Teaching assistants play a vital role in classrooms up and down the country. The position is a rewarding and flexible one, but also a fantastic way to gain classroom experience before going into teacher training.
“I am self-aware” Your development as a teacher depends on your ability to reflect on your. Assessment of Teaching Assistant Skills (ATAS) Assessment of Teaching Assistant Skills (ATAS) (095) table outlining test information; Format: Computer-based test (CBT).
TAs will largely find themselves either working with the whole class, working with small groups or working with individual pupils, however the most common set up is that the TA works with small groups of children.
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- More information for teaching assistants
Teaching assistant contracts
TA employment conditions are either set by the local authority or by the school in accordance with LA guidance and there are a variety of types of contract used:
- Permanent all year
- Temporary all year
- Permanent term time
- Temporary term time
- Casual
According to Unison research, amongst local authorities the vast majority of TAs are on term-time or casual contracts. However, there is a considerable variety in the types of contracts used, with individual schools often employing TAs on at least two different kinds of contract. Casual contracts are most likely to apply to TAs taken on to work with a specific child.
Teaching assistant pay
Teaching assistants are usually paid on the support staff pay scale that begins at £17,364. The full payscale is available here.
Working out what TAs actually get paid can be complicated though as variations in hours and term-time working usually mean that actual pay is less than what a full-time, full-year worker gets on the relevant scale point. According to Unison, the average annual salary for a TA is £12,081.
Term-time working can mean TAs are paid on the basis of a 38- or 39-hour working year plus four or five weeks' holiday. However, there are plenty of variations on this and a term time year can mean anything from 43 to 49.5 weeks, including paid leave.
Holiday allowances for teaching assistants
If you’re on a permanent full-time contract then you’ll get school holidays as paid leave. However, most TAs are on term-time-only contracts, which means you don’t get paid for school holidays but should get four or five weeks holiday a year. Annual leave entitlement can sometimes go up according to your years of service.
Sick pay and pensions
Teaching Assistants should be eligible to join the local authority sick pay and pension scheme.
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Union membership for teaching assistants
It’s not compulsory for teaching assistants to join a union but it is advisable. You can join one of the local government unions – Unison, GMB or Unite. You can also join the teaching union National Education Union as a support staff member.
For more advice from other TAs on which union to join read this conversation on the Tes teaching assistant forum.
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I purchased the upgrade in the free version, but it still says 'Free'
Apple does not allow developers to alter the icon, so it will still look like the free version after you upgrade. But you will get to do all the great things only pro users can do (like unlimited students and actions). To double check, go to the app settings, upgrade. If it says 'Purchased', you are all set. If you know you paid, try tapping 'Restore'. You must be logged into the same iTunes account which purchased the upgrade for this to work.
I watched the import video, now I am trying to import, but I am getting an error…
Try opening your CSV import file in excel or numbers to be certain that your data is in twelve columns; the column order must be left alone. You can not use different headers. If asked, save as “comma delimited” format. Be sure you “Save As” or “Export” as a CSV file, NOT xls or xlsx. Please ONLY USE A DESKTOP OR LAPTOP to edit the csv files. iPhone and iPad apps do not do this correctly.
I watched the import video, but nothing happens when I try to import…
Be sure you are running the latest version of Teacher’s Assistant. Open the “app store” app on your device and tap “update”.
I watched the import video, but the import button is grayed out and I can’t import…
There is a good chance you have a comma in your data somewhere. Maybe you have two email addresses one cell (you cannot have multiple email addresses yet). So double check your cells in excel or numbers for extra commas and try exporting again. Also try changing the file name.
Can I sync my student data between multiple devices?
Syncing between multiple devices is not yet supported (coming soon). I am working on an all new app which will use a secure cloud service to sync data. You can always exchange data by going to “settings”, “export” and “send via email” if you just want to send your data to another device. Using this method, the data will not “merge”, it will replace your existing data.
Can I add more fields?
Yes. This ability is located in the app settings “Customize Action Fields”.
Can I put in student grades, attendance, birthdays, seating charts, etc.?
Yes. Put these items at your convenience under settings, then “Student Details”.