These are some of the things you may or may not be asked to do. Thisx is a long and indepth list and some support staff will not do a quarter of the things listed below. It is all dependant on the role you play in your school. Most jobs also come with the little words at the bottom of your job description - and any other duties!!

Support for the pupil

For all pupils with whom the Teaching Assistant comes into contact. Many Teaching Assistants are employed with specific responsibilities to work with individual pupils with special educational needs. Others are given more general classroom responsibilities. However even those who work mainly with one child will come into regular and close contact with other pupils; indeed, it is central to the whole principle of inclusion that a pupil who has physical or learning difficulties should be helped to work in the company of other pupils, and often in tandem with them.



•Attend to the pupils’ personal needs, and implement related personal programmes, including social, health, physical, hygiene, first aid and welfare matters
•Supervise and support pupils ensuring their safety and access to learning
•Establish good relationships with pupils, acting as a role model and being aware of and responding appropriately to individual needs
•Promote the inclusion and acceptance of all pupils
•Encourage pupils to interact with others and engage in activities led by the teacher
•Encourage pupils to act independently as appropriate
•Assist with the development and implementation of Individual Education/Behaviour Plans and Personal Care programmes
•Set challenging and demanding expectations and promote self-esteem and independence
•Provide feedback to pupils in relation to progress and achievement under guidance of the teacherUse specialist (curricular/learning) skills/training/experience to support pupils
•Support pupils consistently whilst recognising and responding to their individual needs
•Promote independence and employ strategies to recognise and reward achievement of self-reliance
•Assess the needs of pupils and use detailed knowledge and specialist skills to support pupils’ learning
•Develop and implement IEPs
•Receive and supervise pupils excluded from, or otherwise not working to, a normal timetable
•Participate in comprehensive assessment of pupils to determine those in need of particular help
•Support provision for pupils with special needs
•Develop 1:1 mentoring arrangements with pupils and provide support for distressed pupils
•Promote the speedy/effective transfer of pupils across phases/integration of those who have been absent
•Provide information and advice to enable pupils to make choices about their own learning/behaviour/attendance
•Challenge and motivate pupils, promote and reinforce self-esteem
•Using equipment as required maintaining pupils’ needs and supporting their participation in learning tasks and activities.
•Assisting in ensuring that the length of time spent on tasks and activities is consistent with the individual pupil’s needs.
•Assisting pupils to carry out schemes of work and programmes set by teaching staff.
•Working with pupils on individual targets set by a member of the teaching staff.

Support for the Teacher.

Involves Teaching Assistants performing a number of routine tasks, such as escorting groups of young pupils to work areas outside the classroom. However, as experience of the implementation of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies has shown, it is now common and desirable for teachers also to allocate Teaching Assistants tasks that were once done by the teacher. Teaching Assistants are, for example, sometimes engaged in important aspects of assessing pupils Literacy and Numeracy performance, and in supporting group work assigned by the class teacher. In this a number of Teaching Assistants are following the lead of Nursery Nurses who have for some time brought their understanding of child development to bear on work in observation and assessment.
The development of the Literacy and Numeracy Strategies has seen a significant growth in involvement in these areas of the curriculum by Teaching Assistants in primary schools. Teaching Assistants are often required to work across other parts of the curriculum, and supporting teaching in subjects such as physical education and information and communications technology (ICT).

•Prepare classroom as directed for lessons and clear afterwards and assist with the display of pupils work
•Be aware of pupil problems/progress/achievements and report to the teacher as agreed
•Undertake pupil record keeping as requested
•Support the teacher in managing pupil behaviour, reporting difficulties as appropriate
•Gather/report information from/to parents/carers as directed
•Provide clerical/admin. Support e.g. photocopying, typing, filing, collecting money etc.
•Create and maintain a purposeful, orderly and supportive environment, in accordance with lesson plans and assist with the display of pupils’ work
•Use strategies, in liaison with the teacher, to support pupils to achieve learning goals
•Assist with the planning of learning activities
•Monitor pupils’ responses to learning activities and accurately record achievement/progress as directed
•Provide detailed and regular feedback to teachers on pupils achievement, progress, problems etc.
•Promote good pupil behaviour, dealing promptly with conflict and incidents in line with established policy and encourage pupils to take responsibility for their own behaviour
•Establish constructive relationships with parents/carers.
•Work with the teacher in lesson planning, evaluating and adjusting lessons/work plans as appropriate
•Monitor and evaluate pupils’ responses to learning activities through observation and planned recording of achievement against pre-determined learning objectives
•Provide objective and accurate feedback and reports as required, to the teacher on pupil achievement, progress and other matters, ensuring the availability of appropriate evidence
•Be responsible for keeping and updating records as agreed with the teacher, contributing to reviews of systems/records as requested
•Promote positive values, attitudes and good pupil behaviour, dealing promptly with conflict and incidents in line with established policy and encourage pupils to take responsibility for their own behaviour
•Work within an established discipline policy to anticipate and manage behaviour constructively, promoting self control and independence
•Production of lesson plans, worksheet, plans etc.
•Liaise with feeder schools and other relevant bodies to gather pupil information
•Support pupils’ access to learning using appropriate strategies, resources etc.
•Work with other staff in planning, evaluating and adjusting learning activities as appropriate
•Assist in the development and implementation of appropriate behaviour management strategies
•Assist in the development, implementation and monitoring of systems relating to attendance and integration
•Clerical/admin support e.g. dealing with correspondence, compilation/ analysis/reporting on attendance, exclusions etc., making phone calls etc.
•Manage record keeping systems and processes
•Assisting in the preparation and reproduction of learning materials.
•Assisting in the deployment of equipment and resources and making them ready for use and in organising the teaching environment.
•Overseeing the care and cleanliness of the teaching environment, equipment, apparatus and materials.
Assisting in the preparation of display materials.
•Raising awareness of teaching staff to the strengths and problems of individual pupils.
•Liaising with the SENCO and teaching staff, to identify the needs of the pupils.
•Assisting in the preparation and review of I.E.Ps.

