Teaching Assistant Review

On a day-to-day basis I will support students in lessons with their work, help them to complete work with prompting and take directives from the subject lead. I also play a big role in managing behaviour of students and supporting them emotionally when necessary due to the nature of my school being SEN. I am a co-tutor to my year group so I create meaningful activities for them to complete and create displays for our room to showcase the work done in tutor time. I also work closely with the english teacher/co-tutor in my school to create displays for English lessons. I work one to one with a couple of students to help them catch up with work they have missed or give them time out walks to help them calm down if agitated or anxious.

I have learnt a lot of new skills as this is my first job working in the education sector. I am able to read the students and use my initiative when helping them inside and outside of lessons. I have learnt a lot about helping students with social, emotional and mental health difficulties and how to help students to calm down and get back to lessons when feeling overwhelmed. I have also learnt about working in a professional environment and how best to conduct myself and support my colleagues. I have had specialised safeguarding training from our DSL and in the future, I will be put on a mental health first aid course.

I really enjoy my job, it is an amazing experience and opportunity that I would reccomend to anyone. My team are all so lovely and supportive and I have already learnt so much from them, with everyone there wanting the best outcomes. This programme exceeds my expectations, I love that I am working in an SEN school with only 15 students as it really gives the experience a personal touch and I am able to build good relationships with all of the students and I really feel that I am making an impact in the school.

My programme is very well organised, with frequent contact from all of the staff at LMP as well as my assessor. LMP make everything they send through clear to understand and are always quick to respond to any queries I may have. All of the work I am set comes with sessions delivered to me by my assessor who I check in with via zoom every month and there is always help available to me if necessary. They also help me, as a student, to organise myself and my work which is very helpful.

I recieve a lot of support from LMP, they are always contacting me frequently and respond to emails and queries very quickly. Throughout the whole recruitment process up to now being 3 months into the course, there has been amazing communication between myself and LMP. All of the resources that they provide are very useful, for example they offer many webinars with professionals to better our knowledge. I feel very supported by LMP, [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyApprenticeship Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions] is so lovely and is always there for me when I need her along with all of the other people I have encountered in my time at LMP so far.

My training provider has very good communication and is always available if I have any queries. My assessor, is always able to answer any queries I have and it never feels a bother to ask him something. He checks in with me often to ensure I am understanding the work being set to me and if I don't understand something or need reassurance then he will always go over things with me again. I am enjoying the content being delivered to me so far.

I think that my qualification helps me to perform better in my role as it teaches me the context behind my practical job. I have learnt a lot about child safety that I wouldn't know otherwise if I was just working in the school without working towards my qualification. It also helps me to understand things that my colleagues talk about in reference to students as I am able to recognise bits of legislation now since studying them through my training provider.

We have quite a few extra-curriculars within my work. There is a programme called Theatre Troupe within the local theatre that I take the students to every week which is therapeutic for them and has lots of opportunities for staff to also get involved and support the students. We also run a girls footbal club every saturday to encourage more girls to get into football and encourages team building for the students. We also run fun days for the girls, like cultural day where they could all celebrate their cultures and also foodbank day where the students came together to support a good cause.

Yes

I would definitely recommend ATA to a friend as they are always very supportive to me and my work, inside and outside the classroom. They make all of the information that I need clear and accessible and I always feel happy to communicate with all of the people at ATA and LMP as they make themselves very approachable. They also support you after your course and offer you opportunity to move forward and develop your career.

I think that if you want to work for ATA then you need to show your best qualities that will suit the job you want to go into. Even though I had no experience in the education field, they could see that this was my passion and that I had transferable skills to help me progress and by showing enthusiasm and good work ethic it pushes you forward and makes a good impression. I also think that you need to make sure you are honest in your interview about what you want from the experience and do your research on the position you are going for.