINSTER

WHEN?

GATEWAY SCHOOL WESTMINSTER

WHY?

Making a class HOW?

You will need: ● staple remover ● staple gun and staples – keep staples in a box labelled with serial number of size to avoid wasting hours trying to ﬁnd the right size staples for your gun. ● paper slicer ● ruler (metre stick and 30cm rule) ● sharp scissors ● masking tape ● Blu Tack ● different coloured papers, sugar paper, corrugated card etc. ● drawing pins ● p.v.a. glue and spreader ● glue stick ● ready made borders Keep these in a safe place in labelled containers so you don’t have go hunting each time you want to put up or update a display.

PETER HAWKSBY

FIRST, REMOVE old work and prepare the surface by removing old staples. This is tedious but necessary - it prevents skin and clothes snagging on sharp broken staples. Next, choose a backing paper that is an interesting contrast or a complement to the work displayed, or that fits in with the theme of the display. For instance, you could tape together sheets of sugar paper that fit a display board and get the children to paint a grass collage with green paint and pieces of tissue and paper pre-cut as a background. Cover the board with your chosen backing using the staple gun, after carefully measuring the size you need. This job is always easier if you can find a colleague to help. Use as few staples as you can to make it easier when you change your display. After this, choose a border for your

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disp zigcut rate issu edge T disp Y mus If no is en work M slice met U glue back the A larly pape

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WHAT?

DISPLAYS are there to support children’s learning, so it is important to think about their position. If children’s written work is included it should be at a height that the children can read easily. This sounds obvious but it’s surprising how often fascinating stories are beautifully mounted in a place where no-one can read them. Captions should be large and bold. Check ﬁre regulations with the deputy head or caretaker. Displays should not be placed above doorways, in some corridor spaces or in the way of alarm detectors.

DISPLAYS should attractively reﬂect all the work going on in the classroom. Bold artwork is an obvious candidate for display but children’s writing and maths work can be imaginatively presented too.

GATEWAY SCHOOL WESTMINSTER

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WHERE?

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display board. Use ready made straight, zig-zag or wavy corrugated borders, or cut strips of card or paper and decorate them (more about this in the next issue). Staple the border around the edge of the display board. Then, mount the work to be displayed. Your school’s policy may say work must be double, or even triple-mounted. If not, in most cases single mounting is enough. Dark coloured sugar paper works well. Measure the work and use a paper slicer to cut the paper one or two centimetres larger to create a border. Use a thin layer of p.v.a. glue or a glue stick all around the edge of the back of the work and place the work on the centre of the measured paper. Alternatively, for work that is irregularly shaped, stick the work onto the paper and cut a border around it.

Apply loops of masking tape to the back of the work and gently place onto the board. Stand back to check whether the work is in the right place before you press it down ﬁrmly. If necessary, secure by stapling. If it is a ‘story collage’ you don’t need to mount. Just cut around the pictures, shapes etc and use masking tape loops to ﬁx them to the board Finally, put up the captions. These can be single mounted and must be clear and easily read by everyone – the display policy may tell you what script to use. I think it’s important to label each child’s work with their name. Save a class name list on the computer so when you want to make labels all you have to do is ‘select all’, choose the font and size, print, cut and single mount. Notes explaining the work to parents can be single mounted and placed on the wall next to the display board.

WHEN your display is complete, step back and tive check that it looks attrac l wil and clear. The children rk appreciate your hard wo rk wo ir and may point out the s and comment. Your effort have been worthwhile!

IN THE NEXT ISSUE ★ Interesting and unusual ways of mounting and labelling work ★ Interactive displays ★ Fancy ideas for borders ★ Using display to support children’s learning ★ Including the children in presenting their work

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DISABLED CHILDREN

Perfect partners

Schools need the expertise parents have about their SEN children, writes Louisa Farris

and hoarding food and any school OOD communication between activities which involve cooking or parents and the school eating will need to be very carefully means both can have a better managed. understanding of a child with special Another example is Williams Syneducational needs. Schools are the drome. Most children with Williams experts on education, but parents are Syndrome have difﬁculties with hand generally the experts on their parto eye co-ordination and motor skills ticular child, and can provide schools such as throwing and catching a ball. with a lot of very useful information. Parents for example are likely know They may seem over-sensitive, throw tantrums, have obsessive behaviour, more about the condition affecting and need to urinate more than usual. their child, especially if it’s an unusual Jill Harrison of the charity Contact syndrome. The school’s SENCO should a Family be fully which supinformed ‘The most important thing is ports the and pass families of on the that professionals respect disabled chilinformathe views and acknowledge dren says: tion to the expertise parents have “The most the child’s important learning about their child’ thing is support that proassistant, fessionals respect the views and but it can also be useful to ask acknowledge the expertise parents parents directly. Some conditions have about their child.” have particular features which will Because many disabled children affect the child’s behaviour at school. are picked up by special transport For example children with Prader there is less direct communication Willi Syndrome often have an insabetween staff and parents than with tiable desire to obtain food, which is other children. Schools may have to accompanied by excessive or rapid make special efforts to meet parents weight gain. This is physically, emoregularly, but they need to be ﬂexible tionally and socially debilitating and about times. “Few mothers of disamay cause life-threatening obesity. It bled children are able to work full time often involves foraging for, stealing

but fathers often say they feel left out because appointments take place when they can’t be there.” Having a home-school book is a useful way to keep in touch with parents – but someone needs to have the time to keep it up to date. The father of an autistic child in a special school said completing the home school book was the single most important thing staff did but was only

