As a teaching assistant (TA), you’ll be part of a team that makes up 28 per cent of the UK’s school workforce. It’s a role that provides a huge amount of support to teachers and some of your school’s most vulnerable pupils.
But TAs can sometimes feel undervalued and there is debate about how schools should make sure they’re getting the best out of their support staff.
According to Lynn How, special educational needs and disability (SEND) coordinator at Powers Hall Academy in Essex, when given the right tools the TA can have a huge impact.
“TAs are the ones on the ground,” says How, “working with groups and individuals. With encouragement and praise, they can have a hugely positive impact on a child’s day and overall learning experience.”
So, as a TA, what can you do to maximise your impact in the classroom? We spoke to three experts to get their advice.
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1. Support independent learning
One of the most important things for TAs to remember is that they are not there to do the child’s work for them. Although it might be tough to watch a child that you care for struggling to solve a problem, that child gains nothing by being given the answer.
“I think it’s essential to have that level of empathy and patience,” says Anita Negri-Brown, associate assistant vice-principal for inclusion and Sendco at Frances Bardsley Academy. “But the key to being a good TA is being able to separate that emotional attachment with the children in order to not do the work for them.”
Rob Webster, an associate professor in the Centre for Inclusive Education at UCL, highlights that too much assistance can lead to students becoming helpless.
“The dangers are that TAs provide too much support, particularly to those most vulnerable children with special needs,” says Webster.
“In trying to be helpful, they are far too helpful and it goes too far the other way. The help becomes just about getting the work done, but the longer-term effect of that is the kids don't learn to do it themselves.”
2. Understand individual needs
It’s important for TAs to remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for children who need support.
“The TA has got to develop a really wide range of learning support skills to enable the child to become an independent learner,” says Negri-Brown.
As a TA, you’ll often find yourself supporting children with complex needs, who will all engage with different learning techniques. Being able to recognise this and be flexible in your approach is important.
“We're starting to think about children learning in diverse ways,” Negri-Brown continues, “I think that’s the key. So, instead of coming to a situation to support a child with a toolkit of a highlighter, a task planner and a dictionary, it’s about understanding that each child is different. That old school thinking has got to go now.”
3. Have a good relationship with teachers
Depending on whether you’re in a primary or a secondary, you could end up working with one teacher or a dozen. Either way, anything you can do to form a good working relationship with them will make your life much easier.
“Establish a rapport,” says How, “and get to know how they like to do things as well as communicating how you like to work.”
Webster describes the working relationship between a teacher and TA as something of a dance routine. “Each person has a role to play, they understand what that role is and there’s a certain choreography to it,” says Webster. “When it’s working really well, it’s quite fluid in the classroom and both know what the other is doing.”
4. Get to grips with edtech
A modern classroom contains lots of technology, some of which can play an important role in teaching children with special needs and disabilities. Getting to know some of the tools and how they work will help you and your students make the most out of the tools on offer.
“Approach your Sendco,” says Negri-Brown, “and ask for training on the new technology that’s coming out – voice-activated software, reading pens – and make yourself aware of what can and can’t be used in an exam.”
“Apple does free workshops and is really happy to accommodate differentiated learning and set up a specific workshop for children with SEND. I’ve been many times, they’re awesome.”
5. Be a good listener
Communication with your classroom teacher is vital, but equally important are the interactions you have with the children in your class. Through no fault of their own, busy teachers can miss things that you might pick up on.
“In a busy classroom, generally it is the TAs that a child will first go to for support or to confide their concerns to,” says How.
“From a safeguarding perspective, TAs often notice small things that class teachers don’t, which may be a missing piece of information in an ongoing safeguarding concern.”
6. Be prepared to be flexible
An assumption often made about the TA role is that the hours coincide with the school day. This may often be the case, but with breakfast or after-school clubs, some schools will ask you to be more flexible.
“I have all my TAs start at 8am and finish at 4pm,” says Negri-Brown. “So the key part of their day is the support before and after school, because it’s not taking the children out of lessons. [Secondary] children don’t want to be withdrawn from lessons, they don’t want to be seen as different, so we really utilise that before-school time.”
When it comes to contracted hours, it's best to know your rights. The union ATL gives the following guidance on employment rights for TAs.
7. Look for CPD opportunities
Whether you’re thinking about one day becoming a higher level teaching assistant or a teacher, or just want to maximise your impact in the classroom, Negri-Brown suggests looking for career development opportunities.
She claims that traditional TA training doesn’t always cover important teaching and learning strategies, so getting involved in school CPD courses is a good idea; even those designed for teachers.
“I think what they miss are those key strategies on how to break down tasks, how to differentiate,” says Negri-Brown, “and I don't think TA training offers them that at all.
“Key things we look at as teachers are things like metacognition and neurodiversity. All of these things are on the agenda now, and they don’t get that training as TAs, especially not at secondary school.”
Many TAs go on to become qualified classroom teachers. Find out more on Tes Institute’s Straight to Teaching course, which allows you train in your existing school.