The effective management of teaching assistants to improve ...wsassets.s3.amazonaws.com/ws/nso/pdf/0677f484a390c... · The school’s priorities for the contribution of teaching assistants

The Coalition Government took office on 11 May 2010. This publication was published prior to that date and may not reflect current government policy. You may choose to use these materials, however you should also consult the Department for Education website www.education.gov.uk for updated policy and resources.

The effective anagement of teaching assistants to improve standards in literacy and mathematics

Guidance

Curriculum andStandards

Senior managementteams, Key Stage 1and Key Stage 2Status: Recommended

Date of issue: 03-2005

Ref: DfES 1228-2005 G

The effective managementof teaching assistants toimprove standards inliteracy and mathematics

Disclaimer

The Department for Education and Skills wishes to make clearthat the Department and its agents accept no responsibility forthe actual content of any materials suggested as informationsources in this document, whether these are in the formof printed publications or on a website.

In these materials icons, logos, software products and websitesare used for contextual and practical reasons. Their use shouldnot be interpreted as an endorsement of particular companiesor their products.

The websites referred to in these materials existed at the timeof going to print.

ContentsIntroduction 2

Purpose of the materials 2

Structure of the materials 2

How to use the materials 2

School self-evaluation grid 4

Key levers 7

Case studies 18

Summary of the research and evaluation evidence 22

Further resources 24

DVD contentsThe accompanying DVD contains the following:

Introduction

1 Effective leadership and management The changing role of teaching assistantsEffective deployment of teaching assistants

2 Continuing professional developmentProfessional development meeting the needs of childrenDiscussing training needs

3 Focused support for children and the use of evidence-based intervention programmesSupporting quality first teachingFocused interventions

4 Joint planning and reviewing progress

5 Monitoring impactStrategies for monitoringMatching deployment to children’s needsReviewing progress and planning future provision

6 Performance management

Effective leadership and management 7

Continuing professional development 11

Focused support for children and the use of evidence-based intervention programmes 12

Joint planning and reviewing progress 14

Monitoring impact 15

Performance management 16

2 The effective management of teaching assistants to improve standards in literacy and mathematics

Primary National Strategy | © Crown copyright 2005 | DfES 1228–2005 G

The number of teaching assistants working in schoolshas increased considerably over the last few years andthe range of tasks they undertake has also developed.There are now many examples of good practice andlessons from research and classroom experiencethat can help senior management teams considerhow to develop the role of teaching assistantsand ensure the conditions are in place to makebest use of these valued colleagues. Teachingassistants play a key role as schools implement theworkforce reforms set out in the National Agreementfor raising standards and tackling workload.

Recent reports published by HMI, the Primary NationalStrategy, university researchers and others show thatwell-trained and well-managed teaching assistants canhave an impact on inclusion, children’s achievementsand attitudes, and teacher workload. Teachingassistants work with teachers to:

• foster the participation of all pupils inthe social and academic practices of theschool or setting;

• help raise the standards and achievementof all pupils;

• encourage independent learning.

Where management and professional developmentare not effective, this potential to make a differenceis not fully realised.

The following levers need to be in place to ensureschools and settings benefit fully from the contributionof teaching assistants.

• Effective leadership and management

• Continuing professional development

• Focused support for children and the useof evidence-based intervention programmes

• Joint planning and reviewing progress

• Monitoring impact

• Performance management

Each of these factors is described later in this booklet.They are closely interrelated and you may wish tocombine sections when you are using them fordiscussion purposes.

Purpose of the materialsThese materials consist of a DVD and accompanyingnotes. They have been developed to supportdiscussion of the role of teaching assistants to helpraise standards, particularly in literacy and numeracy.They have been written for primary school seniormanagement teams, but colleagues working in earlyyears settings may also find the materials helpful.

The materials aim to support schools in promoting theprogress and achievement of all learners, and there areexamples of teaching assistants offering whole-classand group support and, as well as support for someindividual children who may require furtherconsideration of appropriate learning objectives,teaching styles and access strategies.

Structure of the materialsThe materials consist of this booklet and a DVD.The booklet contains:

• a brief school self-evaluation grid linkedto the factors outlined above. This can be usedto prioritise areas for discussion and attention.If a more detailed review is needed, this canbe found in ‘Reviewing the roles of additionaladults’ in the Primary National Strategypublication Including all children in the literacyhour and daily mathematics lesson (DfES0465/2002), available atwww.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/;

• sections covering each of the key factors listedabove. They are also exemplified through videosequences on the accompanying DVD. Somesuggested activities and discussion prompts areprovided at the end of each section;

• case studies, a research summary and a listof further related resources.

How to use these materials It is anticipated that the materials will be used by seniormanagement teams to review the effective deployment,monitoring and continuing professional development(CPD) of teaching assistants.

Introduction

3

The materials could also be used:

• as part of school-based CPD on additionaladults in the classroom;

• by individuals who are interested in improvingtheir own understanding concerning the effectiveuse of teaching assistants to raise standards.

The materials can be used in a variety of waysbut below is one suggestion as to how

management teams could use them, based on theCycle for school improvement.