Support for the School.

Teaching Assistants are not just part of the staff but are part of a team, and as such their remit includes translating school polices into practice and furthering the ethos of the school.

These four forms of support provided by the Teaching Assistant are not separate but interdependent, and at any time a Teaching Assistant may well be involved in an activity in which two or more forms of support are being given.
But these four strands of support are only one part of the story. They can be regarded as the support provided by the Teaching Assistant. At the same time the school has a responsibility to support the Teaching Assistant in fulfilling the expectations of the role. This is the support provided for the Teaching Assistant. This obligation calls for consideration both of the way Teaching Assistants are managed and of their professional development needs: management support should enable them to perform the job to the best of their abilities, and they should be encouraged to develop their skills and potential.
Clearly, this view of two-way support requires the close cooperation of class teachers with whom Teaching Assistants work, as well as of heads and other managers.

•Be aware of and comply with policies and procedures relating to child protection, health, safety and security, confidentiality and data protection, reporting all concerns to an appropriate person
•Be aware of and support difference and ensure all pupils have equal access to opportunities to learn and develop
•Appreciate and support the role of other professionals
•Attend relevant meetings as required
•Participate in training and other learning activities and performance development as required
•Assist with the supervision of pupils out of lesson times, including before and after school and at lunchtimes
•Accompany teaching staff and pupils on visits, trips and out of school activities as required
•Recognise own strengths and areas of expertise and use these to advise and support others
•Provide appropriate guidance and supervision and assist in the training and development of staff as appropriate
•Deliver learning activities to pupils within agreed system of supervision, adjusting activities according to pupil responses/needs
•Deliver local and national learning strategies e.g. literacy, numeracy, KS3, early years and make effective use of opportunities provided by other learning activities to support the development of pupils’ skills
•Use ICT effectively to support learning activities and develop pupils’ competence and independence in its use
•Select and prepare resources necessary to lead learning activities, taking account of pupils’ interests and language and cultural backgrounds
•Advise on appropriate deployment and use of specialist aid/resources/equipment
•Contribute to the overall ethos/work/aims of the school
•Establish constructive relationships and communicate with other agencies/professionals, in liaison with the teacher, to support achievement and progress of pupils
•Take the initiative as appropriate to develop appropriate multi-agency approaches to supporting pupils
•Assisting in maintaining a safe environment for pupils.
•Assisting in the supervision of pupils during the day and in the playground/school grounds as required.
•Assisting in ensuring that pupils adhere to the behaviour policy of the school and providing feedback to teaching staff and senior colleagues on the effectiveness of strategies used.
•Assisting in the preparation of reports on pupils as appropriate.
•Liaising with parents and other parties as required.
•Participation in meetings to review pupil progress and reporting to the meeting as required on your involvement with the pupil.
•Assisting in the planning and direction of the work of teaching assistants.
•Liaising with teaching staff and other colleagues, to ensure adequate levels of support are available to teaching staff and pupils.
•Under the direction of teaching staff, overseeing lunchtime supervision, monitoring the quality of lunchtime support.
•Assisting in carrying out whole school responsibilities i.e. minibus, Health & Safety.
•Managing the planning and direction of the work of teaching assistants.


Support for the Curriculum.

This will vary from school to school and dependant on role in school.

•Support pupils to understand instructions
•Support pupils in respect of local and national learning strategies e.g. literacy, numeracy, KS3, early years, as directed by the teacher
•Support the use of ICT in learning activities and develop pupils’ competence and independence in its use
•Prepare and maintain equipment/resources as directed by the teacher and assist pupils in their use
•Undertake structured and agreed learning activities/teaching programmes, adjusting activities according to pupil responses
•Undertake programmes linked to local and national learning strategies e.g. literacy, numeracy,KS3, early years recording achievement and progress and feeding back to the teacher
•Implement agreed learning activities/teaching programmes, adjusting activities according to pupil responses/needs
•Determine the need for, prepare and maintain general and specialist equipment and resources
•Select and prepare resources necessary to lead learning activities, taking account of pupils’ interests and language and cultural backgrounds
•Be aware of and appreciate a range of activities, courses, organisations and individuals to provide support for pupils to broaden and enrich their learning
•Assisting in the preparation of work and other activities for pupils in accordance with objectives set by teaching staff.
•Under guidance and direction of teaching staff, planning and delivering activities.

did you have to actually teach a lesson and if so how many students? and also did you have to use ict in any shape or form?

Yes you have to teach several.