SHE DIDN’T ACT AS IF WE LUCY is a learning support assistant in an East Midlands primary school working in a year 2 class with Tarquin who has moderate physical and learning difﬁculties. When Lucy started her job there was already a strong belief among the teaching staff that Tarquin’s mother was neglectful

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PHOTOFUSION PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY

FACTS ABOUT FAMILIES WITH DISABLED CHILDREN IT costs three times as much to bring up a disabled child, yet families with disabled children have 23% lower incomes than average. 55% of disabled children grow up in, or at the margins of poverty. Many families with disabled children have to attend many appointments with different services and deal with many different professionals. This is tiring, frustrating and time-consuming.

HOUSING PROBLEMS

Finding time to keep in touch with parents of children with SEN can be a challenge for school staff

HOUSING is a big problem for families with disabled children. They are more likely to be living in poor housing conditions than families with similar incomes who have non-disabled children. More than half don’t have enough space to store equipment, for children to play, or for family members to have a break from each other. Many children with physical disabilities cannot use some parts of their home at all – often the kitchen. Brothers and sisters sharing a room with a child who often wakes in the night, or who breaks their cherished possessions, puts an extra strain on family relationships. Families with disabled children are more likely to have problems with their neighbours. Source: Joseph Rowntree Foundation

, advice

possible, he said, because of the high staff-child ratio at the school. “This means that someone can sit down before our son leaves in the afternoon, clear their thoughts, and write a relevant and informative summary of his day in a book that he brings home every night. As teachers ourselves, my wife and I know that in a normal school environment there is no way on earth that this could be done.”

CONTACT A FAMILY provides supportchildren.

disabled and information to families with information to give to py hap They are more than and education. The care d’s chil the in anyone involved phone Helpline on 0808 Contact a Family National Free Monday to Friday. Or 808 3555 is open 10am-4pm, ily.org.uk, or write to fam you can e-mail helpline@ca V 1JN. EC1 , don 209-211 City Road, Lon www.cafamily.org. site web ily Fam a The Contact rmation and contains a uk also has lots of useful info syndromes affecting directory of rare conditions and children.

S IF WE KNEW EVERYTHING. IT MADE SUCH A DIFFERENCE of Tarquin and undermined the work done with him at school. “I was told that his mum didn’t have the same aspirations for him as we did. People said that she just complained about him – and wished that he wasn’t like he is.” Lucy rarely saw Tarquin’s mother because he came to school on the LEA bus. When she met

her, she realised that Tarquin’s mother had mild learning difﬁculties herself, and plenty of other problems. A new class teacher was appointed to Tarquin’s class who made it her business to stay in touch with, and support Tarquin’s mother. Lucy says “She was fantastic. She really listened to her,

and respected her. When his mum got upset about the way Tarquin behaved, this teacher said ‘That must be really difﬁcult for you. Is there anything we could do to help?’ She took it for granted that there was lots we could learn from Tarquin’s mother. She didn’t act as if we knew everything. It made such a difference.”

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Train to somewhere QUALIFICATIONS

There are plenty of opportunities for school support staff looking for qualiﬁcations, and career prospects are brighter than ever. Lindsey Darking sets out the options.

F YOU’RE in a support role in school, you’re one of a fast growing band. There are currently around 500,000 support staff employed in various roles in English schools alone and the ﬁgure is rising. If you’re a teaching assistant or in a learning support role, your job is likely to become more varied and more demanding over the next few years – and probably already has done. Hopefully it will also become better rewarded. The school workforce reform agreement, allowing classroom teachers to have 10% of their working week set aside for planning, preparation and assessment from September, means that the government is increasingly acknowledging the vital role that support staff play in raising standards. Every Child Matters, which emphasises the need to promote children’s overall wellbeing and more integrated children’s services, also implies a more high proﬁle and important role for learning support staff.

Flexible, high quality training and a more unified structure of qualifications and career development is therefore seen as crucial. The Teacher Training Agency, due to be renamed the Training and Development Agency for schools (TDA) from September, now has responsibility for the training and development of the wider school workforce, while the Learning and Skills Council has identified training for school support staff as one of its priorities. The School Workforce Development Board has just published

Public sector union UNISON has been commissioned to establish a training and development information website, and the DFES and Learning and Skills Council will provide more funding for support staff training. A further three year plan will also be published in 2006. The government’s eventual aim is to develop a common core of skills and knowledge for everyone working with children – not just those in schools – and the new Children’s Workforce Development Council will oversee this. Historically, however, the training of school support staff has been left to individual schools or LEAs, leading

A mapping exercise carried out for the DFES in 2004 found over 600 national qualiﬁcations relevant to school support staff, and many local variations

‘Building the Team’, a one year plan for improving school workforce training. Its ﬁrst priorities will be to remove the barriers to the take up of training, to expand the supply of training, and to improve its quality.

