Swapping The Boardroom for the Classroom: Our Managing Directors Inspirational Time as a Teaching Assistant

In the ever-changing world of education, the demands made on senior leaders can mean they are not able to engage with the day-to-day realities of the classroom as often as they’d like.

Their time and focus is, quite rightly, on policies, budgets and strategic plans, which can mean they have limited opportunities to see their direct impact on students and teachers.

Options Autism’s forward-thinking Managing Director, Emma Sanderson decided to change all that by swapping the boardroom for the classroom and spending a week working in one of our schools as a Teaching Assistant.

It was a move that ultimately fostered empathy, insight, and a renewed sense of purpose for Emma, and reinforced her belief that Teaching Assistants are the unsung heroes of the education system.

That belief stems from the beginnings of her career back in 2000, when she began as a Teaching Assistant herself. Almost a quarter of a century on, for personal and professional reasons, Emma headed to Mountfield Heath School already understanding that a TA’s role is demanding and challenging, but wanting to learn what it was like to work in school now, so she could support colleagues in her current role.

Following an initial induction, Emma got involved in a number of classes, getting to know pupils and helping them with their learning, attending morning briefings and completing the expected tasks of a TA, including the end of day paperwork!

The school, which had recently had its Ofsted inspection and achieved ‘Outstanding’ in all areas, welcomed the initiative, with Executive Headteacher Lyndsey Jeffries saying it was a “fantastic idea.” Emma made it clear from the start that she didn’t want any different or special treatment, going through the same induction process as we would any new starter, and the Mountfield staff team were briefed that Emma formed part of their normal staffing ratios.

Though there was a little initial apprehension on Emma’s part, as well as the school’s, she was quick to get involved with the pupils, and at the end of each day would sit with the Head of School to discuss the many wonderful moments and some of the more challenging. Lengthy discussions took place around the challenges of providing staff with appropriate breaks within the school day, the benefits and challenges of the four-day working week offered by Options Autism, school culture and the curriculum.

And, of course, conversation turned to the truly amazing people who are our Teaching Assistants. During the week, Mountfield’s TAs were asked how they supported students and collaborated with teachers. They were clear they use a consistent, person-centred approach which celebrates and treats each pupil as an individual – teamwork is at the very heart of what they do. It is also a role which requires adaptability, patience, and a willingness to learn.

For Emma, it was a week of learning too. The role of a teaching assistant has changed significantly since she first became one. Gone are the days of the ‘helper’ who cleared up and wiped down the tables after messy play. Now a TA plays an absolutely pivotal role in the day to day running of a school and has a direct impact on improving children’s outcomes.  

They also have a unique understanding of the school community; TAs played a key role in keeping schools going during lockdown, and it is clear that this has continued since, with more playing an active part in supporting families and the wellbeing of pupils. 

TAs have to be quick thinkers and incredibly responsive to pupils needs, which can be exhausting at times, though you wouldn’t know it – they seem to be the masters of multi-tasking!

They do the job because they genuinely want to make a difference to children’s lives. For anyone who likes the thought of a job where every day is different and where you can add real value to the educational outcomes of children and young people, then this is the career for them. Many of our schools could function for a short period without key teaching staff, but very few could function without their TAs – they truly are the unsung heroes.

As a result of her inspirational week at Mountfield, Emma’s job will be to ensure that school leaders provide meaningful collaboration opportunities with TAs and that their voice is not only heard but plays a key part in a school’s improvement journey. Continued investment of time and money in their development will provide opportunities for them to progress and ensure we don’t lose the talented people Options Autism is proud to have in these positions.

Find out more about careers at Options Autism here.