Education journalist Mike Baker helps clarify the new roles and responsibilities of TAs, including HLTAs, and looks into the debate over teaching assistant pay. Job satisfaction is one element of a successful career, but career progression and how much you take home also rank highly. The average salary for a teaching assistant currently stands around £15,000 per year. But that varies widely, due to local variation, hourly rates and holidays. Teaching assistants, unlike teachers, do not have a statutory pay framework. Mike visits two schools in Birkenhead near Liverpool to find out what TAs have to say about their roles and their views on the financial rewards. He talks to Mandy Skillen, an award-winning teaching assistant, about her work with parents. Paula Davies from Prenton High School for Girls explains how becoming a higher level teaching assistant helped her find roots in the maths department.

Video Series: Need To Know
Release Date 2009