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THE PHOTOLIBRARY WALES/ALAMY

THE MAIN RECOGNISED TA QUALIFICATIONS

National Vocational Qualiﬁcations (NVQs) NVQs at Level 2 (GCSE grade A-C equivalent) or Level 3 (A level standard) for roles such as Teaching Assistants, Learning, Development and Support Services, or Early Years and Education. Eligibility depends on experience. NVQs assess the application of skills and knowledge to work practice, and consist of optional and mandatory competencies. Training takes place and is assessed in the workplace and relevant prior learning and experience can be taken into account.

Apprenticeships The Apprenticeship for TAs is a mixture of work based training and education. It can be taken at Level 2 or 3 and consists of an NVQ plus Key Skills qualiﬁcations in Communication, Application of Number and Information Technology. Students also take a taught course leading to a professional qualiﬁcation.

Others Vocationally related qualifications for school support staff exist from entry level to higher. Some are accredited under the National Qualifications Framework. The Certificate for Teaching Assistants can be taken at Level 2 or 3 and includes compulsory and specialist units in classroom practice, supporting literacy and numeracy, and children’s welfare. The Specialist Teacher Assistant Course (STAC) is provided by higher education institutions and consists of theory and practically based learning.

Higher Level Teaching Assistant

Teaching assistants are taking on more responsibility for children’s learning to many different courses and qualifications. A mapping exercise carried out for the DFES in 2004 found over 600 national qualifications relevant to school support staff, and many local variations. Funding also varies, with fees sometimes paid by schools, LEAs or the LSC. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has established a National Qualifications Framework which lists a full range of accredited qualifications and the levels of achievement they are equivalent to. Clearer career pathways for TAs and support staff are being established, and eventually – when the Children’s Workforce Development Council has completed its work – they will be able to use their qualifications to move across from schools into other childcare jobs if they want to.

HLTA is a status which recognises that the TA is operating competently against a set of national standards defined by the Teacher Training Agency. There are no formal entry requirements apart from Level 2 equivalent qualifications in literacy and numeracy, though qualifications at Level 3 or relevant experience might help. Candidates can choose either an assessment only or full training route.

Foundation Degrees Foundation degrees are employment-related higher education qualifications. They can be delivered via the internet or distance learning in association with higher or further education institutions. Entry is usually at Level 3 although alternative qualifications and relevant experience can be taken into account. Foundation degrees can lead on to an honours degree or Qualified Teacher Status.

New Vocational Qualiﬁcation for Support Staff

Continued over page

The Learning and Skills Council is piloting a new Award and Certificate in Support Work in Schools. It’s suitable for staff working in multiple roles such as caretakers, midday supervisors, administrative staff, technicians and others. It is a Level 2 qualification funded by the LSC and employers though a Level 3 qualification is being developed. Students take two core modules in skills relating to teamwork and children, and then choose either one or more modules related to their particular training needs.

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QUALIFICATIONS

What’s the training like? H

OW much an individual gets out of the training they undertake depends on a lot of different factors. We asked some teaching assistants who are training now, or have recently finished, why they had chosen their course and how they found it. I am going straight into NVQ Level 3 because of my previous experience, even though I have no other qualifications as a TA. Lots of people are now advertising for Level 3 NVQ so it will be good to have. A lot of the units are things you do naturally in class and you have to provide evidence. TAs do a lot and it will be good to have something to show for it. Mandy Cavanagh, TA, Hertfordshire. I wanted to go into teaching but I could not afford teacher training, so I decided ELLEN RICKF to get the experience ORD first. I’m doing NVQ Level 2 for TAs. The behaviour aspects are useful – you develop techniques for dealing with challenging behaviour and gaining children’s attention. Some of the information could be more user friendly,

USEFUL SITES www.remodellingteam.org (Information about remodelling) www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/ teachingassistants/faq/ www.educationguardian.co.uk/remodelling (Case studies and information) www.nasen.org.uk (Courses in special needs)

but I have found it useful. My teaching mentor is brilliant so that’s a great help. Janine March, LSA, Lincolnshire. My school sent me on a Specialist Teacher Assistant Course at college for one day a week for a year. The assignments were competency based and the theory was built around practical tasks. I already had experience but it reminded you of things you were supposed to know. The best part was meeting TAs from different schools and sharing experiences. Mary*, TA, Hampshire (*name changed) I applied for HLTA status because my head teacher said I ‘met the right criteria’. I always wanted to remain a Special Needs Assistant – becoming an HLTA gave me the recognition that I think many of us deserve. It also gives me some career structure without having to change jobs. It was hard to pin down some of the evidence and took up a lot of personal time, but it provided a useful focus for the work I do. Sam Parrie, HLTA, Stockton-on-Tees. Initially I never considered my TA role as a potential career. I used to worry that I didn’t know what I was doing as I’d had no training. I began a Certiﬁcate of Higher Education and then a Foundation Degree in Educational Studies. This provided me with a route to HLTA status. I wanted more progression and better recognition. It renewed my enthusiasm and I got great support from colleagues. Many TAs have taken on signiﬁcant responsibility in schools – being an HLTA should provide them with opportunities to show their skills and shine a bit. Susan Herurlihy, HLTA, Devon

