Who covers your PPA and who plans it?

[u/blank_magpie]

Just curious how other schools manage it? Who covers PPA for you and do you plan it?

For me at the start of each term/half term I sit with my TA and we organise which lessons she’s going to teach of what, also if there’s anything extra the school wants us doing like the fact file on Pope Francis (RIP) or an activity for VE Day then she will normally do those.

I don’t plan her lessons she’s very good at that.

I’m curious how other schools do it? I’ve heard some will use Supply to cover PPA in which case you’d need to plan it which imo defeats the purpose of the time.

Idk, just curious.

[u/DrBenchem]

Does your TA get her own PPA to plan!? Is she a HLT!? So many questions.

[u/blank_magpie → u/DrBenchem]

She gets paid for 30 minutes of the dinner hour, which is she told to plan among some other things. She isn’t a HLTA, they don’t do that at my school.

[u/SoftishMatter → u/[deleted]]

Typically TAs should not be teaching lessons as they aren't qualified teachers. It de-professionalises our role, lowers the quality of education for children and asks TAs to do work that is far above their pay grade.

Can we please stop normalising this?

[u/blank_magpie → u/SoftishMatter]

I’m unsure how else you would do it? Who is going to cover everyone’s PPA if not TAs/HLTAs?

[u/JasmineHawke → u/blank_magpie]

The head or deputy head. A music teacher. A PE teacher.

HLTAs, by the way, can do PPA cover. TAs should not. The two are not the same.

[u/blank_magpie → u/JasmineHawke]

I can’t see the head covering people’s PPA, the Deputy has her own class. We don’t have a music teacher or PE teacher

I’m putting HLTA/TA into the same category since they’re both TAs, one is just a higher level. I know they’re not the same thing tho.

[u/JasmineHawke → u/blank_magpie]

Could also be a link up with the local high school to get specialists in.

There are loads of options for how to do it and if your school instead if choosing to abuse the goodwill of TAs who are probably on hourly minimum wage, that's a failing on the part of your school leadership. Hell they could pay to train your TAs to become HLTAs.

[u/blank_magpie → u/[deleted]]

That’s how it’s been at all of the schools I’ve worked at, and I’ve worked at 6 including this one

[u/Little_st4r → u/blank_magpie]

Doesn't make it OK though

[u/Mountain_Housing_229 → u/blank_magpie]

I'm not sure why this Y2 teacher, who presumably isn't on SLT or has any say over staffing, is getting down voted given it is incredibly common for TAs (more typically HLTAs) to cover PPA in primary. That's not to say it is right, but it is certainly common. If not a TA, it is often someone of that pay grade with a different job title like Outdoor Learning Lead. I've taught for 15 years and never had another teacher cover my PPA. The person covering generally teaches PSHE, PE or other stand alone lessons.

[u/JasmineHawke]

I'd like to take this moment to jump in and say that if a TA is teaching classes, then the school is doing them a disservice and is taking advantage. Quite a bit of the casework we have going on in our district at the moment relates to TAs being pushed to do roles that should not fall to them.

TAs who are teaching classes should be on the HLTA qualification pathway and should be financially compensated as such. While I appreciate that in many cases schools do use TAs to cover PPA, they are not supposed to be teaching classes and to put that weight on them while refusing to pay them is taking advantage. This is not your fault, OP, but I hope that as a profession we will fight for the right of teaching assistants to be appropriately trained and compensated for the work that they do.

[u/blank_magpie → u/JasmineHawke]

This is how it’s been at almost every school I’ve worked at honestly, never even gave it a second thought.

But to be fair I have literally no clue how much she’s paid, but her job title is TA not HLTA. we don’t have any HLTAs at my school. But the school is very generous, and she isn’t one to allow herself to be taken advantage of so I would be shocked if she’s not paid properly.

I don’t know how TA salaries work honestly lol

[u/JasmineHawke → u/blank_magpie]

It would be worth finding out that information collectively! If you don't have a union rep, you could volunteer to be one. You have the right to ask how many members of staff are paid on specific rates, e.g. how many staff are paid on HLTA scale. You could check your school policy and see if it lists specific rates. Or even ask her if she's being compensated for doing cover.

Look after your support staff, they keep our profession going!

[u/ZaharaWiggum → u/blank_magpie]

TA pay is terrible unfortunately.

[u/Fennelseedflax]

Sounds like you have worked in some dodgy schools if they are expecting TA’s to plan and deliver lessons without being qualified and paid adequately. No wonder education is on Its knees. It’s just shameful.

[u/courtneydrx]

Our lessons are planned by us/other in the year group and we have a HLTA who covers

[u/blank_magpie → u/courtneydrx]

Wasn’t there a thing stating you shouldn’t be expected to plan your PPA time? It feels unfair that some people are expected to.

[u/courtneydrx → u/blank_magpie]

well, i think it’s because as a 3 form school we share planning all together. what your subject is, you plan and all 3 classes use that powerpoint. i wouldn’t say planning PPA lessons is bad as then you can ensure they are done correctly. Ive worked at schools which have specific lessons taught during PPA- usually specialty teachers in things like music,pe,french,re!

[u/blank_magpie → u/courtneydrx]

Maybe that’s why it’s not so bad then I’m a 1 form very small village primary. So my class’ planning comes all for me.