The process outlined below supports the approachrecommended in A New Relationship with Schools:Improving Performance through School Self-Review.(Ofsted, 2005. www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications)

Taking action andreviewingLeadership team and all staffregularly review and monitorprogress against successcriteria. This could include:

•performance management

•using data

•using the self-evaluation grid

How well are we doing?Leadership team gather systematic evidence of current practices and their effectiveness.This could include:

• using the self-evaluation grid

• tracking teaching assistants through a day/week

• mapping current deployment

• using data to evaluate effectiveness of interventionprogrammes and pinpoint classes, groups andindividuals who need further support

How well should we be doing?Leadership team/whole staff comparethe current practice with best practice.This could include:

• using the enhancing column of the self-evaluation grid

• looking at the appropriatesections, case studies andvideos in these materials

• looking at the evidence fromresearch and evaluation

• networking with other schools thathave well-developed systems forteaching assistants

What more can weaim to achieve?• Agree priorities for

improvement with all staff

• Agree outcomes in termsof pupil achievement,participation and attitudes,impact on teacherworkload, working with thewider community

What must we do tomake it happen?Define success criteria for agreedoutcomes. Formulate action plan withexplicit links to identified CPD needsof teaching assistants and teachers.This could include:

• using some of these materials with thewhole staff, e.g. mapping provision (p8)

• identifying specific CPD opportunitiesfor teaching assistants, includingtraining in delivering interventionprogrammes

• performance management

Cycle forschool

improvement

The effective management of teaching assistants to improve standards in literacy and mathematics


Eff

ecti

ve le

ader

ship

and

man

agem

ent o

f tea

chin

gas

sist

ants

to:

•fo

ster

the

part

icip

atio

n of

all

pupi

ls in

the

soci

al a

nd a

cade

mic

prac

tices

of t

he s

choo

l•

help

rais

e th

e st

anda

rds

and

achi

evem

ent o

f all

pupi

ls•

enco

urag

e in

depe

nden

t lea

rnin

g

An

audi

t of p

rovi

sion

, pro

fess

iona

lde

velo

pmen

t nee

ds a

nd q

uant

itativ

eou

tcom

es h

as b

een

carr

ied

out.

As

are

sult

the

expe

rtis

e an

d sk

illsof

teac

hing

ass

ista

nts

are

mat

ched

toid

entif

ied

need

s.

Prio

ritie

s fo

r fur

ther

act

ion

rela

ting

toth

e co

ntrib

utio

n of

teac

hing

assi

stan

ts h

ave

been

iden

tifie

d.

Usi

ng th

e au

dit,

an a

gree

d ac

tion

plan

that

add

ress

es id

entif

ied

prio

ritie

s an

d ap

prop

riate

reso

urce

sha

s be

en d

evel

oped

and

is b

eing

impl

emen

ted.

The

impa

ct o

f the

act

ion

plan

ism

onito

red

and

eval

uate

d.Th

e pl

an is

refin

ed fo

llow

ing

the

outc

ome

of e

valu

atio

n.

The

scho

ol’s

prio

ritie

s fo

r the

cont

ribut

ion

of te

achi

ng a

ssis

tant

sto

fost

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rtic

ipat

ion,

rais

ing

stan

dard

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d en

cour

agin

gin

depe

nden

ce a

re p

art o

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who

le-s

choo

l dev

elop

men

tpr

ogra

mm

e w

ith c

lear

ly id

entif

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subj

ect-

spec

ific

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dsy

stem

atic

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ew a

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valu

atio

n.

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ess

to a

pp

rop

riat

e, h

igh-

qua

lity

pro

fess

iona

l dev

elo

pm

ent

Info

rmat

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abou

t tra

inin

g is

sel

ecte

dan

d te

achi

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ssis

tant

s ar

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cour

aged

to a

tten

d re

leva

ntco

urse

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choo

l tra

inin

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ns fo

rte

achi

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ssis

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s ar

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d by

subj

ect l

eade

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ff ar

e he

lped

to b

e m

ore

sele

ctiv

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out t

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pe o

f pro

fess

iona

lde

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pmen

t in

whi

ch th

eypa

rtic

ipat

e an

d re

late

this

clo

sely

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e lit

erac

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mer

acy

actio

n pl

an.

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rmat

ion

from

the

mon

itorin

gof

teac

hing

and

lear

ning

is u

sed

tota

rget

sup

port

and

trai

ning

fort

each

ing

assi

stan

ts.

A C

PD

pol

icy

that

rela

tes

to th

ein

divi

dual

and

sch

ool n

eeds

with

clea

r lin

ks to

the

deve

lopm

ent o

flit

erac

y/nu

mer

acy

is in

pla

ce.

Mos

t sta

ff ar

e co

mm

itted

to th

epo

licy

and

unde

rsta

nd h

ow it

will

impa

ct o

n th

eir o

wn

prof

essi

onal

deve

lopm

ent.

The

plan

ned

CP

D p

rogr

amm

esu

ppor

ts s

choo

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A a

ndna

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s an

d m

eets

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need

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all

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e im

pact

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the

CP

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e is

mon

itore

dan

d ev

alua

ted

syst

emat

ical

ly.

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e fo

r p

lann

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and

feed

bac

k Te

ache

rs a

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achi

ng a

ssis

tant

sm

ake

time

to d

iscu

ss in

divi

dual

child

ren.

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hing

ass

ista

nts

are

invo

lved

inso

me

plan

ning

and

are

beg

inni

ngto

cont

ribut

e th

eir o

wn

idea

s w

ithre

gard

to w

orki

ng w

ith in

divi

dual

san

d gr

oups

. The

re a

re re

gula

rop

port

uniti

es to

feed

bac

k on

the

child

ren’

s le

arni

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hers

and

teac

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ass

ista

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toge

ther

pla

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d re

view

cur

ricul

arpl

ans

and

the

curr

icul

ar ta

rget

s/le

arni

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bjec

tives

of t

he c

hild

ren.

