DESPITE scare stories in some newspapers, we will not see an explosion of “double classes or armies of unsupervised and untrained assistants taking classes. Many schools already use team teaching, for PE and drama for example, where one teacher takes a lead lesson with follow-up work undertaken by others.
As it says in the agreement “each classgroup... must be assigned by a qualified teacher” and “teachers and high-level teaching assistants are not interchangeable”.
In other words assistants will assist, not replace, teachers.
Jean Gemmell General secretary Professional Association of Teachers 2 St James’ Court Friar Gate, Derby
