Rhondda Cynon Taf - Remodelling
Using Resources Effectively

USING A RANGE OF STRATEGIES TO COVER PPA TIME

School Profile

School name: Llwynypia Primary School
Head teacher: Mrs G Lewis (Acting Head Teacher)
Phase: 1/2
Number of Pupils: 220

Role and Responsibilities

Llwynypia Primary School has an active group of parent helpers that meet on a weekly basis. This has led to some members of the group wishing to further develop their role in the school and who have subsequently been appointed as Teaching Assistants. Together with other adults recruited from the local community the school now enjoys the services of a team of Teaching Assistants who underpin and enhance the work of teachers in the school.

The Teaching Assistants have key roles in supporting teaching and learning and are particularly active in the Special Needs provision. This involves working closely with the Special Educational Needs Coordinator and includes implementing strategies recommended by the Educational Psychologist. To support this role there has been a combination of external and in-house training and all Teaching Assistants are now qualified to NVQ level 3. In-house training has largely been centred on SEN support including aspects such as autism and developing language skills.

Support staff are also deployed to manage administrative and clerical tasks transferred away from teachers. Each teacher is allocated a set amount of support time each week that can be used in a way that suits the particular needs of each teacher.

The school also considers itself fortunate in enjoying the services on an ICT Teaching Assistant. The postholder has developed the school network and formed an ICT suite and takes responsibility for its ongoing management. This involves working closely with pupils and small groups, approximately half a class at a time, are extracted to work in the ICT suite. This allows pupils skills in ICT to be developed in a range of software applications.

When part of a class are extracted to work in the ICT Suite the rest of the group remain with the teacher who is able to spend more time with a smaller group of pupils. Not only does this lessen the teacher’s workload but also facilitates greater differentiation. In terms of workload the management of the hardware represents a welcome relief to teachers who are freed from the pressures of network management, file maintenance and system troubleshooting.

Llwynypia School has agreed its arrangements for providing its teachers with time for Planning, Preparation and Assessment (PPA). These involve, in part, the deployment of Teaching Assistants who will be responsible for Nursery, Reception and Key Stage 1 classes while the class teachers have their PPA time. This will be arranged in half day blocks to allow teachers sufficient time for uninterrupted study. It was agreed by all concerned that for younger pupils it was important to maintain continuity of routine and relationships. Appropriate training has been provided for the Teaching Assistants.

For older year groups a different arrangement is in place. Year 6 Class teachers of Years 3 to 5 all have their PPA time in the same afternoon with the Year 6 teacher taking PPA time in the morning of the same day. This is achieved by combining the work of three specialist staff brought in for all or part of the day.

The first is a specialist teacher who will deliver agreed curriculum content to each year group in turn. The morning session will be devoted to Year 6 who will be taught other curriculum areas in addition to Music. The afternoon will be divided into three sessions with Years 3 to 5 rotating between Music, Sport and Modern Foreign Languages with approximately 45 minutes in each being taught by specialist staff.

The combination of afternoon activities give pupils experience of developing skills in Music, a Modern Foreign Language and Sport. The latter activity is taught by a qualified sports coach who belongs to a community organisation comprising professional sports coaches and teachers. The content of the activity is negotiated with the school and takes account of particular needs identified. An analysis of the PE curriculum and extra-curricular activities identified orienteering as being a skill area requiring development and this had provided the initial focus.

The PPA arrangements have broadened the experience of pupils and enhanced the existing curriculum addressing identified needs.

In summary, the school’s approach to remodelling has:

Invested training in developing the skills of its Teaching Assistants
Deployed its Teaching Assistants in key roles that support teaching and learning
Relieved teachers of administrative and clerical tasks
Enhanced ICT provision and facilitated differentiated learning
Adopted PPA strategies that provide pupils with enrichment experiences specialist teaching
Addressed curriculum development needs

Contact Details

Phone number: 01443 432354
Email address: Llwynypia.primary@llwynypiapri.rctednet.net