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e ar

e re

gula

r and

tim

etab

led

oppo

rtun

ities

for a

ll te

ache

rs a

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achi

ng a

ssis

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wor

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part

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hip

to re

view

chi

ldre

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prog

ress

and

pla

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arni

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port

uniti

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eff

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ve m

anag

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dep

loym

ent o

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chin

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ssis

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imp

rove

sta

ndar

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tera

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nd m

athe

mat

ics

Focu

sing

Dev

elo

pin

gE

stab

lishi

ngE

nhan

cing



Sch

oo

l sel

f-ev

alua

tio

n g

rid

Primary National Strategy | © Crown copyright 2005 | DfES 1228–2005 GThe effective management of teaching assistants to improve standards in literacy and mathematics 5

Focu

sing

Dev

elo

pin

gE

stab

lishi

ngE

nhan

cing

Focu

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rt a

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e us

eo

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den

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ased

inte

rven

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np

rog

ram

mes

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port

is in

pla

ce b

ased

on

the

iden

tific

atio

n of

nee

d. T

his

is re

gula

rlyre

view

ed.

Teac

hing

ass

ista

nts

are

used

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ppor

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ivid

uals

/gro

ups

ofch

ildre

n in

sha

red,

gui

ded

and

inde

pend

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re s

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ave

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who

le c

lass

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indi

vidu

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an

effic

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mec

hani

sm in

pla

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ass

ess

impa

ct.

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trai

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entio

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ogra

mm

es is

regu

larly

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site

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NS

and

NLS

Wav

e 2

and

3 in

terv

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ns a

re u

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of c

hild

ren

that

hav

e be

enid

entif

ied

acco

rdin

g to

appr

opria

tecr

iteria

. The

impa

ct is

clea

r.

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hing

ass

ista

nts

are

depl

oyed

in li

ne w

ith th

e pr

iorit

ies

iden

tifie

dfo

r the

sch

ool,

who

le c

lass

,gr

oups

and

indi

vidu

al c

hild

ren.

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hing

ass

ista

nts

are

trai

ned

and

allo

cate

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pro

vide

a ra

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of h

igh-

qual

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es th

at h

ave

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atw

ill be

car

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valu

ated

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sein

terv

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re m

onito

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and

eval

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d.

Sch

oo

l sys

tem

s fo

r m

oni

tori

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pac

t of t

each

ing

assi

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wor

kon

:•

fost

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e pa

rtic

ipat

ion

of a

llpu

pils

in th

e so

cial

and

aca

dem

icpr

actic

es o

f the

sch

ool

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lpin

g ra

ise

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stan

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ll pu

pils

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cour

agin

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depe

nden

t lea

rnin

g

Teac

hing

ass

ista

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give

regu

lar

feed

back

to te

ache

rs o

n th

e le

arni

ng,

attit

udes

and

inde

pend

ence

of t

hegr

oups

and

indi

vidu

als

they

hav

ebe

en w

orki

ng w

ith.

Ther

e ar

e op

port

uniti

es fo

r tea

chin

gas

sist

ants

and

teac

hers

to re

view

the

prog

ress

of i

ndiv

idua

l/gro

ups

ofch

ildre

n, in

rela

tion

to th

e su

ppor

tgi

ven

by te

achi

ng a

ssis

tant

s.

Crit

eria

for e

valu

atin

g ch

ildre

n’s

achi

evem

ents

, att

itude

s an

din

depe

nden

t lea

rnin

g ar

e sh

ared

with

teac

hing

ass

ista

nts.

The

impa

ct o

f sup

port

by

teac

hing

assi

stan

ts is

eva

luat

ed a

gain

st b

oth

quan

titat

ive

and

qual

itativ

e le

arni

ngou

tcom

es. C

hild

ren’

s ac

hiev

emen

ts,

attit

udes

and

inde

pend

ent l

earn

ing

are

mon

itore

d.

Mon

itorin

g th

e im

pact

oft

he w

ork

of te

achi

ng a

ssis

tant

s sh

ows

that

a di

ffere

nce

is m

ade

toch

ildre

n’s:

•pa

rtic

ipat

ion

in th

e so

cial

and

acad

emic

pra

ctic

es o

f the

scho

ol•

achi

evem

ents

•

inde

pend

ent l

earn

ing.

Sys

tem

for

per

form

ance

man

agem

ent t

hat a

dd

ress

estr

aini

ng n

eed

s an

d im

pac

to

ftea

chin

g a

ssis

tant

s’ w

ork

Teac

hing

ass

ista

nts

mee

t to

disc

uss

thei

r wor

k w

ith th

eir l

ine

man

ager

.Te

achi

ng a

ssis

tant

s ha

ve re

gula

rm

eetin

gs th

at le

ad to

per

form

ance

man

agem

ent t

arge

ts. T

here

is a

nac

tion

plan

of s

uppo

rt to

ach

ieve

thes

e.

Teac

hing

ass

ista

nts’

per

form

ance

man

agem

ent t

arge

ts a

re c

lose

lylin

ked

to s

choo

l im

prov

emen

tpr

iorit

ies

as w

ell a

s pe

rson

alam

bitio

n. C

lear

mec

hani

sms

ofon

goin

g m

onito

ring,

sup

port

and

revi

ew a

re in

pla

ce.

The

scho

ol’s

per

form

ance

man

agem

ent s

ets

a fra

mew

ork

toag

ree

and

revi

ew p

riorit

ies

and

obje

ctiv

es w

ithin

the

over

all

scho

ol d

evel

opm

ent p

lans

.It

supp

orts

teac

hing

ass

ista

nts

inra

isin

g st

anda

rds

by e

nsur

ing

they

hav

e cl

ear o

bjec

tives

and

anop

port

unity

for r

egul

arpr

ofes

sion

al d

iscu

ssio

ns w

ithth

eir t

eam

lead

ers

abou

t the

irw

ork

and

prof

essi

onal

deve

lopm

ent.


