Teaching Assistants
Work under the guidance of teachers and other education professionals to improve learning and wellbeing outcomes for students. Employed in primary and secondary schools, as well as in schools for specific purposes and other education settings, to facilitate student learning and engagement.
A day on the playground and in the classroom
You are a teaching assistant in a primary school, supporting a Year 4 class and sharing playground duty at lunch. It is 12:40pm. You are on playground duty with another assistant. The bell is due in ten minutes. A group of girls call you over to the edge of the oval.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
Miss, they won't let me play. Every time I ask they say there's no room, but there's loads of room. They always do this. Can you tell them to let me play? Please? I've got no one to play with.
Walk over, tell the group to let Nell play, and wait to make sure they do
The girls let her join while you are watching and drift away when you leave. Nell is back at the fence by recess. An order fixed the minute, but not the pattern.
Ask Nell what she would like to play, then suggest a game to start
Nell picks a ball game and a boy nearby joins in. Within minutes there are five of them playing. You let the teacher know about the pattern so she can follow it up.
Tell Nell that kids sort these things out themselves and she should try asking again
Nell goes back and is turned away a second time, then spends lunch alone. Letting children sort it out is fine when they can. She had already tried, and needed an adult to help.
I need to step out for ten minutes for an urgent call about a parent. Can you take the class for the start of the lesson? Just keep them on the worksheet. Nobody else is free. Thanks, I'll be quick.
Agree to keep the class on the worksheet and tell him you will ring the office if anything arises
The class gets on with the worksheet and Mr Hassan returns on time. Nothing needed the office. You covered what you were asked to, and stayed within your role.
Agree and teach the new topic from the front, since the class is waiting and you know the content
You do your best, but the topic is not what the teacher planned. When he returns, some children are confused and the lesson is behind. Taking over the teaching goes beyond your role.
Say no because you are not allowed to supervise the class on your own
You are probably right about the rule, but the class is left waiting while Mr Hassan finds someone else. A better answer might have been to say yes for a short, clear time while he sorted cover.
Can I tell you something? I'm not meant to say, but my mum and dad were shouting a lot last night and I didn't sleep. I don't want you to tell anyone. You're my favourite. Promise you won't tell?
Promise to keep it secret so she feels safe, and just give her extra kindness
Priya feels safe for a day, but you have made a promise you cannot keep. The school expects you to pass worries on. Breaking it later damages her trust more.
Change the subject gently and hope she feels better after lunch
Priya perks up, but nothing is passed on. She wonders whether adults really listen. You were gentle, and the school was never given the chance to help.
Tell her you are glad she told you, but you cannot keep it secret
Priya is quiet, then nods. You tell the teacher and the wellbeing staff that day, as the school's procedure says. Priya knew what was going to happen, and she was not surprised.
How it went
By the end of the day Nell had a game, Mr Hassan's class had been steady, and the right people knew about Priya. Teaching assistants are close to children every hour, and the work asks for kindness, good judgement and a clear sense of what is yours to handle. Would you like that closeness?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The loudest corner of the reading group
A fictional case set in a busy primary school, moving between the classroom, the reading corner and the playground.
The situation
Tamsin was a teaching assistant who ran a small reading group for six Year 2 students three mornings a week. One of them, a boy named Rafi, was disruptive. He interrupted, made noises and drew the group off task. The teacher had suggested removing him from the group for a few weeks, but Rafi's reading had not improved and Tamsin suspected he could not read the text at all.
What they did
Tamsin talked to the class teacher and asked if she could try a simpler book with Rafi on his own for a short time, to see what happened. She sat with him for ten minutes and found he could not recognise many of the words. She shared this with the teacher, who arranged an extra assessment. In the meantime Tamsin gave Rafi a role in the group as the one who held the pointer, and a book he could manage.
How it turned out
Rafi's disruptions dropped as soon as he was given something he could do. The assessment found he needed more specific help with reading, and the teacher arranged a program. Tamsin said it took months to see real progress and that Rafi still had bad days.
What would you do?
- What do you think Rafi's noises were really telling Tamsin?
- Why might it be better to find the cause than to remove a child from the group?
- How would you raise your concern with a teacher who has already made a plan?