www.tta.gov.uk (TA and support staff training and news on workforce development) www.lsc.gov.uk (Search for ‘tailored training’ for information on the new VQ in school support) www.standards.dfes.gov.uk (For information on TA induction courses) www.lg-employers.gov.uk/skills/teaching (Has a summary of qualiﬁcations for teaching assistants)

www.ssda.org.uk (For sector skills information)

www.unison.org.uk/education/schools (For training information and news)

www.openquals.org.uk (Search the National Qualiﬁcations Database)

www.hlta.gov.uk (Information on HLTA status and requirements)

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PAIGE FALK

Drinking enough water improves children’s behaviour, and their work. Yvonne Roberts investigates

CHILD HEALTH

Thirst for learning M

EET Phil the cactus and Sip the Sunﬂower, two cartoon characters used in South Staffordshire schools to persuade children (and staff) that water is much more than the playground’s most lethal weapon – it’s vital for oiling children’s brains. Working with South Staffordshire Water, schools held poster and writing competitions to encourage children to think about water. This was backed by a study of water use and a day of activities. Only recently have schools begun to appreciate that children are what they drink. Or, more precisely, what they don’t drink. Each primary school child should consume at least six to eight glasses of water a day, half at school. Water makes up around 80% of the brain and is an essential element in neurological transmissions. Cognitive performance decreases by 10% in healthy young adults when they are thirsty. Among children, mild dehydration may be signalled by irritability, tiredness and an inability to concentrate. Children should be encouraged to see the signs in their own urine (a game that’s bound to amuse!) Pee the colour of pale straw, odourless and lots of it is good. Deep yellow, cloudy and smelly pee tells them to reach for several drinks. Traditionally, water in school sig-

nalled disruption; soaking clothes and very little down the throat. If, that is, water was available to children at all. In 2003, the Department of Health asked ERIC (Education and Resources for Improving Childhood Continence) to assess water provision in a sample of 40 schools. Eric discovered that existing facilities are “insufﬁciently durable” and there are still not enough suitable sites. In short, quite the reverse of ‘Water, water everywhere...” Last year the government published its Healthy Living Blueprint for Schools, which declares “All pupils should have access to drinking water at all times at a number of points around the school, preferably not from the taps in the toilets. Pupils should be permitted to carry water with them and consumption encouraged both in class and during break and lunch time.” This has had an impact. One primary school learning support assistant explains, “We had a water day giving the children information

and we put lots of posters around the school. We substantially increased the number of fountains and encouraged the children to bring bottled water into school. The water ﬁghts have stopped. Except when it gets very, very hot.” The Welsh Assembly has provided free water coolers and personal water bottles to 384 schools. The Scottish Executive by next year will have provided water coolers, water fountains and personal water bottles for all its schools. But while water provision to children in English schools has greatly improved, some schools still regard water as a drop too far. If you want to change policy, there’s plenty of help available – and you may be able to encourage your local water board to sponsor posters and materials. Drink up! www.wateriscoolinschool.org.uk www.water.org.uk www.wateraid.org/drinkwater www.water.org.uk/waterforhealth

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PAGE LABEL REVIEWS ICT for Teaching Assistants John Galloway; David Fulton Publishers; ISBN 1-84312-203-0; £15 ★★★★ THIS BOOK claims to be “easy to use … essential for Teaching Assistants who wish to develop their confidence in ICT”. Divided into three main sections, the first explains the inclusive role of ICT in school today. Part 2 – ‘ICT in the Classroom’ details all the applications a TA is likely to encounter, each one being enhanced by the author’s clear instructions and use of colourful screen shots. The final section gives information on wider issues, such as health and safety and relevant legislation. It gives guidance on how to successfully apply one’s ICT knowledge when completing an S/NVQ and provides both useful weblinks and a comprehensive glossary. I liked this book. The information was clearly laid out and easily located. The use of screen shots from a variety of software programs gives the TA all the information needed to maximise the potential of a PC/laptop in the classroom. Following the author’s guidance, even a fairly inexperienced TA could support the production of simple but effective projects. However, for those with more confidence, instructions do cover more advanced activities. While familiar with the keyboard and day-to-day operation of the computer, I found the information on ‘admin tasks’, for example changing settings to accommodate SEN learners and the explanations of drop-down menu functions, really helpful and simple to follow. I would definitely recommend this comprehensive guide to TAs supporting ICT, but particularly to those working in primary school. Bev Bottomley Teaching assistant St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School Fleetwood, Lancs