In schools where teaching assistants are usedeffectively there are clear management systems for ensuring:

• induction and ongoing professional developmentopportunities (see page 11);

• identifying the needs of children across yeargroups and matching the deployment of teachingassistants and teachers to this analysis of need.This mapping of needs and provision canbe undertaken annually and reviewed periodicallythroughout the year (see page 8);

• communication between teachers, teachingassistants, parents and the wider community(see page 14);

• monitoring and evaluation of the impactof teaching assistants (see page 15);

• inclusion of teaching assistants in performancemanagement procedures (see page 16).

These systems should be overseen by the headteacherassisted by the senior management team. Manyschools now include senior teaching assistants on thesenior management team.

Mapping effective provision

Mapping provision enables school and settingmanagers to see the ‘big picture’ in terms of needsand resources, and to allocate resources (includingteachers and teaching assistants) through a rational,evidence-based process. Teaching assistantdeployment will be related to the needs of particularcohorts of children – classes, groups and individuals.Provision mapping can be informed by the findings ofaudits of literacy and mathematics provision andthe analysis of pupil performance data in literacy andnumeracy. This will enable the effective targetingof teaching assistant support to raise standardsin literacy and mathematics. Mapping in this waycan illuminate why it may be necessary to distributeteaching assistant support in ways other than, forexample, one teaching assistant to one class. Effectivetargeting of intervention and support in this way canlead to a significant reduction in the need for individualeducation plans with a subsequent reductionin paperwork. An example of one school’s provisionmap is on pages 8–10.

Discussion and review suggestions

1. Look at the Cycle for school improvementon page 3 and the example of provisionmapping on pages 8–10.

2. Read the brief case studies on pages 18–20,paying particular attention to managementand leadership.

3. Watch the DVD sequences on effectiveleadership and management. In theseextracts we hear from the headteachersof two schools, other senior managers,teaching assistants and governors. They arediscussing the leadership and managementof teaching assistants to ensure highstandards of literacy and mathematics withina broad and balanced curriculum.

4. Consider the following discussion points.

• Do we have in place the processesoutlined in the Cycle for schoolimprovement?

• Do we base the deployment of teachingassistants on a rigorous analysisof needs and resources, and howdo we gather and record these?

Key leversEffective leadership and management

Bonner Primary School, Tower Hamlets, identified

the Year 6 cohort as having particular needs and

systematically targeted teaching assistant and

teacher time to the cohort to form three teaching

groups of 20 (reducing teaching assistant

allocation to other classes). They predict that no

child will achieve below level 3 in the national tests

and the school will achieve well above national

average for L4+. They also targeted teaching

assistant time to ensure early intervention where

children were at risk of not achieving age-related

objectives.



Pro

visi

on

map

for

an a

nony

mo

us p

rim

ary

scho

ol,

2005

–06

Pro

visi

on a

dditi

onal

to W

ave

1 in

clus

ive

qual

ity fi

rst t

each

ing

for a

ll chi

ldre

n

Pro

visi

on

Wav

e 2

liter

acy

inte

rven

tion

Wav

e 2

mat

hem

atic

sin

terv

entio

n

Teac

hing

ass

ista

nt(T

A) 1

–1 P

layi

ng w

ithSo

unds

:chi

ldre

n w

ithpo

or p

hono

logi

cal

awar

enes

s (S

teps

1an

d 2

of P

rogr

essi

onin

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Evidence shows that teaching assistants are more likelyto have the skills and knowledge to support pupillearning effectively if they have received appropriateinduction training and continuing professionaldevelopment. Training for teaching assistants should:

• be planned, systematic and cumulative;

• be identified in the school development plan andindividual performance management portfolios;

• relate to identified national, school andpersonal priorities;

• over time, contain a balance of general andsubject-specific training, including developingsubject knowledge;

• be monitored for impact and effectiveness;

• include opportunities for teachers and teachingassistants to undertake joint professionaldevelopment within and beyond the school.

It is important that teaching assistants shouldhave good subject knowledge to enable themto support pupils’ learning. This includes securestandards of literacy and numeracy. Details of thenational training opportunities for teaching assistantsare given in the further resources section of this booklet.

School-based mentors are important in the inductionand training of teaching assistants, especiallyin supporting school-based tasks. While mentorshave specific responsibility in this area, all teachers playtheir part in modelling effective learning and teachingapproaches for teaching assistants and in supportingtheir new learning. Discussing the implications and nextsteps is crucial in helping develop the confidence andexpertise of teaching assistants, and in building teamsand professional working relationships.


1. Select one or two teaching assistantsand itemise the continuing professionaldevelopment opportunities they have hadover the last two years. Do they exemplifythe characteristics oulined on this page?

2. Read the brief case studies on pages 18–20,paying particular attention to professionaldevelopment.

3. Watch the introductory DVD sequence andthe sequences on continuing professionaldevelopment. These show senior managersdiscussing this issue, a senior teachingassistant leading a review session forteaching assistants and a teaching assistantdiscussing her individual training programmewith the deputy headteacher.


• How is the professional development ofour teaching assistants related to school,personal and national priorities?

• What has been the impact of thisprofessional development?

• What are our plans for the continuingprofessional development of teachingassistants, in the light of our discussionsand observations?

At Sevenoaks Primary School teaching assistants

are involved in a range of training opportunities.

These are identified in their performance

management process and include school-based

sessions run by the literacy and numeracy

coordinators and sessions for teaching assistants

organised across a cluster of schools. Teaching

assistants undertake a range of national

qualifications, including Higher Level Teaching

Assistant training. Continuing professional

development is integrated into teaching assistants’

contracted hours.

