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The world of the primary school
The world of the primary school

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4.1 Focusing on practice

Described image
Figure 6 Caroline Higham

Caroline Higham is relatively new to the role of full-time teaching assistant. She has two children who were educated at the school where she is employed. Caroline would eventually like to be a qualified teacher; she is studying to complete a relevant degree on a part-time basis.

Over the few years that Caroline has been at the school, she has seen her working hours increased and the nature of her responsibilities expanded. She now has considerable responsibility for organising and maintaining the school’s reading programme, and she works closely with the headteacher, who is responsible for this area of the curriculum. Caroline is involved in the refitting of the school’s library and the purchase of new library books. She enjoys her associated responsibility for children’s progress and attainment. She keeps records of the individual children she supports, and she updates these at the end of each school day and shares them with staff.

Caroline has gained many insights into the children’s learning and the barriers to learning that they might experience. Parents often ask her for advice, so she has to judge when to pass their requests to teaching staff. In her own area in the school, where she sometimes works with individuals or small groups of children, the atmosphere is welcoming and there are stimulating displays on the walls.

Activity 5 Providing support

Timing: Allow about 50 minutes

Read, ‘Support in a mathematics lesson’ by Jennifer Colloby (2013) [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .

When you have read the extract, look at these recommendations put forward by Jonathan Sharples et al. (2014, p. 4):

  • use teaching assistants to add value to what teachers do, not replace them
  • use teaching assistants to help pupils develop independent learning skills and manage their own learning
  • ensure that teaching assistants are fully prepared for their role in the classroom.

To what extent do you think each of these features is evident in Caroline’s work as described in the reading? Note down your thoughts in the box below.

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Discussion

We feel that the reading includes many examples of the first two recommendations, and that these are particularly evident in the way that Caroline acts unobtrusively to mediate between the children and what they are required to do in the lesson. In respect of the third point, we note that unlike many teaching assistants, Caroline is employed on a full-time basis, which enables her to engage in productive planning ahead of the lesson.