One in a thousand

A TEACHING assistant from a Royston School has become the 21,000th Higher Level teaching assistant.

Janice Hodge who, works at Greneway School, achieved the status through working alongside teachers, providing valuable support.

Mrs Hodge said: "If you're passionate about working with children, an HLTA role can be very rewarding.

"There are countless opportunities to learn on the job and every day is completely different."

The work of an HLTA includes planning and preparing lessons, supporting pupils with special needs and working with pupils on a one-to-one basis, in small groups and with a whole class.

Head teacher Sue Kennedy, said: "The teaching assistants have a very positive impact on the school because they come with the strength of different backgrounds.

"They are hugely energetic and passionate about their work.

"Teaching assistants enable us to work in a very flexible way and be creative with some of the work we do," she said.

A report from the Institute of Education on the deployment of the wider workforce in schools has shown that 88 per cent of teachers feel that support staff have had a positive effect on their job satisfaction while 77 per cent feel that have helped reduce levels of stress.

n For more information on the roles of support staff visit the website at www.tda.gov.uk/support