Continuing professional development




Raising standards in literacy andmathematics

Teaching assistants have an important role to playin the teaching and learning of mathematics andliteracy. For example, the Primary National Strategyreport Teaching assistants in Year 6 (DfES 0340-2004),which evaluated the 2002–03 pilot, shows the positiveimpact on attainment in schools which had trainedteaching assistants working with targeted childrenin Year 6 (see page 23).

Trained teaching assistants can work with the teacherto ensure all children experience quality teaching withinthe literacy hour and daily mathematics lesson andacross the broad and rich curriculum. This will involveworking with the whole class, groups and individuals.

Within sessions they can undertake a varietyof roles including:

• pedagogical support;

• modelling learning;

• supporting discussion and other speakingand listening activities;

• promoting positive behaviour;

• observing and assessing;

• resource management.

For more detail on each of these roles and practicalsuggestions see:

• The role of teaching assistants in the sharedsection of the literacy hour (www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/features/literacy/)

• How is it best to use classroom assistants?pages 24–25 NNS Framework for teachingmathematics from Reception to Year 6(DfEE NNFT)

• The Assessment for learning unit in Excellenceand enjoyment: learning and teachingin the primary years (DfES 0518-2004 G)

At Nancealverne School for children with severe

and profound learning difficulties, the classroom

assistant worked within the literacy hour and

undertook various literacy courses. Her expertise

grew and she took on responsibility for supporting

literacy initiatives throughout the school.

This involves working with children in a range

of contexts, for example (in guided reading

sessions), discussing targets linked to IEPs,

making notes in the literacy records and

developing resources such as story sacks. The

coordinator now has a more accurate overview

of reading and writing throughout the school,

supported by regular

feedback from the

literacy assistant.

Focused support for children and the use of evidence-basedintervention programmes


Use of intervention programmes

There is increasing evidence (see page 23) thatfocused, group intervention programmes deliveredby trained teaching assistants have a significant impacton pupil achievement if the following factors arein place.

• The programme is selected basedon evidence of its effectiveness and itsmatch to children’s needs.

• It has a time-limited focus.

• There is planned time for the teachingassistant to feed back to the class teacheron progress and also to discuss any issuesthat have arisen.

• Its impact and use is regularly reassessedas part of provision mapping to identifywhether teaching assistant time is justifiedin running particular programmes each year.

• It is part of whole-school provisionto raise standards.

The National Literacy Strategy and National NumeracyStrategy intervention programmes are time-limited,group intervention programmes which aimto accelerate progress up to age-related expectations.They are delivered by teaching assistants working withsmall groups of carefully targeted children. Details aregiven in the Further resources section of this booklet.Specific training in these programmes is a vital featureof their effective use and this training is offered by LEAs.Undertaking such training (ideally alongside the classteacher) enables teaching assistants to:

• develop their subject knowledge, pedagogicalexpertise and confidence;

• deliver the programme with high degreesof fidelity;

• understand how the programme links to theongoing work of the class;

• develop a shared understanding of theprogramme with the class teacher.

Some LEAs also organise support meetingsfor teaching assistants running interventionprogrammes and this could also be organisedvia local networking structures.

Reviews of the programmes and refresher trainingin subsequent years help consolidate teachingassistants’ expertise.


1. List the ways teaching assistants in yourschool support whole-class, group andindividual work in mathematics and literacy.Is any context under-represented?

2. Read the brief case studies on pages 18–20,paying particular attention to the rolesteaching assistants play in raising standardsin literacy and mathematics.

3. Watch the introductory DVD sequence andthe sequences on focused support. Theseshow teaching assistants supporting qualityfirst teaching in mathematics and literacysessions and delivering structuredintervention programmes.


• What practices have been mostsuccessful regarding teaching assistantsupport during literacy and mathematicssessions within your school? When andwhere are they used? What furthercould they do?

• How do we ensure that teachingassistants have the best conditions forachieving success when working withintervention programmes?

• What has been the impact on pupilachievement in literacy and mathematicsof teaching assistant deployment?

‘I found the support meetings run by our LEA

after the first four weeks of the programme to be

really helpful. We were able to discuss how the

programme was going and went through the

progress checks together. It was good to hear how

other teaching assistants worked in their

schools, any problems they’d had and solutions

they’d tried.’

(Teaching assistant)



Time for joint planning between teachers and teachingassistants and regular opportunities for reviewingprogress can have a significant impact on theeffectiveness of the learning support offered. Thereare many different ways and different contextsin which joint planning and reviewing canbe undertaken. These include:

• termly or half-termly reviews;

• involvement in inservice training days;

• timetabled weekly meetings;

• ongoing informal feedback during andafter sessions;

• a shared booklet or recorded memos;

• computer-based records.

Research and evaluation reports (see pages 22–23)identify regular time for joint planning and reviewingprogress as an issue in many schools.

Joint planning and reviewing progress betweenteachers and teaching assistants, both at whole-schooland class level, helps to ensure:

• a consistent approach;

• opportunities for each adult to share theirparticular knowledge and expertise;

• that any group or individual work is integratedinto whole-class work, where appropriate,and relevant links are made;

• focused differentiation and support are identified;

• assessment opportunities and techniquesare identified and detailed assessmentinformation is built up;

• curricular targets and success criteria arejointly understood;

• learning and teaching can be adjusted in thelight of feedback.


1. Ask teaching assistants and teachersto note their joint planning and reviewingopportunities over one week. What doesthis tell you about the provision forthese activities?

2. Read the brief case studies on pages 18–20,paying particular attention to opportunitiesfor joint planning and reviewing progress.

