More than 7,000 teaching assistants across England could be taking whole classes alone if, as expected, they sign up to a new initiative this year.
The Teacher Training Agency will launch the Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTA) programme at the end of April, following the successful completion of pilot projects by around 300 candidates.
It is not a qualification but a recognition that an individual is working to a set of standards. People who successfully complete the HLTA assessment are sent a letter by the TTA, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education, as proof of their status for employers.
The scheme is a key element in the Government's strategy to reduce teachers' workloads, enabling HLTAs to undertake teaching activities under the direction of a qualified teacher even when the teacher is not present.
Critics fear that some heads could use HLTAs as a cheap option to provide cover for teacher shortages. But Jill Staley, director of the TTA's teacher training strategy, says, 'Teachers and support staff are not interchangeable. Support staff should work under the direction and supervision of a qualified teacher in line with the regulations under section 133 of the Education Act 2002.'
In time, HLTAs could play an increasingly important role in the classroom, according to Alan Marr, senior lecturer in education at London Metropolitan University. He thinks the Government will use its innovation of fast-tracking excellent teachers to transform teachers into managers of learning supported by better-trained teaching assistants.
'I think what we will see is a shift away from training teachers, to training teaching assistants at a higher level. I think there is a strategy for reducing the number of teachers, paying them more and asking them to manage learning. The whole thrust of the national college of school leadership is about leading from the middle.'
While funding has been allocated to train and assess candidates, there is no formal pay structure for HLTAs to reflect their greater responsibilities. The Government views the pay and conditions of support staff as a local issue for education authorities and schools. However, observers believe that HLTA status could lead to a career ladder for support staff.
Jill Staley says funding has been allocated to train more than 7,000 people in 2004-05, 14,000 in 2005-06 and 20,000 in 2006-07. Taken together, this represents around one third of teaching assistant posts currently in schools in England.
'Pay is, I think, the bit that is missing,' says Lin Carter, professional leader TA/LSA for Cambridge Education Associates, which ran one of the 11 pilots. 'But once they get a critical mass they will have the voice to do something about it.'
Peter Townley, head of Foundation Degrees and HLTA training at Edge Hill College of Higher Education, Ormskirk, says, 'There is a lot of negotiating going on in the national joint council for local government services. We can expect in the future that HLTAs will be linked to a grading system for teaching assistants and will be at the highest grade. People who become HLTAs now will be in the best position if a grading system is agreed.'
Patricia Houghton and Alison Gamble, TAs who undertook the three-day HLTA course piloted by Edge Hill, say they did it for recognition.
'The HLTA pilot was an opportunity to demonstrate my ability to work at this level and gain official recognition for the knowledge and understanding I have developed over so many years, and not just from school,' says Alison, who has worked in the reception class at Gawsworth Primary School near Macclesfield for five years.
'It is nice to know you meet the criteria. Working in one school, you do not always have something to compare yourself against.'
Alison compared the 31 standards for HLTAs with a colleague on the qualified teacher programme and found some 'almost identical' to the standards that teachers have to meet to achieve qualified teacher status.
Patricia, of St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, St Helens, is doing a foundation degree. She says, 'I think the HLTA would have been quite difficult without that academic background and if I had not been familiar with techniques of evaluation.'
Alison believes the fact she can 'hang up a label saying I have this status' is good from the point of view of parents and governors.
'Some people will not think it is worthwhile because there is no extra money. But in education you have to take your professional development very seriously.
You have to keep abreast of changes and new initiatives to be able to do your job effectively.
