Teaching Assistant

Advice on dealing with a known aggressive and violent student

Providing advice and support for KS3/4 teachers and support staff in dealing with known violent and aggressive students. This video features a short dramatic reconstruction of an angry outburst from a student with identified anger management problems. In this scenario, the teacher manages the situation, preventing it from escalating and disrupting the class. Raising the question what did the teacher do that was so effective in dealing with the aggressive behaviour? A panel featuring senior education psychologist Tina Rae and working teachers talk through the scenario, discussing what the teachers could have done differently and offering clear and straightforward advice on how teachers might handle challenging situations like this.

A Known Aggressive Student

How best to deal with a student behaving in an angry manner

Advice for teachers and support staff on how best to deal with a violent and aggressive student having an angry outburst in the classroom. A short dramatic reconstruction shows an angry outburst by a student at the beginning of a lesson., the teacher takes firm, calm control of the situation preventing it from escalating and disrupting the class. A panel featuring senior educational psychologist Tina Rae and working teachers talks through the scenario, and discusses what the teacher did that was so effective in dealing with the aggressive behaviour. They also offer clear and straightforward advice on how teachers might handle challenging situations like this. The discussion focuses on relocating pupils, calming body language, and how best to deal with the situation once everything has calmed down.

Angry Outburst

A look at the role of HLTAs at West Bromwich Albion FC Study Support Centre

HLTA Anna Sherman talks about the work of the West Bromwich Albion Football Club's study support centre. Anna speaks about her role and how she gained their HLTA status, and how the HLTAs at the centre link learning with the curriculum and football, which actively promotes attainment within all of the projects. This is part of a series created by TAs and HLTAs, who have filmed their own short videos to give an insight into their day-to-day roles.

Anna Shermer

Strategy-makers, victims and former bullies discuss anti-bullying

The best anti-bullying strategies for primary and secondary remain hotly debated. Leading advocates are interviewed, including children's charity Kidscape, in this video which links with Every Child Matters. Go beneath the rhetoric and explore the key strategies on offer. Kidscape recommends a multi-layered approach including assertiveness training for victims. Also interviewed in this video are those behind the controversial "no blame" method; reformed bullies and former victims; and schools minister Jacqui Smith. And Pam Orchard, the headteacher who ordered a mass suspension of 40 girls after a single bullying incident in 2004. Each contributor reflects on the lessons learned from their experiences of bullying and gives their views on how best to beat the whole-school issue of bullying. Bullying affected one in four of the 140,000 callers to Childline in 2004.

Beating Bullying

A look at the relationship between a teacher and a TA

What should teachers and TAs do if their working relationship breaks down over the management of classroom behaviour? Use this CPD video to discuss what each should do, in this dramatisation of a real life situation. The dramatisation tells the real story of how a TA is verbally abused by a Year 6 pupil after challenging his disruptive behaviour. The class teacher refuses to accept the TA's account of the event and prevents her reporting the incident. Should the teacher be more supportive of his TA? Should the TA take up the matter with the head of year? Is it the teacher's role, not the TA's, to enforce good behaviour in the classroom? The video is designed to be used as a springboard for discussion between staff on how this issue should best be dealt with.

Behaviour Breakdown - Teachers Versus TA

Support staff show how they communicate with students

In this video, staff at Homewood School in Kent, show the novel ways they communicate with students around the school. They also show their approach to welfare around the school, and see how it's not all about responding to bullying and personal problems. Their approach includes using the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge, an initiative written by the Children's Workforce Development Council.

Communication and Welfare

How one school has encouraged CPD among its support staff

Heywood Community College in Rochdale has encouraged its entire workforce to participate in ongoing staff training and development, and shows how the policy has benefited staff and students alike. Headteacher David Yates has created a strong ethos of CPD across the school, and feels the real focus of training should lie with the school's support staff. In order to ensure this, he invites the school's business manager to join the senior leadership team specifically to act as a representative of the support staff. Support staff are also included in the performance management cycle so their CPD needs are identified alongside the school's teaching staff. These moves have fitted well into the school's improvement strategy and they have seen significant improvements in exam results, attendance and behaviour.

CPD for the Wider Workforce - Heywood Community High School

What provisions are made for teachers with disabilities

Peter Curran explores the Disability Equality Duty, providing an insight into the provisions made for teachers with disabilities. He starts with a focus on dyslexic primary headteacher Andy Richbell - what can he gain from a visit from Essex Disability Partnership Co-ordinators? There is also a focus on Henry Holmes, a partially sighted teaching assistant. Follow Henry as he takes his students on an exciting outward-bound course and find out how he overcame obstacles to become an HLTA. Curran talks to the director of Disability Equality in Education, Richard Rieser, and Catherine Casserley, senior legislation adviser for the Disability Rights Commission, to find out more about new legislation. How can schools meet the requirements of the Disability Equality Duty?

Disability Equality Duty

A TA who went on to take her work around the world

TA Donna Hall talks about her experiences of working in education, which started when she volunteered at her daughter's school. Since beginning work as a TA, Donna has continued her training and taken her work around the world, travelling to many different countries to observe different education systems. This is part of a series created by TAs and HLTAs, who have filmed their own short videos to give an insight into their day-to-day roles.

Donna Hall

How teachers should deal with corridor fights between students

Advice on how to deal with violent and aggressive students fighting in a school corridor is given in this video for teachers and support staff. A short dramatic reconstruction of two students fighting in a school corridor at break time is shown. In the scenario, the teacher fails to take control of the situation and it escalates. A panel featuring senior education psychologist Tina Rae and working teachers talk through the scenario, discussing what the teachers could have done differently and offering clear and straightforward advice on how teachers might handle challenging situations like this. The discussion focuses on quick and assertive action, physical intervention and the use of by-standers to get help.

Professional Development for Quality Teaching

Roles

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