ABSTRACT
Every member of staff will have a job description. This job description will outline your responsibilities within the school. However, responsibilities within schools change as a result of government policies and initiatives. Of note within the past ten years there have been documents such as ‘Every Child Matters’, the extended schools initiative and the Remodelling Agenda. By 2010 it is proposed that all schools will be open from 8am until at least 6pm covering a range of services to include breakfast clubs, afterschool clubs and drop in centres for parents. Some TAs will have a role to play in these new initiatives. As part of the Remodelling Agenda a list of additional tasks was developed. These tasks were jobs that teachers were no longer required to undertake. These tasks include such responsibilities as: classroom display, invigilating examinations and managing pupil data. What these changes mean is that the role of a TA is becoming increasingly varied, as a TA may be asked to take on a diverse range of roles and responsibilities within the school. For example, a TA may also work as a midday meal supervisor or in an after-school club. In addition, many schools now rely on volunteers coming in on a regular basis. If you are working within a school on a volunteer basis there should be a designated member of staff to whom you are responsible. Further, some schools will have a job description for volunteers. Whatever your role or responsibility within a school it is important to be familiar with your job description and that your job description is reviewed on a regular basis.
