Suffolk is a fairly large shire authority with 38 high and upper schools, 40 middle schools (deemed secondary) as well as 13 pupil referral units and 9 special schools.

Suffolk was unusual amongst authorities in the detailed way it used the audit of knowledge and skills leading to formal learning agreements signed by the school and the teaching assistant (or HLTA) participating. The first cohort in training included 8 training in maths only, 5 training in science only and two participants who took advantage of both programmes (who were, incidentally, from the same school).

The training and skills audit

Suffolk took the decision to fully utilise the opportunities the audit offered. They did this to ensure that participants and their schools were fully committed to the initiative. Suffolk felt that schools should take on a major part of the responsibility in ensuring the participant’s success. This thoroughness also ensured that the participants were able to access the parts of the programme they would find most useful and could design a bespoke programme for themselves. Most, as might be expected, accessed the great majority of sessions as they found them all so useful and both enjoyed, and benefited from, the interaction with other colleagues and the adviser delivering the training. It was also important to establish with teaching assistants, and their schools, that skill and knowledge would not only come from the training programme but could (and should) be also delivered by the school. This might be in terms of individual coaching, reading and classroom observations.

With the first cohort some disadvantages emerged. The system seemed overly bureaucratic with participants completing their audit before a visit from the adviser. This was compounded by participants also having to complete the generic training needs analysis. This may have put a small number of potential teaching assistants off. There is now collaboration at an induction event which is then followed up back in school. Participants are therefore more fully briefed, and have sat down with their adviser, before being asked to complete the audit. This has been well received. In fact the science skills audit has been adapted by the science adviser to improve its usefulness.

The learning agreement

The learning agreement is a key part of the Suffolk model. The audit identifies the needs of participants and then ‘in school’ discussions determine how these needs will be met. These needs can be met in a number of ways and not necessarily ‘just going on a course because it is free’. The participant, along with the coach or mentor, may decide on further reading, a visit to another school or observing appropriate lessons may be the best way to further professional development. The school, as a consequence, also feels some ownership and responsibility in terms of the participant’s progress. The learning agreement is drawn up with the help of advisory support and is reviewed over the course of the programme. It is time intensive.

In the first round the process did have flaws, principally that the adviser and/or coach in school may have only had ‘patchy’ knowledge of the HLTA standards themselves. These key people now have a greater knowledge of the strands involved in the overall process through involvement at an induction event. The Eastern Leadership Centre has also run a briefing session for advisors delivering subject content and pedagogy in the new standards so that they have a broader view. The experience for all will be much better with the second cohort of teaching assistants with everyone now much clearer about how it all fits together.

The local authority releases £1500 to the school to support the development of each participant once the learning agreement has been signed.