School Teaching Assistant Employment Contract UK

Responsibilities reflected in the contract

• Support learning under teacher direction.
• Prepare resources and maintain learning areas.
• Assist pupils with agreed activities and routines.
• Record observations interventions and concerns.
• Follow safeguarding behaviour and inclusion procedures.

A realistic working scenario

In daily lessons the Teaching Assistant (TA) follows lesson or activity plans, supports small-group and one-to-one tasks, records attendance and progress in the assessment records, applies behaviour routines, and escalates any safeguarding disclosure, sudden welfare concern or persistent conduct issue to the safeguarding lead or practice or department manager.

Outputs to agree

• Support for planned lessons and small-group activities aligned to lesson or activity plans.
• Behaviour routines applied and immediate classroom interventions documented.
• Attendance entries and assessment observations updated in the attendance and progress records.
• SEN support actions recorded and communicated to the practice or department manager.
• Safeguarding or welfare disclosures escalated promptly to the safeguarding lead with incident notes.

Records and evidence

• Attendance and register entries for each session in the attendance and progress system.
• Assessment observations and progress notes linked to lesson or activity plans.
• SEN support logs, adjustments made and communication with parents or carers.
• Safeguarding incident reports and chronological welfare notes for the safeguarding lead.
• Behaviour incident records and any sanctions or restorative actions taken.
• Lesson plans.

Reporting relationship

Typically reports to Class Teacher, SENCO or Headteacher. Confirm the employer's actual reporting structure in the builder.

Authority and escalation

• The Teaching Assistant (TA) may update attendance, assessment and SEN support logs and apply agreed classroom behaviour routines. The TA must not authorise changes to curriculum plans, exclude pupils, or close safeguarding disclosures. Escalate safeguarding disclosures, welfare emergencies or repeated conduct breaches to the safeguarding lead or the practice or department manager for decisions, approvals and external referrals.
• Obtain approval before committing expenditure, changing contractual commitments or making regulated or staffing decisions outside the assigned role.

Tools and systems

• Assessment systems.
• School communication systems.
• Classroom equipment.

Workplace context

• School, college or other agreed education premises and authorised off-site educational activities.

Training and certification

• Complete employer-required safeguarding training.

Contract priorities

• Maintain accurate attendance and assessment records for each lesson.
• Apply and record classroom behaviour routines and immediate interventions.
• Escalate safeguarding disclosures and welfare emergencies to the safeguarding lead.
• Log SEN adjustments and communicate them to the practice or department manager.
• Follow required reporting lines for incidents, absence and safety events.

Information the employer should prepare

• the classes phases and pupil groups supported
• the supervision and teacher reporting line
• the personal-care medical or mobility duties if any
• the intervention and recordkeeping expectations
• the term-time hours duties and training required