3. Watch the introductory DVD sequence andthe DVD sequences on joint planning andreviewing progress. These show a rangeof opportunities for teacher and teachingassistant exchanges about planningand reviewing progress.


• How do teaching assistants give andreceive feedback about children’slearning, their misconceptions andnext steps?

• How do teaching assistants give andreceive feedback about children’s socialand emotional development?

Joint planning and reviewing progress

At Bonner School, Tower Hamlets, there are

designated weekly times for year teams (which

include teaching assistants) and individual class

teachers and teaching assistants to undertake

joint review and planning. Day-to-day feedback

and adjustment to planning is an ongoing and

frequent aspect of the professional dialogue

between team members.


The impact of teaching assistant support should beevaluated against both quantitative and qualitativelearning outcomes. Monitoring impact might include:

• regular opportunities for teachers and teachingassistants to review pupils’ progress;

• national, optional and other test results;

• intervention programme screening tools;

• work sampling;

• observation;

• evidence of pupil behaviour, inclusion andparticipation, and attitudes to learning.

Provision can then be amended in the light of evidenceof effectiveness. Such ongoing monitoring andevaluation will assist schools in becoming self-evaluating schools as outlined by Ofsted withinthe new inspection framework.


1. Map the monitoring of teaching assistantsyou have undertaken in the last half-term.

2. Read the brief case studies on pages 18–20,paying particular attention to how monitoringinforms the deployment of teachingassistants.

3. Watch the introductory DVD sequence andthe sequences on monitoring impact. Theseshow headteachers, governors and othermembers of the management teamsdiscussing the impact of teaching assistantson attainment in their schools.


• What evidence do you have ofthe impact of teaching assistantson attainment?

• What use do you make of this evidence?

At Bonner Primary School the deployment

of teaching assistants is regularly monitored

to assess its impact on children’s learning and

attitudes. For example, reviews are held at the

end of all intervention programmes and this

information feeds into the data collection for the

annual provision mapping and teaching

assistant deployment. As part of performance

review the headteacher regularly observes teaching

assistants as they work with children.

Monitoring impact

Many schools now include teaching assistantsin their performance management systems. Teachingassistants have regular meetings with their line managerthat are focused on performance management targetsrelated to the school development andpersonal development needs. An action plan supportsthese targets and teaching assistants receiveappropriate training. The impact of teaching assistantwork is monitored against their targets.The performance management system supportsteaching assistants in raising standards by ensuringthat they have clear objectives and regular discussionsabout their work and professional development.


1. Look at the key actions in your schooldevelopment plan. Which of these couldinclude performance management targetsfor teaching assistants?

2. Read the brief case studies on pages18–20, paying particular attention to howteaching assistants are includedin performance management linked to theschool development plan.

3. Watch the introductory DVD sequence andthe DVD sequences on performancemanagement. These show teachers andteaching assistants engaged in performancemanagement reviews and discussions.


• How can teaching assistants’performance management targetsbe used to support raising standardsin our school?

• How can these targets be supportedand monitored?



At Christchurch School, all teachers and teaching

assistants have a professional profile. This is a

dossier of evidence and information relating to

their work at the school, which supports and

informs their professional development and

performance management. The portfolios contain

a range of information such as records of all

professional development activities, pupil targets

and achievements, feedback from classroom

observations and work scrutiny, and relevant

extracts from Ofsted reports. Teaching assistants

are all developing areas of curriculum

responsibility. For example, one is the ICT manager

and another has responsibility for curriculum

enrichment (such as ‘out of school’ activities).

Performance management



Case study: raising standardsin literacy and numeracyBonner Primary School, Tower Hamlets, is a

large inner city, multicultural school. There are

many areas of social and economic deprivation in

the locality. The children start school with low levels

of attainment but leave with very high levels of

attainment. Ofsted has noted the ‘excellent’

leadership and management provided by the

headteacher, who ensures ‘outstanding’ use is made

of all available resources. Teaching assistants are

deployed following annual needs and provision

mapping. For example, this year they identified the

Year 6 cohort as having particular needs and

systematically targeted teaching assistant and

teacher time to the cohort to form three teaching

groups of 20 (reducing teaching assistant

allocation to other classes).They predicted that no

child will achieve below level 3 in the national tests

and they will achieve well above national average at

L4+. They also targeted teaching assistant time to

ensure early intervention where children were at

risk of not achieving age-related objectives.

Performance management and continuing

professional development are integrated to ensure

national, school and personal priorities are

addressed. The headteacher regularly observes

and monitors teaching assistants as part of this

process. Training opportunities include sessions

led by senior teaching assistants, which review

subject knowledge within the team as well as

children’s progress. Teaching assistant time

is allocated to ensure they are included in school

development days and there is designated time

each week devoted to joint planning and

reviewing progress.

Case study: mapping provision Tavistock Community Primary Schoolis a large school in a semi-rural area. The school

admits children with a diverse range of needs.

It has an area resource base for children with

communication and interaction difficulties. There

is a fully-inclusive nursery, with enhanced

staffing, specifically to provide for children under

five whose needs require early intervention. This too

is an area resource.

The well-focused deployment of teaching assistants

is a strong feature of the school management

systems. The school has developed an annual

provision mapping system which identifies

possible provision in each year group from Nursery

to Year 6. A further provision map identifies

approaches and interventions according to areas

of difficulty such as ‘cognition and learning’ or

‘communication and interaction’. All Key Stages 1

and 2 provision maps are differentiated into Wave

1, Wave 2 and Wave 3 provision.* The provision

maps are used alongside the class targets and

individual children’s targets to develop individual

and group programmes and deploy teaching

assistants, taking account of their expertise and

experience. Provision across the school is needs-led.

