Action Research Seeking to improve the services of Professional Development on offer to Teaching Ass

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Action Research Seeking to improve the services
of Professional Development on offer to
Teaching Assistants

• Ideas for Today and Tomorrow

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Vision Statement

• The Children Families and Learning Department
  acknowledge that Professional Development for
  Teaching Assistants is an imperative part of
  their role. We aim to meet the needs of both the
  Teaching Assistant and School

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Research Questions

• Teaching Assistants in schools what is the state
  of play?
• What are the expectations on Professional
  Development of Head Teachers and Teaching
  Assistants
• Am I meeting the needs of the school and TA with
  regards to Professional Development (me being the
  person responsible within the LA)?

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Todays Situation

• Moral low Teaching Assistants are feeling
  undervalued due to the implementation of Job
  Evaluation
• Roles and responsibilities changing due to
  government initiative Restructuring of the School
  Workforce

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Teaching Assistants Feelings

• Would like the pay structure to reflect the
  training and qualifications, disgusted with the
  wage structure at present.
• Teaching Assistants are disgusted with pay
  structure being implemented across the local
  authority and nationally.
• This is having a huge impact on our self
  worth.
• Why bother with training when wage cuts are
  going to be made.

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What are the expectations on Professional
Development of Head Teachers?

• Heads are very much in favour of skilling up the
  workforce.
• Training needs to meet the needs of the school
  and the TA.
• Due to the school restructuring Heads are
  addressing the issue of CPD and career
  progression.

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What are the expectations on Professional
Development of Head Teachers?

• TAs come back inspired to make a difference to
  what their job is in school and that they feel
  satisfied, I dont want them to feel that the
  training was a waist of time and money.

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What are the expectations on Professional
Development of Teaching Assistants?

• Teaching Assistants are very keen to attend
  training and want to see a career structure take
  shape to allow them to develop professionally but
  they do feel that through external constraints
  i.e. job evaluation, their professionalism hasnt
  been valued

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Am I meeting the needs of schools and TAs with
regards to Professional Development, (Through the
LAs CPD programme for TAs that I distribute
annually)?

• I am meeting some needs of Primary and Secondary
  schools but there is room for improvement. Due to
  restructuring, this now needs to be reviewed.
• Not necessarily meeting the needs of the Special
  Schools. They do have very specific needs. But
  Middlesbrough have offered some good things in
  the past.

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(Head Teachers Comment)

• At the moment it is appropriate for the needs of
  the school. We welcome the opportunity to
  organise training suited to our personal needs
  rather then the generic needs of TAs.

(TAs Comment)
Due to changes in staffing structure roles and
responsibilities are changing, training around
foundation subject would be most welcome this
would support the PPA cover and my role as HLTA.
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The Way Forward

• Work with schools to help identify training needs
• Work with Head Teachers on issues such as release
  time for Professional Development
• To take into consideration school development
  plans and match this with the development of the
  CPD Programme.
• To develop and provide appropriate training to
  meet the needs of the school and Teaching
  Assistant
• Take into consideration the new roles such as PPA
  and HLTA

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ACTIONS

• Develop and implement a Diagnostic Needs Analysis
  Tool
• Arrange some agenda time on Head Teacher cluster
  meetings
• Work on a one-one basis if needed with individual
  heads
• Keep training providers in the picture of the new
  structuring in schools

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Work in Partnership

• Be Valued

Make a Difference
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Action Research

• www.mbro-ta.co.uk