Do you think teaching assistants help to improve pupil’s progress and attainment?
Don’t forget to leave a comment if you have more to say!
- 83% said Yes. They are essential.
- 11% said I think they are valuable but not essential.
- 2% said I’m not sure.
- 4% said No. I don’t think TAs add much value to my class’s attainment.
Comments
said on 1 February 2017
Without their work with groups, 1-2-1 support and assistance to collect and manage curriculum resources as well as general in class support, progress would not be a rapid and our targets would not be possible.
said on 31 January 2017
I couldn't do my job without my teaching assistant, though I am lucky because she is always thinking 2 steps ahead of me, anticipating what I might need next: also giving me the nudge if I've forgotten something.
said on 28 January 2017
They are absolutely essential and make a crucial difference to the progress and well being of the children.
said on 24 January 2017
I couldn't carry out my job without assistance from my teaching assistant
said on 23 January 2017
Teaching assistants are essential within the classroom. They are the eyes and ears of the teacher and are a point of contact for both pupils and parents. They ensure that pupils can access the content of the lesson and help to consolidate learning by assessing pupils and feeding back to the teacher to help plan the next steps.
said on 23 January 2017
They are an invaluable source of support to the teacher and the children. Often they enable the teacher to differentiate effectively in class by working with small groups of children, whether it be enrichment or intervention.
said on 22 January 2017
Invaluable
said on 2 January 2017
With the correct training and guidance they are invaluable members of the teaching team.
said on 30 December 2016
My TA is worth her weight in gold. She has a good knowledge and understanding of the children in our class and is able to see anything that needs doing if I'm busy doing a whole class input.
said on 25 December 2016
I think they are the most important reinforcement that the children and the teacher have in class. They need this extra attention because the teacher can get attent all the children at the same time.
said on 14 December 2016
They are very essential
said on 5 December 2016
They are especially needed in schools in 'poor areas ans where many languages are spoken
said on 2 December 2016
Well trained TA's bring a wealth of benefits to a school, not least the confidence levels of children thereby raising attainment. However, it is essential that they understand the need for children to become independent learners. Without guidance and good quality training this may not happen.
said on 29 November 2016
If teaching assistants are planned into lessons and know what is expected of their input etc then they can be an extremely valuable and often essential asset to the classroom in ensuring all targets and objectives met. However, too often they are used to deliver interventions that the classroom teacher has no control over or knowledge of so there is often no follow up. Some TAs do not feel confident or are not trained sufficiently well to deliver what is expected of them & unfortunately they are too often asked to be 'teachers'.
said on 20 November 2016
People resource is more important than any fancy IT equipmemt. If you wish to raise attainment it will only happen if we have this support. In Scotland many upper classes are up to 33 children. In many classes the spread of ability is enormous.It can be up to 2-3 years difference. How can one teacher meet individual needs on her/his own?? Teachers are at breaking point!!!
said on 12 November 2016
They also help us read and there is a big environment that is:you do a quiz and if you get 10/10 you get to to go to shelf 9.9 and you start on 2.0 then you go to upper years.
said on 30 October 2016
Teaching assistants play a vital role in the inclusion and education of our children. Not only are they essential in the classroom, they are also an important part of the wider school. They run clubs outside school hours (many they are not paid for) and have the children's attainment and wellbeing as their number one priority.
said on 28 October 2016
The assistant teachers play a major role in the class. They support the class teacher and help out in group activties and preparation of work, learning journals, etc...
said on 28 October 2016
They are essential for differentiation in class so that learning can be tailored to each child, supporting one group while the teacher supports another and also by taking any interventions. They allow the teacher to be able to circulate round the children and spread their time fairly, rather than spend the majority of their time on children that need more individual attention due to SEN or other difficulties. By doing some of the menial tasks such as marking and preparing times tables and spellings, it frees the teacher up to concentrate more fully on the teaching and learning. I believe that every child in my class would be worse off without the support of a TA.
said on 28 October 2016
Long gone are the days of washing paint pots and wiping noses. My teaching assistant contributes to how I stream my year group for phonics, how I manage copious amounts of support laid out in numerous provision maps, and intervention groups. Not to mention the hours he spends covering my class so that I can carry out additional roles within school and all the other things that I didn't sign up for when I finished my training. These days it's all about personalised learning, and no way could I manage that in my class without my teaching assistant.
said on 28 October 2016
As a T A of 18 years myself, I have proven that I have improved pupil progress and attainment through assessment and results.
said on 28 October 2016
When the teaching assistant is in the Maths and English lessons in the morning and working closely with a group they are well placed to pick up any children that did not get it during the afternoon with the same or a slightly modified (or dialled back) activity to reinforce the learning and prevent gaps from opening up.
said on 28 October 2016
No matter how skilled you are as a teacher you need extra adults to help with reading or to lead activities in primary. As a primary teacher, I have always valued working with teaching assistants. Also completely essential for supporting children with additional needs in primary as it is impossible to provide support and meet needs of rest of class otherwise.
said on 28 October 2016
TAs allows the children to have extra support in and out of the classroom which they would not necessarily receive due to heavy workloads of teachers. they are able to produce 1:1 interventions tailor-made (with the teacher and SENDCo for the individual. This year I do not have a TA and find that I can not spend as much time with each group as I would like to ensure understanding and stretching is being achieved. TAs are also a great support to the teacher, helping to make and prepare resources and displays, as well as emotional support. They are often great role models for the children and often develop fantastic relationships with the children, as children can see them as less threatening and have more time to spend with the children.
Patricia Grace said on 2 February 2017
The issue is the training and most productive ways of employing and deploying TA's. They should nurture and not childmind and they should be knowledgeable in terms of teaching and learning and the curriculum that is being taught. Training that relates to qualifications is dated and irrelevant to what is required in schools. There are arguments to have specialist in specific areas but the key is to remember they are assistants and should not replace but enhance quality first teaching.