Using the provision maps in this way also reduces

paperwork such as Individual Education Plans,

as they show the teaching programmes and the

support children are receiving. Outcomes can be

monitored against this. Teachers and teaching

assistants liaise to discuss the provision mapping,

the strategies and programmes used and to decide

on the next steps. Outcomes are assessed against the

provision map and targets.

* The three waves model of provision is based on systematic,graduated allocation of support according to need. Wave 1 is qualityfirst teaching for all children. Wave 2 is additional interventions toenable children to work at age-related expectations or above. Wave3 is additional, highly personalised interventions.

Case studies


Case study: teachingassistants and communityinvolvementHighweek Community Primary and NurserySchool draws the majority of its pupils from

a large housing estate, parts of which have problems

related to social and economic deprivation. The

current priorities of the school include working with

parents to support their own development alongside

helping them to help their children and fostering

community involvement. Teaching assistants play

an active role through everyday contacts with

parents and planned activities.

A breakfast club and after-school homework club

provide extended support at the beginning and end

of the school day. The school hall and community

room provide local groups with meeting places. The

school provides ‘Learning together’ courses aimed

at the parents of young children to improve the

parents’ literacy and numeracy skills as well as those

of their children. There are parent-and-toddler groups

to encourage very young children and their parents

to spend time together in school. The teaching

assistants know the children and their families well

and the involvement of teaching assistants in this

range of activities is important in building

relationships and providing good role models.

Recently for example, as part of the school’s ‘Healthy

school’ programme, teaching assistants went

food shopping with some of the parents and children

and then helped them prepare lunch. The impact

of these initiatives and the role of the teaching

assistants in them have been notable. Partnerships

with parents and others are ‘very productive and have

a significant impact on pupils’ achievements,

as do the extended services offered by the school. These

are outstanding. Links fostered with the community

overall are exceptional.’ (Ofsted).

The school has also developed whole-school provision

mapping (Waves 1, 2 and 3) and monitoring

to ensure effective use of teaching assistants

throughout the school. Each class has a full-time

teaching assistant who works in a variety of targeted

ways with classes, groups and individual pupils.

The school’s Ofsted report makes frequent comments

on the impact of teaching assistants on children’s

learning and attitudes. ‘Teaching assistants are very

effective and help teachers promote pupils’ very positive

attitudes to learning.’

Case study: training andperformance managementRachel Keeling Nursery School has a mixture

of teachers, nursery nurses and teaching

assistants on its staff. They have very good levels

of understanding about how young children learn

and work closely together, sharing their expertise.

Teaching assistants are a key part of the staff team

and feed back the responses of the children to the

class teacher so they can be incorporated in

planning for future learning.

The deputy headteacher oversees the training and

development of teaching assistants in the school

and this is supported and moderated by the

headteacher through regular meetings. Teaching

assistants attend the DfES induction training

run over a period of weeks by the LEA. The deputy

headteacher also attends this training as their

mentor. The follow-up tasks in school are supported

by the mentor and other team members through

discussion and ensuring that the links to the

Foundation Stage curriculum and the children’s

observed responses to the activities are clear.

Interaction and support strategies to assist

children’s learning are modelled by the deputy

headteacher and time made to discuss these with

teaching assistants. The deputy headteacher

undertakes regular performance reviews with the

teaching assistants. This enables relevant training

to be identified and linked to their performance

management targets.



Case study: workingwith classes, groupsand individualsSevenoaks Primary School is a large school

whose children leave in Year 6 achieving well above

average in literacy and mathematics. Teaching

assistants are deployed strategically within the

school and ‘make a very good contribution to

learning throughout the school’ (Ofsted). They

provide ‘a very good balance of challenge and

support’ to low-attaining pupils and those with

special educational needs. Teaching assistants are

part of the senior management team.

Each year the senior management team

(including the SENCO), in discussion

with teachers and teaching assistants, reviews

progress based on optional tasks, work sampling

and classroom observations. Provision for the

following academic year is then decided and

teaching assistants allocated to work with classes,

groups and some individuals. The SENCO and

teaching assistants frequently review progress

and feed back on individuals and groups.

Regular reviewing includes close scrutiny

of intervention programmes.

Teaching assistants are involved in a range of

training opportunities. These are identified in their

performance management process and include

school-based sessions run by the literacy and

numeracy coordinators and sessions for teaching

assistants organised across a cluster of schools.

Teaching assistants undertake a range of national

qualifications, including Higher Level Teaching

Assistant training. Continuing professional

development is integrated into teaching

assistants’ contracted hours.



A range of recent research and official reports havegiven consistent messages about the use of teachingassistants. These reports show that well-managed andwell-trained teaching assistants can have an impacton teacher workload, the attention given to groups andindividuals, ethos and attitudes, and raising standards.They also show that there remain issues that must beaddressed before all schools are using their teachingassistants most effectively.

Teaching assistants in schools: the current stateof play (NFER, 2002), commissioned by the LocalGovernment Association, found that:

• teaching and learning appeared to be moreeffective when teachers and teachingassistants worked in a collaborative, mutuallysupportive way;

• joint training and development, where teachersand teaching assistants learned and developedtheir skills together, was very effective in fosteringa consistent approach in the classroom;

• teachers needed to receive training anddevelopment in the most effective waysof working with teaching assistants. Theynoted that this was not widely available.

Report available from NFER (Tel: 01753 747281).