You Can’t Bring That in Here Pat Thomson (ed.) In collaboration with the Federation of Children’s Book Groups; Red Fox; ISBN 0-09-948386-6; £3.99 ★★★★ ‘YOU CAN’T Bring That in Here’ is a collection of funny stories by different children’s writers, including Kay Umansky, Allan Ahlberg and Robert Swindells The Amazing Talking Pig was great! It was strange yet funny and really made me want to know what was going to happen next. But my favourite was deﬁnitely Bob and the House Elves because it had a good structure, lots of clever ideas and a nice ending. In my opinion it would be enjoyed by all ages. The title story, from my point of view was the least entertaining, but bear in mind I am eleven years old and this book is more for ﬁve to eight year olds. The thing I didn’t enjoy so much was that most of the stories were about animals and even though it’s nice to have a theme I think it got a little boring. Florence Cullen Davies, 11 My favourite book is Lola Rose by Jacqueline Wilson

Fergus Crane Paul Stewart & Chris Riddell; Corgi; ISBN 0-385-60719-9 ★★★★★ Bhangra Babes Narinder Dhami; Corgi; ISBN 0-440-86628-6 ★★★★ FROM THE minute I introduced Fergus Crane to my upper Key Stage 2 group, they were hooked. The fabulous illustration of Fergus riding the winged horse on the front cover caught their attention, and after having read the blurb on the back of the book, they

were all eager to read of his exciting adventures. The children were fascinated that Fergus went to a school on board a ship, complete with parrot, and from the very beginning wanted answers to questions raised in the text such as what was he hurrying home for and what took place at midnight? There were lots of opportunities for discussion and prediction as to what the answers to these questions might be although they were keen to read ahead and learn of his thrilling adventures. This book is aimed at Key Stage 2 and with my mixed ability group I found that it held everyone’s attention. The more able knew of the authors because of the bestselling Edge Chronicles and were eager to absorb more of their excellent writing, whilst the middle and lower ability, although still enjoying the story and plot, thoroughly enjoyed the detailed illustrations by Chris Riddell. These humorous drawings were on almost every page and helped the children to understand exactly what was happening in this magical adventure. The fact that this book won the Nestle Smarties Book Prize, an award voted for by children, does not surprise me and I have no hesitation in giving this book 5/5. BHANGRA BABES was shared with some of the more mature Year 6 girls. The main characters are three teenage sisters growing up in an Indian family and the story deals with issues such as friendship, sibling rivalry, boys and school related issues. This book has an entertaining plot and ﬂows very well, but the content may be more suited to Key Stage 3. By the author of Bend it like Beckham, this book is the third in a series and some of the children enjoyed it so much they now want to go back and read the other two books to learn more about the lives of

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the three sisters. Despite this being the third in the series, the book is an entertaining read on its own. Carole Holbrook is a TA team leader Astrosaurs: Riddle of the Raptors Steve Cole; Illustrated by Charlie Fawkes; by Red Fox; £3.99; ISBN 0-09-947294-5 ★★★★ THIS IS all about Teggs, the captain of the Dinosaur Space Service ship Sauropod, and his crew. They have to get a team of dinosaur athletes to the planet Olympus. They knew the meteor was coming to earth and would wipe them out. So the dinosaurs, much cleverer than we thought, built space ships to escape! They named their area of space, which is 200,000 light years in area, the Jurassic quadrant. The herbivores live in the vegetarian sector and the carnivores in the carnivore sector. The raptors kidnap two leading vegetarian dinosaur athletes. Eventually the vegetarian dinosaurs have to save a planet from destruction by the raptors in their huge spaceship. The vegetarians’ spaceship, the Sauropad, runs on dung and is made out of edible plants! I thought it was a great book and quite funny. I liked the map of the Jurassic quadrant and the cover picture. And the idea of dinosaurs ﬂying spaceships is brilliant. There’s a website too, www.astrosaurs.co.uk Matthew McCulloch, 9 My favourite books are Voyage of the Dawn Treader by CS Lewis and The Firework Maker’s Daughter by Philip Pullman Number Games Book 2 Caroline Clissold and Sue Atkinson; Hopscotch; £24.99; ISBN 1-904-30745-0 ★★★★★ THIS IS a resource book written by and for teachers but is extremely useful for anyone working with children. There are clear learning intentions for all the activities, detailed instruc-

tions on how to play the games and even a section on what to say to the child/ren to introduce and explain the game. Each game can be played at different year group levels and with different learning intentions. There is a list of what you need for each game and even a photocopiable rules sheet. Everything needed to play the games is there in photocopiable form. This is a book worth having and the best I’ve seen of its kind. Elaine Simpson Primary education consultant The Oxford Infant Atlas, Editorial Adviser Dr Patrick Wiegand; OUP; ISBN 0-198-32168-6; £4.99 ★★ THE OXFORD Infant Atlas is a small, clearly presented introduction to the world using satellite images, photographs and drawings. It shows physical features such as rivers, mountains and deserts and political maps showing the main countries and cities. Europe and the British Isles are covered in more detail with simple labelling and captions. The contents and index are clear to read which is vital for infant children learning to navigate their way around non-ﬁction books. What is missing here is the ‘wow’ factor. The cover is bright but gives false hope, as there are no more bright, giant images sitting on the maps when you look inside. Children love searching for things but there is no fun here. I showed this atlas to some infant children to get their views and they thought it was, ‘Quite good.’ It may cover the requirements of the National Curriculum at Key Stage1 and be a useful tool for a teacher but I am sorry to say that I think it has little attraction for young children wanting to discover more about the world. Marian Mountain Infant school teaching assistant and librarian

