FAQs about the 'Whole class' standard

 

What is meant by ‘whole class’?

 

The term ‘whole class’ is not defined by an absolute or precise number of pupils.

  • What defines whole-class activities is the Teaching Assistant’s (TA) role in introducing, managing and completing a topic or task, and the degree and complexity of the organisation and management of learning and behaviour within relatively large groups of pupils or students with diverse needs.
  • The size of a whole class is determined by the context in which a teaching assistant works; for example, class sizes in special schools and sixth form settings may be very different from those in primary and secondary settings.
  • Where a candidate’s usual work is with just one child, as is often the case in a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU), there will be an expectation that the candidate has found a placement in another setting to be able to demonstrate transferability of skills to larger groups.
  • Candidates will need to demonstrate that they have met this standard at some point in the assessment process, usually in Task 3 and always verified during assessors visit to the school.

 

What is meant by ‘the assigned teacher not present’?

  • The standard expects that candidates will work successfully without any intervention other than that available under the school’s arrangements for dealing with exceptional events (e.g. under the behaviour management policy) or emergencies.
  • TAs must therefore show that after planning the lesson, under the supervision of the teacher, or receiving clear instructions from the teacher, they are able to take responsibility for the whole class without any teacher present, including the headteacher, supply teacher or other members of the teaching staff.
  • There may be another teaching assistant present and in fact this could support the candidate in meeting Standard 3.3.6.

 

For how long and how often should this opportunity have occurred?

  • There is no minimum or a maximum length of time for a whole class activity.
  • Sometimes it may occupy the full lesson time; sometimes it may take half that time as the TA and teacher work in tandem.
  • Managing whole classes may have occurred regularly or rarely. Where it occurs only exceptionally, candidates may still meet the standard, provided that the class teacher is able to verify that the TA has demonstrated sufficient competence in leading whole class activities for them to be confident of the TA’s ability to manage pupils’ learning when no teacher is present.
  • TAs will need to have had whole class management experience more than once in order to meet this standard.

 

Why are teaching assistants able to do this?
 

Extract from the Workforce Agreement Monitoring Group (WAMG): Note 12 June 2005

“One of the 31 broad-ranging professional standards requires HLTAs to demonstrate that they are able to advance pupils’ learning in a range of classroom settings including working with whole classes. This provides schools with opportunities to ensure teaching and learning continues when, for example, teachers are undertaking planning, preparation and assessment (PPA).

When schools timetable other staff to enable teachers to access their entitlement to PPA time, these staff will be undertaking ‘specified work’ for the purposes of the regulations made under S133 of the Education Act 2002. This work is distinct from cover supervision work where there is no active teaching taking place, but pupils continue their learning by carrying out a pre-prepared exercise under supervision. It is important that schools appreciate the distinction between these two areas of support staff deployment:

  • The need for cover arises when a teacher is absent from a lesson they are timetabled to teach.
  • PPA time is time during which a teacher is not timetabled to teach. Schools are therefore required to put additional staffing into their timetables in order to ensure that delivery of the curriculum is maintained.

Headteachers are required by the regulations to ensure that any support staff undertaking specified work have the necessary skills, expertise and experience to fulfil their roles, and that they do so under a system of direction and supervision from a teacher. Where more demanding aspects of specified work are carried out, including work with whole classes, the guidance to the S133 regulations strongly recommends that headteachers use the HLTA standards to assess the levels of skills and experience required.”

What if this is not already part of a teaching assistant’s role?

All TAs seeking to achieve HLTA status must be able to demonstrate that they meet all 31 HLTA standards including 3.3.5c. Therefore, it is essential that opportunities for taking responsibility for whole classes have occurred before the Preparation for Assessment takes place.

Where this is a new experience for a TA the following suggests how they can build up to meeting this Standard:

  • The school can provide opportunities for the TA to observe a variety of teachers at work with whole classes, paying particular attention to teachers’ planning, delivery styles, techniques for gaining and maintaining the attention of pupils, monitoring participation and progress, behaviour management strategies, etc. Following these observations, Headteachers should provide time for the teaching assistant to discuss what they have seen and ask questions.
  • With the teacher present, in the room and following a planning discussion, the school could provide opportunities for the teaching assistant to take the lead in introducing, managing, or completing a task. This initially may be for short periods but building up to longer periods of time. Again, time should be set aside to provide feedback and suggest developments.
  • On occasions where the teaching assistant is taking the lead and as confidence grows, the teacher may feel it appropriate to leave the room so that the responsibility for the class is left solely with the TA.
  • At the point where a TA feels confident in leading the whole class and the teacher is satisfied that they are competent in doing so without a teacher present, opportunities to do this should be provided. This should always follow planning under the supervision of the teacher, or receiving clear instructions from the teacher.