Welcome to Reframing TA Practice: A Summer Reflection Series

We’re excited to invite you to our summer series designed to support school leaders and practitioners in implementing the refreshed EEF Guidance Report: Deployment of Teaching Assistants.

This updated guidance provides five evidence-based recommendations to help you make informed decisions about how to deploy teaching assistants (TAs) more effectively, with the aim of improving pupil outcomes.
As part of this series, we’ll bring each of the five recommendations to life through a range of engaging content — including blogs, videos, practical tools, and takeaway resources. A new resource will be released each day during the week commencing30^th June 2025.

We’re proud to collaborate with our expert partners at Norfolk Research School, Essex Research School, Unity Research School and Lincolnshire Research School to bring you high-quality insights and tools.
This page will serve as your go-to hub for accessing all resources, reflections, and conversations. It’s designed to help you embed the guidance into your schools and settings — empowering your staff and supporting your pupils to thrive.

Let’s reframe TA practice together this summer!

Blog Spotlight: Reconsidering Deployment — Are We Using TAs Where They Have the Greatest Impact?

This blog by Director of Derby Research School, Tammy Elward, kicks off our summer reflection series by exploring Recommendation 1 of the updated EEF Guidance Report: Deployment of Teaching Assistants — ​“TAs should be deployed in ways that supplement, not replace, teachers.“
This blog offers a powerful reflection on how schools can reframe TA deployment — not as a logistical fix, but as a strategic tool for improving learning. It asks the essential question: Are we really using our TAs where they can make the greatest difference?

You’ll discover practical leadership insights, reflective prompts, and a spotlight on the Effective Teacher – Teaching Assistant Partnerships tool — designed to spark meaningful conversations between teachers, TAs, and leaders.

This is a call to move from assumptions to intentionality, from informal practice to a whole-school culture where TAs are embedded in the teaching and learning strategy.

Niki Kaiser, Director of Norfolk Research School highlights how a simple, well-timed question can help a child think about their own thinking and move from feeling stuck to finding a way forward. This kind of question builds habits that lead to greater independence. To support this, she points to Recommendation 2 from the EEF’s Guidance Report on the deployment of Teaching Assistants, which encourages TAs to scaffold learning in ways that develop pupils’ independence. Using simple, thoughtful questions is a key part of this best practice, helping students become more confident and capable learners.

In this blog, Amy Ford delves into what effective scaffolding looks like in practice. Drawing on research and real classroom experience, she explores how support, when deployed thoughtfully, can help pupils build independence and confidence — ensuring they’re not just supported, but empowered to succeed on their own.