www.show.me.uk

DESERVING WINNERS of the Arts, Culture and Heritage Charity Award 2004, www.show.me.uk is the children’s section of a website called the 24 Hour Museum. Show Me is a well researched and relevant source of information for activities for children. From it I visited children’s activities and games on websites hosted by numerous well known places such as Kew Gardens, The Victoria and Albert and many local museums. Through computer based projects and games children can learn about many subjects including history, science and biology. A thoroughly enjoyable site suitable for interactive educational games or a reference place for Key Stage 1 and 2. Susan Watts Teaching assistant Kids Ark: http://web.ukonline. co.uk/conker/ AN INTERESTING and informative online magazine, Kids Ark was begun by a family (Phillip Wilkinson, Zoe Brooks and 11 year old John Wilkinson) to make new and exciting cultural information and activities available to children. The site brings together many topics and themes: a seasonal folklore calendar, recipes, traditional British children’s games, puzzles and detailed information about pond dipping and fossils! Although it is designed for use at home and is not curriculum orientated, it is deﬁnitely worth a look for any work on traditional British children’s activities, or for anyone looking for something new to play! Most information is displayed in blocks of writing, and the site is quite difﬁcult to navigate, so is not particularly appropriate for children’s independent use. Nevertheless, ideal for adults running activities and a rewarding source of information for older children carrying out supervised internet research. Rose Rickford Breakfast club assistant

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SOFTWARE REVIEWS

Software reviews by Yvonne Pearson, specialist ICT teaching assistant at St Edmund’s RC junior school in Edmonton, north London Romans Anglia Multimedia £49.00 (Site Licence £245.00) QCA Schemes of Work: History Unit 6A (Year 3/4) ★★★ SET IN 2nd Century AD Britain the children ‘arrive’ by boat near the city where an ofﬁcial tells them what they must do. They choose to be a character in the town and have to collect the things that they need to be that person. Initially the children found it slow and frustrating because they kept going down dead ends and having to retrace their steps. It took a long time for them to work out where to go and the help screen didn’t give enough direction. But there are activity sheets included with the CD-rom and they managed much better with those although many still needed a lot of help. It’s a shame that they found it so difﬁcult because the information in the CD is interesting and cleverly put together. The graphics and sound quality were good and I also liked the fact that the characters in the adventure were actors rather than cartoons as I felt it added to the authenticity. I would use this initially as a wholeclass activity on an interactive whiteboard but only when I have spent enough time exploring the town and the various characters myself to get the most out of it.

Arcventure: The Romans Sherston Software Ltd £49.95 (Site licence £249.75) QCA Schemes of Work: History Unit 6A (Year 3/4) ★★★ THE CHILDREN pretend to be archaeologists and have to find objects (without breaking them!) They can examine the objects they find both in their decayed state and also as they would have looked when they were new. If they uncover an unknown object they have to time-travel back to Roman times and explore the town, talk to the people, carry out challenges and find out more about it. There are two levels of difficulty, but even the easiest was quite challenging for our Year 3 and without

teacher-intervention the children found it quite frustrating and wandered around aimlessly. There are worksheets and solutions provided and these were a great help in moving the adventure along. Unlike the Anglia Romans, the people that you meet are cartoons rather than actors and to me they seemed less engaging. The locations are also very sparsely furnished and don’t give much of an impression of everyday life in Roman times, especially compared to the Anglia CD, but I did like the link with archaeology. This software is attractive and informative and covers the QCA unit extremely well. It would be particularly useful for schools who ﬁnd it difﬁcult to visit an actual site. Although obviously mainly intended for history, both of the Romans CDs could also be used to cover ICT Unit 3D (Exploring simulations), also taught in Year 3, neatly killing two birds with one stone!

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YVONNE PEARSON

Gigglebies Garden Party Jelly Bridge Productions Ltd £17.01 Foundation stage ★★★★ ENGAGING CHARACTERS and clear instructions made this an instant hit with our reception children. We have also tried it with some of the year 1 children with special educational needs but it’s probably too babyish to appeal to children much older than that. The two characters try to organise a garden party for their neighbours. You have to complete 7 simple activities, each with three levels of difficulty (humiliatingly I never did finish ‘spot the difference’ on the hardest level!)These tasks include general mouse control as well as matching, observation, memory skills and so on. Although the tasks were completed quite quickly, the children were eager to do them again and again. I liked the fact that there is a clear ending where the children are congratulated for finishing and the characters wave them goodbye, rather like the ending of The Railway Children, so they knew when it was time for someone else to have a go. It would be great to have this in a nursery or reception class and it is very good value for money. Music Toolkit 2Simple £39.00 (Site Licence £299.00) QCA Schemes of Work: Music Unit 1, 2, 5 & 18 and ICT Unit 3B ★★★★★ 2SIMPLE SOFTWARE seems to ‘do exactly what it says on the tin’ as the programmes are very easy to use. This doesn’t mean that they don’t offer a challenge to more able children as well though, and I confess that they are the programs I tend to play with if I have a spare 10 minutes at lunch time!

