Working as an HLTA

Aldbury CE Primary School

School No: 925

Rose McNeill

After a total of nine years in the same school, the combination of the drive, determination and skills of the teaching assistant and the support and belief of the head and the class teacher has meant the school now has an invaluable member of staff who contributes in many different ways.

Background

Rose trained as a bi-lingual secretary but worked in sales administration before having her children. She started work in the school as one of only two TAs (today there are seven), moving around all the classes and helping with administration tasks. After supporting a child with Asperger’s Syndrome she became full-time, concentrating on Key Stage 1. 

Completing the Certificate for Literacy and Numeracy Assistants (CLANSA) had a “big impact” on Rose’s confidence, knowledge and skills, and was a contributing factor to Rose being able to take the short “Assessment Only Route” to HLTA status.

Key to the success of Rose’s development is that she took on her new role gradually, rather than all at once. She started by covering classes` for short periods of time, taking over teachers’ plans. She then started working in Design Technology before being asked to deliver PSHE, which has a highly structured scheme of work, in PPA time. Rose’s approach to ICT illustrates her pro-active approach to her own development: “I developed my skills by attending staff meetings, sticking my nose in and trying things out.”

How it Works in Practice

When supporting a teacher in the classroom at the beginning of the day Rose quietly and unobtrusively collected in homework. She was firm with a pupil who was off-task and periodically scanned the classroom to identify pupils who needed support. Class teacher and teaching assistant clearly worked together and communicated well meaning that pupils gained maximum impact from their team work.

The teacher made good use of Rose’s skills by splitting the mixed year class for Numeracy, with Rose taking Year 3. Rose planned and prepared the lesson, working to an overall structure provided by the teacher. Resources were ready for pupils when they entered the room and she settled them quickly by reminding them that class rules apply even when they are in another room. Rose started the lesson with a recap of previous work, and there was a clear progression to new work, with careful use of key words. The ability to use a wide variety of unobtrusive strategies to encourage positive behaviour was an impressive feature of Rose’s work, many of which she developed by observing teachers in the school.

Many of the same qualities were exhibited in an Early Literacy Strategy session with 12 Year 1 pupils. Again the lesson was very well structured with good pace. Instructions were given clearly, and gentle but firm reminders about expected behaviour kept everyone on task. A feature of Rose’s work is the evident mutual respect between her and the pupils, and her calm and professional manner.

The Last Word

“I wasn’t sure about HLTA to begin with, as I was already doing a lot and wasn’t sure about what it would add. Then I thought if I’m already meeting the standards I might as well get the status. I am very proud of my HLTA status – it helps me as Team Leader. It gives me confidence and helps me feel ‘I can do this and I can do it well’ “.