Deployment_of_Special_Needs_Assistants

Education policy in Ireland is focused on child centred learning and has moved towards inclusion of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in mainstream schools since the 1990’s. Although Special Needs Assistants (SNA’s) were present in the Irish education system since the 1970’s, their numbers have only recently rapidly increased. Much of this increase is clearly linked to the Education Act 1998 as it focused on one-to-one support for pupils with special educational needs and provision was made for this support with expansion in the provision of SNA’s and resource teachers leading to SNA’s becoming an integral part of the Irish educational system. In recent years, Special Needs has become an area continually prioritised in government spending. “More than €820 million was provided for special education in 2007. This is €180 million, or nearly 30 per cent, more than the allocation in 2006.” The initial role for the SNA in Irish schools was seen as a ‘care role’ in which the emphasis was on one-to-one support for students with special educational needs. However, with rapid increases in the number of SNA’s and expectations that their number will rise in the future, the government is now conducting a ‘value for money audit’ in the provision of SNA’s. There is no doubt that SNA’s have brought about tremendous improvements in the provision of education in Ireland as they are seen as a vital asset in the classroom. However, much confusion is widespread over the exact role of SNA’s and how and where this role can be changed to further assist education in the classroom. “Some School principals have raised concern about the lack of uniformity in the way special needs assistants carry out their duties and the lack of clearer direction from the department.” Lack of understanding of this role has led to the undervaluing of SNA’s and perhaps in many cases not allowing SNA’s work to their potential as the skills they acquired prior to becoming an SNA are not utilised. There are various names given to describe the support staff who work with teachers in classrooms helping students with special educational needs. The most commonly of these are: Special Needs Assistants (SNA’s) Classroom Assistants (CA’s) Teaching Assistants (TA’s) Learning Support Assistants (LSA’s) Special Support Assistants Learning Resource Assistants As there are multiple names gives to describe assistants working in classrooms, it is inevitable that their role and function can be blurred at times. This therefore highlights the need for settling on one name that conveys the correct message about the work and duties of the assistant. In the Irish education system, the Department states in circular 07/02 that the duties of the SNA are of a ‘care role’ and outlines that their duties must be of ‘a non-teaching nature’. This does not follow the international trend, where in many cases the role of the SNA has moved from a care role to a mainly educational role. Although SNA’s adopt a ‘care role’ in Ireland, many schools encourage and promote flexibility in the duties of SNA’s with SNA’s actively encouraged to participate in the teaching and learning process. This flexibility in duties would include encouraging pupils, monitoring behaviour, clarifying instruction, organising equipment and helping individual and small groups with educational activities. In some instances SNA’s take on an administrative role in the classroom. It is apparent however that there is a widespread lack of uniformity in the duties assigned to SNA’s from school to school and it is clear that a ‘care role’ does not truly reflect the work of SNA’s in Irish schools at present. SNA’s assist teachers to teach and help pupils to learn but deciding on what to teach and what approach to take in teaching a lesson remains the responsibility of the teacher where the SNA is rarely consulted and would have little input if consulted. From 2000, the growth in the number of Teaching Assistants received a great deal of attention throughout the UK. Government negotiations led to a workforce reform or a remodelling practice in schools, which would provide teachers with time to focus on raising standards in schools. In 2003 the National Remodelling Team was established. It can be clearly seen that remodelling was not something new that was created, but instead it focused on good practice that had been demonstrated previously by many schools. The Remodelling Team was primarily concerned with addressing the staff workload, reducing the number of administration tasks encountered on a daily basis by teachers and making use of individual strengths to enable schools to tackle issues that related to them. This can be seen as a positive step forward for Teaching Assistants as remodelling acknowledges the individual as a professional within the school and therefore gives opportunity for Teaching Assistants to have their strengths recognised and put to use within the school. Fears are evident in Ireland among teachers that a future move like this could in turn undermine the professionalism of teachers and undervalue their position. However it must be realised that “Remodelling is about giving teachers more time to focus on teaching and learning, and providing extra support and renewed leadership to reduce workload, increase job satisfaction and maximise the effectiveness of the whole school workforce in delivering improved standards. Remodelling is about a culture change in schools; about using a broader range of adults in different roles.” There are many benefits to working as an SNA in Ireland, most notably working with children, an incremental salary scale and short working hours. Despite these advantages, there are also many drawbacks such as job insecurity and lack of opportunities for promotion. The lack of further training seriously undermines the value of SNA’s as it gives the impression that anyone could do the job. The Irish education system provides many opportunities for further training or specialised training for teachers. Often incentives such as EPV days (Extra Personal Vacation) are offered for courses provided fro teachers. In many instances SNA’s encounter a child with a specific special educational need e.g. autism, where the SNA has limited experience in this field and is faced with the reality that there is no further training available to them. As the Irish education system focuses on a ‘care role’ and on a ‘one-to-one support’ this also creates problems for SNA’s as they are assigned to an individual or a small group of students. This, then leads to a lack of job security as schools are often uncertain as to how many SNA’s they will retain from year to year. SNA’s depend on annual reviews on the degree of the special educational needs of the child to which they are assigned to, to inform them on whether they will remain in a full time position or even remain in the school in the following year. Another huge drawback is the lack of a union to promote and protect the interests of SNA’s. SNA’s can join unions in Ireland but there is no union exclusive to them. Management and organisation of SNA’s in Irish schools is generally carried out by the principal or deputy principal. Many SNA’s are timetabled between various teachers and classrooms. Outlining what role the SNA will take in each class is usually the responsibility of each class teacher. Difficulties often arise between the teacher and SNA as a result of this. Since