Beyond “paraprofessional”: empowering and equipping teaching assistants to develop a sense of identity

I am a senior tutor in Education Studies and hold the responsibility of course co-ordinating a part-time applied education studies degree. Over the last 10 years I have specialised in working with mature students. Many of them are highly experienced teaching assistants and support staff working within education who are now seeking future career development by undertaking a degree that links closely to their current and future career. Some will apply for initial teacher training after they have graduated, others will undertake more advanced or specialist support roles within their settings. Prior to working in higher education, I had a full, professional career as a primary school teacher and headteacher over a period of 20 years. My leadership experiences have enabled me to understand the complexity of the roles that teaching assistants and support staff undertake and what they require from continued professional development through degree level study to develop themselves and prepare for a future, graduate led career. I have focused my own research on how we can support part-time, mature students to successfully transition into higher education.