Everything you need to know about Teaching Assistants

Teaching Assistants (TAs) play a vital role in schools, providing support and assistance to teachers and students alike and contributing to a positive learning environment that enables students to achieve their maximum potential. As well as full class support, TAS often work with smaller intervention groups or work on a 1 to 1 basis supporting individual pupils with additional needs.  

Read on to find out why Teaching Assistants are so important to the education system, teachers and pupils as well as finding out what the key responsibilities of a Teaching Assistant are and how to become a Teaching Assistant.

Why are Teaching Assistants so Important to Teachers, Students and the education system as a whole?

Teaching Assistants provide invaluable support to teachers, ensuring a positive, learning environment that enables students to achieve their full potential. The Teaching Assistant role is multi-layered and varied and they provide help and support to teachers in various ways.

Assisting Teachers with classroom management is a key element to a teaching assistant role. Supporting Class teachers through maintaining a safe, positive and inspiring learning environment, allows teachers to focus on delivering their lessons effectively. Teaching Assistants can also be available to help support students who may need additional assistance during specific lessons.

Another notable way in which teaching assistants support teachers, is by providing one-to-one support to pupils who need it. This might involve working with pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) or disabilities, providing additional support and guidance to help them to achieve their full potential.

Teaching Assistants also help teachers by preparing teaching resources and materials. They help create worksheets, display boards and other materials that can be used in the classroom. They also organise and store classroom equipment, ensuring that everything is in place and ready to use when needed.

Critically, as well as supporting the educational needs of the children, Teaching Assistants also support children’s social and emotional needs and help foster positive relationships with pupils, building trust and helping them to feel supported and valued.

What Are The Key Responsibilities of A Teaching Assistant?

Every day is different when you are a Teaching Assistant however working as a Teaching Assistant, you may be expected to:

• Ensure pupils are engaged and are staying on task during lessons or activities
• Support the social, emotional and educational needs of the children
• Support the class teacher with lessons, activities and classroom behaviour
• Deliver tailored learning activities/interventions to small groups or on a one to one basis
• Lunch and breaktime duties
• Provide care for upset or injured children
• Clean up after lessons
• Assist the teacher with educational visits and sporting events
• Manage challenging behaviour
• Ensure the safety of children

How do you become a Teaching Assistant?

There are several ways to become a Teaching Assistant:

Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship

You can train to be a Teaching Assistant by completing a Level 2 or Level 3 apprenticeship. This route allows you to work in a school and to earn a salary whilst completing your studies. Usually, you earn the National Living Wage for Apprenticeships whilst undertaking your apprenticship. 

Go to college

Most colleges offer a variety of recognised Teaching Assistant Courses. Most courses take 12 months to complete and are a mix of classroom based learning and placements within schools, giving students invaluable school experience.

Apply direct

Some schools don’t require specific Teaching Assistant qualifications and will provide on the job training.

What recognised Teaching Assistant Courses are Available?

There are various Level 2 and 3 Teaching Assistant courses available, covering a variety of specialisms including SEN, Early Years, Primary and Secondary Education. For Teaching Assistants who wish to further their career, they can go on to do their Level 4, Higher Level Teach Assistant Diploma which allows them to work as a Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA).

What experience or qualifications do you need to work as a Teaching Assistant for Flourish Education?

It depends, usually we require a minimum qualification of Level 3 and 6 months previous school experience to work for Flourish Education however we recognise that some people may have several years of teaching assistant experience but no formal qualifications, in which case you would still be able to work for us. If you are a passionate, dedicated and experienced Teaching Assistant; we will always have work for you.

You will also be required to hold a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and have completed Safeguarding Level 1, FGM and Prevent Training, which we offer free of charge.

What Teaching Assistant Roles do Flourish Education Recruit for?

We recruit for Teaching Assistants, 121 Tas, SEN TAS and Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs).

Depending on your circumstances and the type of work you are after, we can offer you flexible day to day teaching assistant work which allows you to fit your work around your other commitments, or longer term Teaching Assistant roles as well as temporary to permanent roles which allows you to work with a school before committing to a permanent role with the school.  

We are currently recruiting for Teaching Assistants and Higher Level Teaching Assistants to join our team in Birmingham, The Black Country and the Wider West Midlands region including Walsall, Telford, Tamworth, Cannock, Worcester, Hereford, Gloucester, Bromsgrove and Coventry.

Interested? Click on one of the buttons below to get in touch with our friendly team today.