: Teaching Assistants: The Secret Weapon to High Quality Talk in Maths Reviewing the evidence on high quality talk in Maths and how TAs play a crucial role.

Gill Fearns is the Deputy Head of St Mary’s RC Primary School situated in East Lancashire in the North West of England. The school has above average location deprivation with a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals. She is responsible for leading teaching, learning and curriculum development within school and is also the Director of Lancashire Research School. In this blog, she reviews the evidence on promoting high quality talk in Maths and also draws on an interview with an experienced teaching assistant within school.

“As a teaching assistant working with Key Stage 1 children, I’ve learned that mathematical understanding grows not only from what children do with numbers, but from what they say about them.” Lisa Parkinson, Teaching Assistant, St Mary’s RC Haslingden.

In many KS1 classrooms, high‑quality mathematical talk is the engine that drives deep understanding — yet the people who most powerfully keep that engine running often work quietly to provide timely intervention and support. Teaching assistants are, in many ways, the secret weapon of rich mathematical dialogue. TAs often sit at the heart of the class learning journey: tuning in to children’s thinking, nudging conversations forward, and creating the conditions where every pupil can find their voice.

When mathematical talk is done well, it looks effortless. In reality, it requires careful planning, intentional modelling, and a shared commitment to nurturing curiosity. This is where the partnership between teacher and TA becomes transformative. Together, they build a classroom culture where talk is not an add‑on but a tool — a way for children to reason, justify, question, and connect ideas. 

TAs can play a crucial role supporting pupils to articulate their thinking, challenge misconceptions, and explore strategies aloud.

The TOLD Principles: A Shared Framework for Rich Mathematical Talk

If teaching assistants are the secret weapon for high‑quality mathematical dialogue, then the TOLD principles are the blueprint that helps them use that power with precision.

This framework gives both teachers and TAs a shared language for what effective talk looks and sounds like in maths.

Lisa, a teaching assistant working across EYFS and KS1, views high‑quality talk as a vehicle to transform maths from a set of tasks into a shared journey of reasoning, exploring, and discovering. The TOLD principles are a powerful framework in her daily practice.

TAKE PART:

A crucial part of Lisa’s role is to gently draw quieter pupils into conversation:

​“During a recent Year 1 lesson on number bonds to 10, I noticed that one child, Mia, consistently hung back during partner discussions. To scaffold her participation, I began by directly inviting her in with a simple, low‑stakes prompt: ​“Mia, can you show us one way to make 10 using the counters?” Her confidence grew when she realised there wasn’t a single ​‘right’ answer and she then had the confidence and visual representation to support her talk.”

OPPORTUNITIES:

High‑quality talk doesn’t happen by accident — it needs to be built into the learning. Lisa looks for moments where mathematical ideas naturally spark discussion.

“One of my favourite strategies in Reception is using storybooks. When reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar, I pause at the page showing the fruit he eats. ​“How many pieces has he eaten altogether? How do you know?” Suddenly, children compare counting strategies, grouping the fruit, and explaining their thinking.”

LINKS:

Helping children make connections — between their own ideas, between peers’ ideas, and between different mathematical concepts — strengthens understanding.

​“During a geometry lesson, a child described a triangle as ​“a shape with three sides.” I followed up with: ​“Who can build on what Ava said?” and referred the children to the key vocabulary and sentence stems the teacher had introduced in the lesson. Another child added, ​“It also has three vertices.” A third noticed, ​“Some triangles look different, but they still have three sides.” By prompting children to extend each other’s thinking, they began to see that shapes can vary while still sharing defining properties.”

DEBATE:

Debate provides an opportunity to explore contrasting ideas and justify thinking.

​“Children love the challenge of deciding whether something is true, false, or sometimes true. In a Year 2 session, I presented the statement: ​“All even numbers end in 0.” Some children agreed, others disagreed, and some weren’t sure. As they tested numbers, they began to refine their thinking. One child concluded, ​“It’s false because 2 is even and it doesn’t end in 0.” Another added, ​“But 10 ends in 0 and it’s even, so it’s sometimes true.” 

This kind of debate deepens understanding far more than simply telling them the rule. Worked examples also spark debate. When two children solved the same subtraction problem using different methods — one using a number line, the other using counters — I asked: ​“Which method do you think is easier, and why?” Their discussion helped them evaluate strategies and appreciate that maths is flexible.”

The TOLD framework doesn’t just support mathematical learning — it nurtures confident communicators who see themselves as capable thinkers and far from simply ​“helping out”, teaching assistants play a pivotal pedagogical role. They amplify the teacher’s intentions, extend opportunities for dialogue, and ensure that every child — especially those who need more time, structure, or confidence — can participate meaningfully. In KS1, where early mathematical language lays the foundations for later reasoning, this partnership is not just helpful; it is essential.

For further guidance and support, please see:

Education Endowment Foundation (2020) Improving Mathematics in the Early Years and Key Stage 1: Guidance Report. Available at: Improving Mathematics in the Early Years and Key Stage 1 | EEF

Education Endowment Foundation (2025) Deployment of Teaching Assistants: Guidance Report. Available at: Deployment of Teaching Assistants | EEF

Mulholland, K. (2022) TOLD: Four Evidence-informed principles to promote high-quality talk in Maths. Maximising opportunities to develop pupils’ mathematical understanding. EEF Blog, 30 November, 2022. Available at: EEF Blog: TOLD: Four Evidence-informed principles to promote… | EEF