Music Toolkit is a collection of 6 music programs that cover a wide range of ages and QCA schemes of work. I tried it with all year groups from reception through to Year 6 and they all enjoyed using it to produce sounds or tunes of varying complexity. One of the best things about 2Simple’s software is the onscreen videos which link to the QCA schemes and can be used either as a tutorial for teachers or to demonstrate to the children. As I have little or no musical talent, I found them very useful! With the reception children I used 2Explore, the simplest of the programs. By clicking on the pictures they could play a variety of different sounds and they particularly enjoyed using the percussion and special effects noises. With Year 4 we used 2Synthesise. The children watched the onscreen videos and were able to follow these and produce some interesting work. The whole class managed easily and enjoyed every minute of it. Children from other year groups tried the rest of the programs, although not in as much detail. All the children who tried this program loved it and wanted to use it again. I will deﬁnitely be buying this CD with our e-learning credits this year as I think it is a fantastic resource.

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ADVICE PLEASE

Learning Support readers are experts on supporting children in primary school. In this regular feature, you share your ideas and advice on a real problem

In charge alone w policy which I consider to be very good. If this happened to me I would send one of the other children to get help and try to separate the children (not by touching) but by trying to get them to listen to me. If there is a problem when I am working with a group, the child has two warnings and then is sent back to class and has to explain their behaviour to the teacher. As everyone in the whole school carries out the same behaviour policy, this consistent approach seems to work very well. This is a contentious one! When emo-

tions brim over into physical aggression it is difficult to restore order, particularly if there is a no-contact rule as in this case. You don’t say whether other children were present or not, but if necessary I would disperse any onlookers and send someone to fetch another adult. It is an unfortunate sign of the times that we have to make sure we do not open ourselves to any possibility of wrongful accusation. I would ask the children firmly to stop fighting, and if they don’t then warn them that they will face serious consequences if they choose to continue. This leaves

From Janet I HAVE been a classroom assistant in the same rural primary school for 17 years and have always enjoyed my job. Recently though the behaviour of the children has changed, and some of them no longer “do as they are told” as they used to. These tend to be the same children who are most likely to get into scrapes with other children. One morning a fight started in the cloakroom when I was the only adult there. The children ignored me when I told them to stop. I couldn’t separate the fighters physically because support staff are not allowed to touch the children, so I had to leave them fighting while I went off to find a teacher. What do other teaching assistants do about disobedience, especially in situations where they are alone in charge of a group of children? This is a hard one. As well as being a TA, I am also a “dinner lady” and so can be on the playground alone with a lot of children. This has stood me in good stead when it comes to discipline and I follow the school behaviour

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e when a fight starts them with a choice, hopefully they will make the correct one but it is not guaranteed! I think the support staff need to have the same methods open to them as the teaching staff if they are expected to supervise groups of children. It undermines the authority of the support staff if they have to leave a situation to get a teacher to deal with it, and more importantly, there is an increased risk that the incident will escalate out of control. We always try not to leave ourselves alone in isolated areas to avoid

incidents such as this. However, there is always the exception to the rule. I would have stayed while sending another pupil (perhaps a prefect) to notify the nearest teaching staff member. My own reaction would have been to intervene, as it sounds quite likely that one of the pupils would have physically hurt the other. In terms of bad behaviour generally, where the usual methods, eg loss of privileges, missing part/all of playtimes, detention etc. have failed, pupils have been given behaviour diaries, where incidents can be recorded by any staff member who

witnesses them. The diaries are constantly monitored and sanctions or praise issued depending on whether there is an improvement or deterioration in behaviour. In the school that I work at we do physically touch the children. First I would ask them to stop in a stern voice. If this failed I would physically separate the children but before this I would send two children to the ofﬁce to get help. The situation would be discussed with class teacher who would stipulate that children must listen and do as all adults in the school say.

BILDAGENTUR FRANZ WALDHAEUS /ALAMY

From Martha I’m working with someone whose attitudes clash with mine and who undermines me in front of the children. I love my job, and have enjoyed studying to update my qualiﬁcations, but this person has old-fashioned views and won’t consider new ideas. For example she thinks children with autism are “just naughty”. She thinks my techniques are rubbish, and doesn’t hesitate to tell me so. This upsets me, but when I tried to talk to her about the problem, she just shouted at me, marched out and went to the head teacher. I’m quite shy and I don’t go to the regular girls’ nights out, as many other staff members do including this colleague and the head, so I feel others are taking her side and don’t like me. I’m now dreading going back to work.

