jane shepherd

I am a Teaching assistant at Shaftesbury School and Sports College in Dorset.I got into this because my youngest son is Dyslexic and I had researched the subject a lot over the years and decided it would be a pity not to use what I had learnt. I have been a TA for 8 years and have gradually become more knowledgeable in the field of speech and language and in the art area of the curriculum. I have a City & Guilds certificate in Learning Support, I have just finished my NVQ3 Teaching Assistants course and I have also just completed 2 years Foundation Art and the first year of HND Fine Art (part time 1 day a week). I have 2 years more of the HND and hope to follow this with 1 year to make it a BA Fine Art.

Hi John, I recieved your e mail about re-registering. I am already registered as jane shepherd so do I need to re-register? I also contributed a biography when i registered originally so do i need to do this again. Dorry to hear that some of our more looney american cousins saw fit to behave like idiots. And they call themselves the land of free speech? I think not these days anyway. It seems to me that life becomes ever more resticted and confusing ! Sorry for ranting on. I would be grateful if you could let me know wether I need to re-register. Jane Shepherd shepherd_jane@hotmail.com

I have just posted a reply on the Inclusion posting on this very subject! At the school where I am a TA we will be trying this idea out this Sepember. (see the posting for the format) which is a mix of core educational subjects at school, colleg and work placement.Has anyone else out ther got any experience of such a programme? I would be interested to hear how successful it is.

I work as a Teaching assistant in a SEN department of a mainstream upper school . I have reservations about the full inclusion policy. Even in students who are not physically disabled but have learning difficulties, I feel that sometimes it is tantamount to cruelty to send them to mainstream schools. They find the academic approach difficult and often feel it has little relevance to them.This often leads to behavioural problems and truancy. They might be better with a more basic academic approach and supplementary life skill work which might be more relevant to them. We are pioneering a Pathway 6 on our GCSE option package this year. This offers part time attendance at school, part time at a local college and part time work placement. I don't know how well this is going to work with some of our students who have behavioural difficulties but I feel it could be another option for those who can't cope with the full academic package.

Because I am a Teaching Assistant working in mainstream education I have worked with quite a few students that have been diagnosed as ADHD. I have to say that I was not always convinced that they were truly ADHD. Some definately were but some struck me as either just very naughty or they had other learning difficulties which led to behaviour problems. ADHD can be very hard to deal with in mainstream classes because the behaviours can be so disruptive that it interferes with other students learning. As a TA it is my job to help these students access the curriculum and get the best out of their lessons but sometimes it is difficult to do this without it impacting on the other students learning. If anyone has any advice I would be grateful.

Working as I do in the SEN department of an Upper School I find that Homework can be a real nightmare for my students. We operate an after school homework club for those students both SEN and otherwise who wish to stay and have help with their homework.But, they cannot all stay and some indeed find school so difficult all day that they cant wait to get away in the afternoon. Homework tends not to get done as they struggle to do the work without help and in many cases parents cannot help them.This puts a lot of pressure on students who already find school a stressful experience.I can understand that teachers often set work to be completed at home when not finished in class as well as work set specifically for homework but it is not always reasonable to expect some students to be able to do it at home.

I am a Teaching assistant at Shaftesbury School and Sports College in Dorset, England. I have been in this post for nearly eight years. I work with students who have problems in accessing the curriculum due to learning or behavioural difficulties. I also liase with the outside agencies like the Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language and Occupational Therapists and the Behaviour Management Specialist. I work with children both in the classroom and in a small group withdrawn from some lessons. It is a very rewarding job but very exhausting and often quite stressful. My specialist areas are Geography and Art (which is my passion) although I also work in other subjects as well. As well as 9 O level and 3 A level exams, I have two City & Guilds qualifications, one as a Lab technician and one in Learning Support. I am currently doing NVQ3 teaching Assistants qualification and an HND Fine Art course on my day off at Salisbury College! I find the art course very useful when I am working in the art department.