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Our career advice page will tell you everything you need to know about becoming a Classroom Assistant.
A classroom assistant is responsible for helping the teacher with classroom activities and duties. This will also include helping prepare and set up the classroom for lessons, helping children with reading, writing and learning and reporting progress of children to the teacher.
As a classroom assistant each school will have different requirements when applying for work based on the age of the children and the schools specific needs. In some cases you can get an apprenticeship which will allow you to train on the job and wouldn’t need any qualifications to start. There are a number of Teaching Assistant qualifications that are recognised and show your skill level, these include:
32-40 hours a week subject to term times. Some staff work all year round while some take term holidays.
Income varies from £12,000 to £23,000, depending on experience and whether the role is part-time or full-time.
Lesson preparation Monitoring progress Supervise activities Following safeguarding protocol Supporting pupils with their work
Term
Holiday
April to mid-July
The summer term stretches from the end of the Easter break to mid-July.
It includes a half term week long holiday in late May.
This is usually the busiest time, with later students sitting their GCSE’s.
September to December
The academic school year starts in early September, with the term stretching till Christmas.
The winter term is a half term holiday, usually a week long at the end of October.
Most schools have a 2 week end of term holiday stretching over New Year and Christmas.
January to March/April
This is the spring term and stretches from early January to Easter.
Easter usually falls on a different weekend each year, so the end of term two-week break can be either early April or late March.
This term also included a week-long half term break, usually in mid-February.
You can gain relevant classroom assistant work experience through working with children, examples of this are:
Please note you may require a DBS check.
Tip: Make sure the experience is with a similar age group as the children you would be working with as a classroom assistant.
You’ll need a range of skills for a classroom assistant role. These include:
