: Making the Most of What We’ve Got The reality we don’t always say out loud

‘Challenges’ with a yellow caution sign caught my attention as I flicked through the Education Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) updated guidance report, Deployment of Teaching Assistants. I scanned quickly thinking, ​‘challenges within the SEND system – where do we start?’ The stark honesty of the statements within Recommendation 1 quite literally stopped me in my tracks. Complexities currently faced which, let’s be honest, are often part and parcel of everyday mainstream school life, named here in black and white.

Challenge 1

So well done to the EEF for saying it out loud. These approaches can very often seem like the only means schools have to attempt to meet need, amongst massive funding shortfalls, rising numbers of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and lack of access to specialist support. The list goes on. However, we know that ​‘velcro support’ can inhibit pupil independence.

Challenge 2

These approaches may happen because they are a solution to a much greater problem and persist, not because we think it is good practice, but because the results of not doing these can be detrimental to all pupils. Highlighting these issues in such a way however, does make them a hot topic for debate, with the intention that conversations are opened around them. With Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) often managing such wide-ranging roles within SEND identification, assessments, parental engagement and funding bids to name just a few, bringing the dilemmas to the wider attention of senior leadership teams (SLT) can only be a good thing. SEND is no longer solely the responsibility of the SENCO but a whole‑school responsibility, as outlined in Recommendation 5.

Thinking differently within current constraints
So within current constraints, with promises of training and funding on the horizon but still a way off, how can we think differently now? How can we make sure we use the evidence on effective deployment of teaching assistants (TAs) to best serve our SEND and disadvantaged pupils?

One key message which remains as prevalent from the original guidance document and is woven through every recommendation, is that TAs should be deployed to support pupil independence. The Deployment and Impact of Support Staff in Schools longitudinal study highlighted that pupils who received the most support from TAs often made less academic progress and engaged less with their qualified teachers. Within the recommendations, vignettes offer examples of how practice can be changed in real situations and this is where I believe the real nuggets and take-aways can be found.


The power of shared language
The guidance report highlights that the importance of clarity and considering a shared language can be a great place to start.

​‘Live assessment’ is used within the report to describe in-the-moment decision making between teachers and TAs to decide who needs further support.

​‘Roaming’ is used to encourage TAs to break off support from one pupil and move through the classroom whilst a teacher offers support to those requiring additional guidance, preventing the ​‘velcro’ effect.

​‘Clear and complementary roles’. Ensuring staff know what their role is that lesson and not to be deviated by ​‘competing priorities’.

​‘TA helicopter support’. Being deliberate about choosing when and where to ​‘land’. Once again encouraging the transfer of support as and when it is needed.

​‘Think alouds’. Encouraging reflective practice within the lesson between teacher and support staff.


A simple way to spark meaningful change
Classrooms are busy, complex work environments and the clarity of language we use as professionals can make roles and actions so much more defined. Why not try exploring these terms with your TAs, colleagues or staff, as a simple but constructive way of opening up conversations around making the best use of our very valuable support staff?

Supporting independence is not about doing more with less, but about doing what we know works. Even within current constraints, shared understanding, clarity of roles, and evidence‑informed deployment of TAs can make a big difference for pupils who need it most.

References
Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) (2025) Deployment of Teaching Assistants: Guidance Report (v1.1.0). London: Education Endowment Foundation. Available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/teaching-assistants

Department for Education and Skills (DfES) (2006) The deployment and impact of support staff in schools: research brief (RB776). London: Department for Education and Skills. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-deployment-and-impact-of-support-staff-in-schools-research-brief