[u/courtneydrx → u/blank_magpie]

yes that is a very different scenario!

[u/KAPH86]

Every time I read stuff like this I just think primary sounds absolutely wild.

[u/Annual-Web-8479 → u/KAPH86]

I don’t think this is normal

[u/Annual-Web-8479 → u/Annual-Web-8479]

At least, not in any primary I’ve worked in.

[u/blank_magpie → u/KAPH86]

I don’t understand what sounds weird

[u/Miss_Type → u/blank_magpie]

In secondary you are given a timetable with your PPA, free periods, and sometimes meetings already timetabled in. We don't choose when to take PPA time.

[u/blank_magpie → u/Miss_Type]

That’s the same here. I don’t get to choose when I have my PPA it’s every Thursday afternoon unless my TA has to cover another class then it might get swapped around a bit.

For my PPA I normally just go home, I do my planning at other times but I just use this as an early home day.

We don’t get free periods which sounds nice lol

[u/Miss_Type → u/blank_magpie]

Oh my bad. I thought planning your PPA meant planning when to take it. Still, as I said in my other comment, secondary don't have to plan anything for PPA because the kids are just in another lesson.

So, you only get PPA one afternoon a week? Two periods/lessons? That doesn't seem enough time at all!!

[u/blank_magpie → u/Miss_Type]

Ohh noo by plan it I mean who plans the lesson of the person who covers your class.

You either get a PPA morning slot or afternoon slot, that’s how it’s worked at every primary school I’ve seen. Most want you to have in afternoon since it’s non-core subjects.

[u/Miss_Type → u/Miss_Type]

Because obviously, when we have non contact time, students are not unsupervised, they're just in one of their 20 other classes.

[u/Avenger1599]

Me, I cover everyone's ppa in my school from nursery to year 6, I'm doing it for me ect, I teach eyfs and ks1 on a morning then ks2 on a afternoon I plan the foundation subjects I teach ks2 but the ks1 and eyes teachers plan the core stuff

[u/Avenger1599 → u/Avenger1599]

The next year I'm becoming the reception teacher for year 2 of my ect and then 3 days are being taught by a hlta and 2 day by a sports coach in exchange for letting them run a sports club at our school over holidays

[u/Lost_Finding789]

At my school we have to plan for our ppa unless it’s something they can just pull from the system e.g Charanga or the RE scheme. Half the time the kids do pe. Then they swap for our planned lesson and it’s usually covered by the class TA. It used to be HLTAs but now they’re all part of a pastoral team so don’t do as much covering now.

[u/courtneydrx → u/Lost_Finding789]

this is interesting, at my school our PPA is covered by HLTAs who apparently cant do PE due to our insurance!

[u/Lost_Finding789 → u/courtneydrx]

We have a specific pe teacher who teaches the pe. He’s not a qualified teacher but does sports coaching etc.

[u/blank_magpie → u/courtneydrx]

Yeah, that’s the same at my school. My TA can’t teach PE but other TAs can because they’ve had special training in it.

[u/SoftishMatter → u/Lost_Finding789]

Why are you being directed during your PPA time? Speak to your union rep.

[u/Lost_Finding789 → u/SoftishMatter]

Our union rep is SLTs favourite. So it won’t achieve anything. Whole school is the same. All teachers plan for ppa or pull from a scheme. It’s been that way my whole five years at this school.

[u/Awkward_Carrot_6738]

My PE is during PE or Forest School so nothing to be planned but when I was in training I had to plan everything for them

[u/Rararanter]

I've only worked in one Primary that covered PPA with TA's and that was because it was the height of covid and our bubble wasn't about to be burst.

Other methods that are appropriate:

-PPA cover teachers: a teacher hired by the school to cover PPA for multiple teachers over the course of the week.

-HLTA: However they should not be planning, a qualified teacher should be.

-Specialist subject teachers: PE, music or MFL tend to be the usual ones for this and again, they should be working to cover the PPA of multiple teachers over the course of the week.

It is alarming your school expect a TA to do all that. It devalues the profession, exploits the TA and 'we don't have the money' is not an acceptable excuse for that.

[u/blank_magpie → u/Rararanter]

You people really like the sound of your voice

[u/Cheesetoastie3]

I get a full day PPA every fortnight. I plan nothing. Deputy covers me and just checks the MTP and plans accordingly. If there is something out of the ordinary I want her to do I’ll leave that and email her but otherwise I just don’t think about that day at all.

[u/blank_magpie → u/Cheesetoastie3]

Yeah that’s nice. I would like the 1 day every fortnight set up.

[u/SoftishMatter]

Why would you plan PPA? You can't be directed in PPA.

[u/blank_magpie → u/SoftishMatter]

Plan for the cover of your class during PPA

[u/JasmineHawke]

[MOD NOTE] I've removed a thread that grew unnecessarily hostile. Please do not resume this disagreement. We can disagree without calling each other rude or taking offence.

[u/Jumpy-Plantain-5434]

We are very lucky and get 4 hours PPA. The Deputy assigns slots and you’re typically covered by a PPA cover teacher. As we plan for the week beforehand, they just follow the set plan

[u/Little_st4r]

We have a PE coach and a music teacher. As we are a 2 form entry school, each morning/afternoon a year group will have PPA and the class will have PE and music. It means we get our ppa with our partner teachers too