John Bayley visits an HLTA and an NQT to give them practical advice on how to provide effective support for one another as they work together to manage student behaviour.
HLTA Jane Rixson used to be the senior science technician at of Bishop Stopford's School in Enfield, before training as an HTLA. Now, she works closely with Science NQT Rakesh. Their main problem is consistency, especially with form 7T. The students can often be noisy, unfocused and disrespectful of each other's work, although at other times they are angelic.
Despite the unpredictable behaviour, Bayley is struck by the excellent collaborative working relationship between Jane and Rakesh. Jane takes responsibility for teaching the starter, whilst Rakesh patrols the floor dealing with the needs of individual students. John Bayley suggests a number of strategies to make behaviour more consistent, including giving more explicit instructions and putting the emphasis on positive consequences.