the introduction of the Revised Curriculum at primary level in 1999, there has been no in-service training for teachers in working alongside another adult in the classroom. Newly qualified teachers are less reluctant to working with an SNA and often have a preference for having one, while more senior teachers can find it difficult to work effectively with an SNA, leaving the SNA “performing low grade routine tasks.” Some schools have a policy on SNA’s in which regular communication is encouraged between the SNA and teacher but the main focus of these policies is to ensure that the teacher is viewed as the professional in the classroom with the SNA supporting the teaching and learning. Most of these policies were drafted to protect the professionalism of the teacher and create a clear distinction between the teacher and SNA as confusion often occurs and boundaries become unclear. For effective management of SNA’s to take place in a school, you must consider what you require the SNA to be effective at. It states in ‘The employment and deployment of Teaching Assistants, LGA research Report 5/04 that Teaching Assistants in the UK “felt that clarification of both their role and a career structure for teaching assistants were the most important ways in which their role could be made more effective.” The DfES (2000)states that the role of the SNA can be divided into 4 strands. The strands are: • Support for the pupil • Support for the teacher • Support for the curriculum • Support for the school It appears that the SNA in any school could be seen to fulfil these strands but it should be noted that all duties should incorporate these strands as they support the ‘care role’ and also the ‘educational role.’ The aims and duties assigned to an SNA should promote participation and integration with the pupils in the class, promote a positive and encouraging view of learning and also assist the teacher with the teaching and learning of all pupils. To achieve this, it is necessary to have clear and specific job descriptions. For the job description to be effective it is essential that the whole school community is involved including SNA’s and parents views. There would have to be regular reviews and updates of all SNA job descriptions with changes in the school culture and climate taken into consideration. SNA’s and teachers would need to be informed of these changes as they occur. This would incorporate some structure into the role of the SNA and it could also allow for the strengths of individuals to be considered in assigning duties. In order to ensure that that the SNA is being efficient, it is vital that there is a good working relationship between the teacher and the SNA. As stated earlier, support for the teacher is one strand of the role of the SNA but it is important for the teacher to recognise that support should be provided for the SNA also. A clear understanding of the role of both parties is essential. The remodelling process in the UK requires teachers to focus on the main task of teaching, as support staff undertake a range of duties previously undertaken by teachers. Many teachers are concerned that this may lead to a loss of their professionalism as a result. In Ireland, confusion over the exact role of the SNA has teachers worried that there will be no clear distinction between teachers and support staff. It is therefore essential that both teacher and SNA “understands their respective responsibilities, and that these responsibilities and boundaries are clearly defined and that there is mutual trust and respect.” Regular communication and involvement in the learning process is important for the SNA. In order for the SNA to assist and support learning of all pupils, the SNA must be consulted in the planning of class work. This can in turn be of benefit to the teacher as the strengths of the SNA can be utilised to enhance lessons and class projects. There needs to be a clear understanding from both the teacher and the SNA, that the teacher is the senior person in the classroom with the main responsibility for what is taught and also for behaviour management, while the SNA has the responsibility to support learning, encourage pupils and assist the teacher with the daily management of the classroom under the direction of the teacher. Although the policies on SNA’s in Irish schools promote regular communication between teachers and SNA’s, there is no time allocated to facilitate this. This can lead to failure in the effectiveness of these policies. Regular consultation is needed in relation to pupil progress and planning to ensure a supportive and committed relationship is sustained between the teacher and the SNA. If the SNA is adequately informed on what is being taught and on what goals the teacher has for the lesson, then the SNA has a greater understanding of what their role is when the lesson is being taught. This will in turn have a positive impact on the lesson and on the learning of the pupils. Effective management of SNA’s would ensure that further training and professional development of all staff is encouraged. Although the majority of courses offered in Ireland are mainly for teachers, there are no guidelines stating that SNA’s cannot attend them. SNA’s could be encouraged to attend courses of interest to them to gain experience and knowledge, which could give them the opportunity to gain responsibility in the school in a subject of interest to them. Alternatively the whole staff could be encouraged to attend a course together or in groups to deal with issues relevant to the school. This type of involvement would encourage SNA’s to become more involved in school planning and thus provide them with a sense of value in their work and ownership in the school. Teachers would also become more aware of ways in which they could utilise the skills of SNA’s to enhance their planning and teaching within their own classrooms and indeed throughout the school. The majority of schools in Ireland hold staff meetings where SNA’s are not allowed attend. This can only be seen as creating a divide between teachers and SNA’s. Admittedly there are items discussed at staff meetings that are not of concern to SNA’s because of confidentiality. In order to successfully manage SNA’s and allow them reach their potential, they should be included in certain parts of staff meetings so that their opinions and ideas are taken on board. If schools are to be effective, teamwork must exist. The whole school community must feel that they have ownership of the school. For this to occur, there needs to be a clear understanding of the roles of each individual. Regular training needs to be provided and encouragement given to all staff members to attend. Training needs to occur for all teachers in working with another adult in the classroom. A sense of respect and value for each person working in the school should be created. Each staff member has a role to play within the school. It is important that these roles are understood, respected and valued in order to allow for a healthy working atmosphere to grow. Both the teacher and the SNA have strengths and these need to be used to work for common goals. Regular communication on setting and achieving goals should take place. Opportunities for this need to be created but also time needs to be allocated to allow SNA’s and teachers throughout the school work on whole school planning to further strengthen relationships and create a sense and value for the role of each person.