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Training for a better class of teaching assistants: The People Development Team win a National Training Award for their work with Essex Schools
Schools and teachers in Essex are benefiting from a training scheme to give Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs) leadership skills.
The government’s ‘School Workforce Remodelling Agenda’ called for a better work/life balance for teachers and headteachers. This changed the role of school support staff, and introduced the HLTA whose main role was to free up teachers’ time so that they can plan, prepare and assess lessons.
The People Development Team Ltd (PDT) a training company based at 47 Baldock Street, Ware, Hertfordshire, teamed up with the Schools Improvement & Early Years Directorate of Essex County Council to provide HLTAs with a recognised qualification – the ILM Level 2 Introductory Certificate in Team Leading.
PDT’s Senior Education Trainer, Jeremy Lewis, worked with Denise Manson, senior adviser school development, Standards & Improvement Service (SAIS) at County Hall, Chelmsford, to create the programme which has earned the two organisations a place in the finals of the National Training Awards 2007.
Between March and December last year, 86 HLTAs completed the leadership course.
It began with two pilot programmes in Colchester and Basildon, and set out to equip HTLAs with leadership and management skills and give them the confidence to support other staff more effectively.
These skills include effective communication, the ability to organise and motivate others, to develop assertive skills, deal with conflict and lead a team.
Jeremy Lewis said: “In addition to the two pilots, we have a further 79 delegates who are undertaking the qualification, 86 in total have completed and passed to date.
“Some programmes are still in progress and we expect the remaining candidates to pass. This was very encouraging since several of the delegates expressed concerns about being assessed. They were anxious that it had been so long since they had studied or taken exams.”
The ILM course, funded by SAIS, is a flexible programme of 35 hours of development, one day a week over a period of four weeks.
It has benefited the school teams in many ways – including improved communication with headteachers, more effective management of team conflict, more effective performance management and a stronger team ethos and staff morale.
Pupils, parents, and carers have benefited from familiar and well trained existing school staff delivering lessons and other activities.
The HLTAs say that their new skills have benefited their personal relationships and life outside school.
“This provides a unique opportunity for HLTAs to achieve an internationally recognised team leader qualification,” added Denise
- Entry name: The People Development Team Ltd (Investor in People); Schools Improvement & Early Years Directorate of Essex County Council (Investor in People)
- Entry no: 70320 Region: East of England
- Result: East of England Regional Award Winners
