: Deployment of Teaching Assistants Unleashing their full potential

It is widely acknowledged that Teaching Assistants (TAs) play an integral role in supporting pupils with their learning and development and in particular, with those who need additional support. The role is broad and changeable, with increasing responsibility for pupils with more complex needs. This report from the EEF celebrates the positive impact that TAs have in our schools whilst recognising the changing nature of their support. High quality teaching underpins good progress for ALL pupils so how do we ensure that our deployment of TAs supplements teaching and doesn’t replace it? Conscious decision making ensures we maximise the impact that TAs can have and this report offers insights into effective deployment and implementation that will achieve this.

So, according to the guidance, what should schools consider when planning the deployment of teaching assistants? The first three recommendations relate to ​‘Effective Practices’.

Recommendation 1 – Deploy TAs in ways that allow all pupils to access high quality teaching

Firstly, pupils who need additional support with their learning should spend at least as much time with the teacher as other pupils in the class. What is typically seen is the TA based with the same group of pupils throughout the week. TAs should not be seen as a replacement for the teacher, indeed it is suggested that those who need the greatest amount of help should have greater interaction with the teacher. Could the TA provide support to different groups during the week, enabling the teacher to work with those most in need of their expertise? At Front Lawn Primary Academy, in a Year 3 maths lesson on multiplying 2‑digit numbers, the teacher began with a whole-class input using visual aids. Instead of assigning the same group of pupils to the TA all week, the teaching assistant rotates between groups across the week. This allows the teacher to spend focused time with those who need the most support, modelling strategies and addressing misconceptions directly. Meanwhile, the TA reinforces learning with other groups through guided practice. This approach ensures that the most vulnerable learners benefit from the teacher’s expertise, rather than being consistently delegated to support staff.

Recommendation 2 – Deploy TAs to scaffold learning and develop pupil’s independence

Of course, just sitting a TA with a group of pupils is not enough. How the TA interacts with pupils and their learning can impact significantly on progress and the pupil’s ability to be independent. Too much support can lead to a pupil becoming over-reliant on the adult. Pupils should have the opportunity to attempt tasks independently before intervening with scaffolding.

In order to do this successfully, TAs need to be familiar with a range of scaffolding practices, which are appropriate to the specific needs of the pupils they are supporting, which is not an easy task! However, the Scaffolding framework can help with avoiding over-scaffolding through the approach of ​‘the least amount of support first.

Recommendation 3 – Deploy TAs to deploy well-chosen, evidence based interventions

Another aspect of a TAs work is the delivery of interventions. This is most effective when structured interventions are carefully selected with a strong evidence base. Recommendation 3 states the importance of monitoring the progress to ensure the impact of the intervention outweighs the learning missed in the classroom. Teachers and TAs should collaborate to ensure that interventions do not happen in isolation and a connection is made between the intervention and the learning in the classroom.

In conclusion, deploying teaching assistants effectively can be challenging and depends on many factors. To get it right, decisions should be based on strong evidence of what works and a clear, shared understanding of what good TA practice looks like. This approach helps make sure that TAs are used in the best way to support students.