What should Martha do? Please send your response to Advice Please, Learning Support, 83 Alkham Road, London N16 6XD or email info@learningsupport.co.uk. We always treat problems and responses as anonymous so names have been changed. Learning Support June/July 2005 29 LS_Jun05_28.indd 29

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LESLEY McINTYRE

ME AND MY JOB

developed. It’s going to be hard when he moves on to secondary school. I’m with Malachi in class when I also help the teachers, and Malachi and I have one-to-one sessions.The staff at Ravenstone are excellent. Whatever likes or dislikes there may be on a personal level, in the class room, the children come ﬁrst and we all work together. Once a week I run a girls foot-

Learning Support Assistant MORRIS TOLARAM, age 23 ol, Balham, SCHOOL: Ravenstone Primary Scho on Lond h Sout partially ROLE: Has worked one to one with a past four the for 6, now chi, Mala , deaf child t and kfas brea the in daily s work Also s. year after-school club , Atlanta, FAMILY: Wife Patrice, and daughter 15 months

ball club during the lunch break. Over thirty girls turned up for our first session. We came fourth in the Wandsworth Girls Football Champions in May and we’ve only been going for a few months! My wife, Patrice, is also a learning support assistant. She’s got her NVQ3 and is continuing to study, so I’m going to start building on my qualifications too. My week consists of 55 hours of childcare and at weekends, as T21, I’m a deejay in London’s West End and in Croydon. I’ve got a real love for both professions. I think it also helps that I’m a young, black male working in the school. We have ten learning support assistants in the school and I’m the only male. We have a lot of black and ethnic minority children and it’s good for them to see black men in childcare. My contract at Ravenstone ends when Malachi leaves in five years time but I can’t see me ever wanting to give up on this kind of work. You get so much back. Morris Tolaram was talking to Yvonne Roberts

It runs in the family I FIRST came to Ravenstone at the age of three as a pupil and I’m happy to say, twenty years later, I’m still here! My mother was a nursery nurse at the school and she’s now a registered childminder. My brother was a learning support assistant to a child. I grew up surrounded by childcare. My mother always looked as if she was enjoying herself so that encouraged me to have a go. I really, really enjoy it. It’s rewarding. I’m also young enough to be able to say to the children, whatever you’re going through, I’ve been there. And they believe me! While I was taking A levels I was asked to help at Ravenstone with a child who had behaviour problems. When the child left, I followed him to another school but three years later, I was asked back to Ravenstone to work with Malachi.

Learning support assistant Morris Tolaram talks about his work in the south London primary school where he was once a pupil His hearing impairment was diagnosed late so he lip reads instead of using sign language. We’re very close. We both know what we expect of each other and I also have a lot of contact with Malachi’s mother. I attend courses at a local school for the deaf and liaise with other professionals involved with Malachi. It’s really rewarding to see how he’s

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PLAYTIME GAMES

Let’s play Ethne Jeffreys has some ideas for a games session

ITH ﬁne days here at last, children can enjoy getting out of doors to let off steam and have fun! If you haven’t run a games session before, invite the children to join in. They are welcome to play, but don’t have to. “Let’s play”, or “How about…?” is more inviting than “You’re going to play…”! Usually when children see others having fun they want to get in on the act, so it’s OK to start with just a few. Before starting, give the name of the game and explain the rules clearly and simply. “Any questions?” can check whether they’ve understood the rules. Here are some chasing games which children can join in when you start, or later. For the younger children, say age 5-7:

WHAT’S THE TIME, MR WOLF? 1. Fix a starting point 2. Mr Wolf stands a few metres away from the others with his/her back to them and starts walking. 3. The others follow, chanting “What’s the time, Mr Wolf?” 4. Mr Wolf turns around and tells them a time (eg “One o’clock”), then turns back and continues walking.

5. The others keep following him and chanting. Each time Mr Wolf turns round he gives a different time, BUT 6. When Mr Wolf cries “Dinner time!” he/she chases the others back to the starting point. If he catches anyone, that player becomes the next Mr Wolf. For older children, say age 8-11:

CROCODILE IN THE RIVER 1. Chalk “river banks” on the playground, or on the ﬂoor if you are playing indoors. 2. Choose one player to be the crocodile in the river. 3. Each time the leader says “Go” the other players run from one river bank to the other, trying not to get caught by the crocodile. 4. Those who are caught join the

SAFETY FIRST!

Players should always be within sight of supervisors. Before play begins:

OUTDOORS Set boundaries (e.g. “From the school wall to the step in front of Gold Class”) Check for holes, obstructions or muddy patches which could cause a hazard.

INDOORS Make sure there are no hazards such as chairs or equipment lying around.

FRED KAMPHUES

crocodile and help to catch others as they cross the river. (If players are deliberately slow to cross, the leader gives them up to a count of 5 to cross. Otherwise they are out.) 5. Last to be caught wins. Even though I’ve suggested an age range for the two games, often all children will enjoy both games. If it’s raining they can both be played indoors or in some other spot under cover. Winding down If the games session has been long, or very rowdy, here is a quieter game to play before going back to class.

MUSICAL NUMBERS Materials: Recorded music, or someone to play an instrument (could be percussion such as a pan and wooden spoon from school kitchen), or sing. 1. Start the music. Everyone walks around in a circle. 2. When the music stops the leader calls out a number greater than one (eg “Three”). 3. Players form groups of that number. 4. Any player not in a group drops out. 5. Continue with steps 1 to 4 until there are only (eg) two children left. They are the winners and get a clap. ■ These games are taken from Ethne Jeffreys’ book, Welsh Fun and Games, published by Y Lolfa press. www.ylolfa.com

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LESLEY McINTYRE. THANKS TO RAVENSTONE SCHOOL, WANDSWORTH

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