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Background
Dorothy gained Higher Level Teacher Assistant (HLTA) status in September 2007. She had been a teacher of biology in India for nine years before coming to the United Kingdom (UK), where her teaching qualifications were not recognised. However, she wanted to continue to work in schools and volunteered to help out in a local primary school to gain some experience of the English education system. After three months she successfully applied for a post of teaching assistant (TA) in a primary school, where she provided classroom support to Year 6 pupils and after four terms moved to her present secondary school as a specialist science TA.
Dorothy was able to observe the teachers delivering the National Curriculum in science using various strategies. This, coupled with background reading, helped her to become more confident and secure in her own role and the head of the Learning Support Faculty suggested that she should become a HLTA in the science department.
Key aspects of role in which candidate is currently deployed
Now, as an HLTA, Dorothy is deployed in a variety of ways within the science faculty. She leads whole class learning when teachers have planned absence, provides one-to-one support for EAL students and works with different groups identified by the science faculty.
When she leads whole classes, she meets with the teacher concerned who gives her the topic that the class need to be taught and from here she plans the lesson and selects the activities for the class. She shares her plans with the teacher to ensure that the planned lesson is suitable.
Dorothy also provides classroom support and enjoys team teaching experiences with the class teacher. In this context she will demonstrate experiments whilst the teacher delivers the theory side of the lesson. Because of her biology background she is able to carry out dissections on hearts and lungs, which the students find fascinating and provides a tremendous visual input to the lessons.
Dorothy's mentor, Zea Wilkin, says that having Dorothy in the classroom provides an opportunity for her to split the class and do practical sessions in the laboratory with half of the class, whilst the other half do theory. "This is great as it means that the whole class can carry out practical experiments. If you were on your own, this would not always be possible. You could say we team teach."
At the moment Dorothy is supporting a General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) group of motivated, lower attaining students. Dorothy works through GCSE topics with the students after school and uses examination questions to help them gain knowledge and confidence in areas where they will benefit most. She also assists in planning and conducting Key Stage 3 (KS3) 'booster' lessons with the KS3 co-ordinator in the science department and selects appropriate activities and resources for the students using specific source materials provided for booster classes, in addition to resources found through research on the internet and ideas gained from in-service training. When she finds good materials that are effective, she shares these with the other teachers in the department.
Dorothy is recognised and paid as an HLTA for all the work that she does. She feels that even though her teaching background is not recognised in the U.K., she is "very satisfied" in her HLTA role.
Benefits to school of developing an HLTA
Dorothy feels that when schools use HLTAs in a flexible way, it benefits the teachers. In carrying out vital planning, preparation and assessment tasks, this frees the teaching staff up and allows them to concentrate on other more strategic work, such as the monitoring of students progress and targeting student groups.
Dorothy's Head of Science, Andy Pugh says, "An HLTA in a class allows more students access to individual specialised help. The teacher is able to spend more time with individual students confident in the fact that their learning needs are being met by a suitably trained and qualified individual."
Key impacts of HLTA on school performance
The roles that Dorothy carries out ensure that students can have a more personalised and targeted service in the subject area. This in turn helps to ensure that students are better equipped to do well in examination and testing situations by improving both their subject knowledge and confidence.
Zea says that the students have a real respect for Dorothy's expertise. The students in the booster classes really feel special having the extra time with Dorothy. "They often come up to me and thank me for organising the sessions and just the other day when I asked one of the students if he had found the session helpful, he replied, 'It was great!'
Benefits to department of developing an HLTA
In having an HLTA attached to the department the organisation of students can be more flexible. Dorothy feels that she is 'a bridge' between some students and the teachers and they are willing and able to come to her for support as well as going to the teachers. The students see her as a full member of the science department and recognise her subject expertise.
Zea explains that Dorothy also writes schemes of work herself and produces worksheets for the students that are relevant to a particular topic. She shares these resources with the other TAs working in the department and the department have begun to consider drawing on Dorothy's subject knowledge and skills to train other TAs.
Key selling point to other schools
Dorothy says that when specialist HLTAs are linked to subject faculties they can provide continuity to student learning, when a teacher is absent and she feels that this is invaluable. The HLTA knows the subject and students well and this is a strong position to be in.
This is echoed by her mentor who said, "Dorothy occasionally takes whole classes if a member of the department has to leave the class room unexpectedly. She is more than capable of leading the learning with the class until the member of staff comes back to the classroom. The students don't see her as a TA, but as another teacher in the science department. Andy, the Head of Science, explains that "with the facility to remove small groups of students on a regular basis, HLTAs are able to enhance the progression made by all students. Their specialist knowledge of the subject is fundamental in providing effective intervention of this sort either within the classroom with the whole class or by working with intervention and booster groups in another room."
Key selling point to other candidates
Dorothy sees the HLTA role as a challenging one, but a challenge that gives job satisfaction. It helps the TA to feel even more involved in the school and in the department. As someone who values career progression, she feels that the HLTA role provides a vital step in the teaching support staff development programme and is active in her own school in encouraging other TAs to undertake HLTA training and preparation.
Training and development undertaken
Dorothy's own teaching background has clearly helped her to undertake her HLTA role and provide effective support to students. However, as a person who believes in continuous professional development she has taken opportunities to build on her skills and knowledge. A lot of this has come from working alongside science teachers and observing their teaching strategies with students, which she then uses with her own classes, groups and individuals. She has attended courses laid on by her local authority in behaviour management and has joined other science HLTAs in subject enhancement training, following the attainment of the HLTA status.
Any other comments
Dorothy says that it has been a long journey for her to get to where she is today, but a journey that has been worthwhile and continues to provide her with satisfaction and challenge. She also emphasises that this was possible only because of a very supportive mentor, science staff and an encouraging Head of Learning Support. Zea adds that Dorothy has a real passion for the subject and she is a very capable pair of extra hands. "It's a win - win situation".