11 Plus Exams Forum

Feeling very frazzled as I have been told today that I must set work for a TA to teach to a group which SHE has decided she'd like to extract from my lesson!! This is not of my choosing and completely against my wishes- she is supposed to be providing classroom support under my direction as the class teacher- and in my opinion completely educationally unsound. The acting Head simply sent me an email ignoring my request for a meeting to discuss this. I'm very, very upset and wondered if anyone knew what my position was....
They're terrified of Ofsted and I've already said I won't justify it to inspectors...
I'm leaving at the end of the summer, but ideally want to stick it out until then.
Please send advice and virtual chocolate (I've already got the wine! )
Thanks.
OMIH

A TA is not qualified to teach - you are. All the research shows that TA support has limited impact on learning.

The TA should be working in your classroom under your supervision.

I'd be tempted to contact my union (something I haven't done for over 20 years!)

Thanks Guest55. I'm not a union person, but that's exactly what I intend to do tomorrow! She may be a HLTA, would that make a difference?

HLTAs can take groups but the teacher should be deciding who is being taught by whom.

From a parent's point of view, I wouldn't like it.

Thank yo for standing up for the children ourmam.

As a parent, I would be concerned if I heard that my children were being pulled out of their normal planned lessons with a qualified teacher that I trust to put their wellbeing and education first in order to do something that was planned by a less qualified person without the approval and consent of the teacher. (does that make sense???)
I would also be concerned that any attempt to discuss this with senior management has been rebuffed as this would be ringing alam bells about poor management and leaving children open to risk.
Perhaps Ofsted need to do a visit......

Thanks everyone. In fact, the school is due a visit from Ofsted and I intend to make clear that I will say this is educationally unsound in my view. Actually feeling more stressed about it though as the school is tremendously hard work anyway (a third of the pupils have learning or behavioural problems and I only teach the bottom sets so this is basically all of mine! )

You as the teacher are responsible for the progress pupils make in your lesson.
I plan with my TA and we regularly scrutinise tracking data to identify pupils who are at risk of not making good progress.
I plan the work and share with the TA, she then focuses her attention on set pupils and feeds back how they've worked during the lesson. Then we plan the next stage etc.

I am against groups being with drawn at all as I have then lost control of the lesson content. It is something that goes on and I have never heard a good argument for it yet.

I wouldn't threaten them with telling Ofsted though - more likely to cause friction as it seems you would have nothing to lose but they potentially have. Ofsted should be able to see the problems for themselves.

I agree with you OMIH in principle, but of course there are also some excellent HLTAs who are better than some teachers.

I'd raise it on TES secondary OMIH (it is secondary you are doing isn't it? and special needs forum if relevant too). The regulations about HLTAs and teachers etc seem to be wearing greyer and thinner. Also there are differences between types of schools in the laws / regs they have to follow e.g. free schools and academies are different in some respects and teachers do not all understand this. You could also try the TES heads section and any bits to do with HR.

I'm afraid it may not be as clearcut as the you think as it is now the head telling the HLTA what to do not you. What we think as ideal is not necessarily what is enshrined in legislation / regulations / guidance etc.

Teachers seem to be a lot less in charge of their classrooms than they used to be with much more dictation from heads about deployment across the school of TAs and HLTAs, and school-wide ways of doing things which could be seen to infringe the autonomy of the teacher. An example of this is the school-wide phonics groups that take place in some primary schools. I've had a few problems with the teaching of reading to my children in the past and it's useless talking to the primary class teacher about it as she has no info or control over what takes place in the time they all split up for the phonics groups. It has extended much further than this in our school and when I am talking to the classteacher I am never sure what is within / outwith her control, what was her decision or the headteacher's, and whether she is telling me what she would want to say or what the headteacher has told her to say. Things are not the way they used to be!

Also, heads have far more influence over careers, pay etc than they had in the past.

Good luck.

Thanks very much both of you. I completely agree, that it's very murky and unclear.... Mystery when you say it's the Head telling the HLTA what to do now, do you mean they would then become responsible for setting the work?!!

I'm not arguing whether the TA is, or isn't good, what I'm extremely unhappy about is the idea of the TA deciding with the Deputy Head what she's going to do during my lesson!!