Teaching assistants in primary schools: anevaluation of the quality and impact of their work(Ofsted, 2002) found that:

• teaching assistants have a key role to playin the intervention and catch-up programmes;

• most teachers believe that having a teachingassistant in the classroom helps to create a betterworking atmosphere and thus makes teachingless stressful but it does require them to spendadditional time on planning and preparation.In schools where these competing demandsare not managed well, HMI found that teachersdo not experience the full benefits that supportfrom teaching assistants can provide.

Report reference HMI 434 – downloadable fromwww.ofsted.gov.uk

Remodelling the school workforce(Ofsted, 2004) found that:

• teaching assistants were making a valuablecontribution to learning and teaching;

• a number of schools could point to measurableimprovement in the achievement of pupils whenteaching assistants worked with clearly identifiedgroups and used a well-structured programmefor which they had been trained;

• many schools had increased the levelof teaching assistant support but had not alwaysgiven consideration to the most effective wayof deploying their teaching assistants;

• class teachers working with younger childrenfrequently received more classroom supportthan colleagues working with older children;

• a minority of schools had reviewed theirdeployment of teaching assistants to achievethe maximum impact on teacher workload andon standards of attainment;

• higher standards were generally achievedwhere support staff were deployed to bringabout clearly specified improvementsin a defined area of school life.


Reading for purpose and pleasure (Ofsted, 2004)found that teaching assistants often worked with someof the most challenging groups and individual pupils.They frequently bore the main responsibility forlistening to them read. However, they did not alwayshave enough confidence and knowledge aboutteaching reading to adapt intervention programmeswhere it was necessary.

Schools with high standards identified pupils’ difficultiesin reading early on. They used intervention programmeswisely, providing relevant support. In ineffective schools,intervention programmes followed one another with toolittle evaluation of their appropriateness and impact.

In a number of schools teaching assistants hadreceived no formal training for their work.


Summary of the research and evaluation evidence


National Evaluation of the National LiteracyStrategy Further Literacy Support Programme(Beard et al. University of Leeds, 2003) showed thatin this teaching assistant-delivered programme:

• pupils’ literacy attainments increased. FurtherLiteracy Support pupils showed gains in bothreading and writing, measured by teacherassessment. In reading there were statisticallysignificant gains as measured by the standardisedtesting. The second year of the report showedthat 84% of children who had been in FurtherLiteracy Support went on to gain a level 4or above in their Year 6 national tests;

• the teaching assistants rated their trainingvery highly;

• the higher progress schools had implemented theprogramme with high degrees of fidelity and withregular links being made between the work of theFurther Literacy Support group and that of therest of the class. Regular discussions betweenteachers and teaching assistants were also veryevident in these schools;

• the skill and tenacity of the teaching assistantswere very apparent, often in the face ofchallenging new extensions to their role.

The first report can be seen atwww.standards.dfes.gov.uk/literacy/about/news_and_events_archive/870975 The report on the secondyear is to be published shortly and will be placed on thePrimary National Strategy website.

Evidence for the Effectiveness of the EarlyLiteracy Support Programme (Snowling et al.University of York, 2004)

The effectiveness of the UK Early Literacy Supportprogramme was evaluated relative to anotherreading intervention programme. The evaluationdiscovered that:

• both groups of children made equivalent andsignificant gains in reading and spelling thatwere maintained at follow-up;

• the success of the trained teaching assistantsin implementing the programmes testifies to theimportant pedagogical role that they are ableto play in schools;

• the Early Literacy Support programme providesa cost-effective method of boosting 6-year-oldchildren’s reading to an average level.

The report will be available on the Primary NationalStrategy website –www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/

Teaching assistants in Year 6 (DfES 0340-2004). This evaluation showed the impactthat trained teaching assistants working with targetedchildren in Year 6 had on attainment in schools.The results were based on the results of more than1100 schools and over 56,000 children.

• Overall Key Stage 2 results rose by over threepercentage points in English L4+ and by twopercentage points in mathematics. Participatingschools narrowed the gap between themselvesand other schools.

• LEA evaluations showed that the pilotschools improved their percentage of childrenachieving L4+ in both English and mathematicsby more than that achieved by schools in the LEAas a whole.

• The report concluded that what made thedifference was training, support for the teachingassistant in their new role, appropriatedeployment, opportunities for joint planning andevaluation with the class teacher, and tracking theprogress of target pupils.

Available on the Primary National Strategy website –www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/

Further research

A comprehensive summary of research findings(six pages) on commonly used interventions andteaching assistant support and a summary of researchinto effective additional provision (14 pages) canbe found on pages 243–262 of Leading on inclusion(DfES 1183-2005 G), availableat www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/



Further resources

National Strategies intervention programmes

These programmes and Targeting support: managing NNS/NLS intervention programmes (DfES 0669/2002)can be found on the Primary National Strategy website: www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/

*This new Y3 programme will be available to download from the PNS website from April 2005. A pack ofdistance learning materials to support the implementation of the programme is available from Prolog in April2005, quoting reference numbers DfES 1223-2005 (file), DfES 1191-2005 (video).

Brooks, G. (2002) What works for children with literacy difficulties? London, DfES research report 380

Dowker, A. (2004) What works for children with mathematical difficulties? London, DfES research report 554

Literacy intervention programmes

Early Literacy Support (ELS) (DfEE 0651/2001)

Additional Literacy Support (ALS) (DfES 0337-2004 CD)

Y3 Literacy Support (Y3LS)*

Further Literacy Support (FLS) (DfES 0359/2002)

Year 6 booster units (CD: DfEE 0017/2001)

Mathematics intervention programmesSpringboard 3 (DfEE 0091/2001)

Springboard 4 (DfES 0096/2002)

Springboard 5 (DfEE 0151/2000)

Springboard 6 (DfEE 0651/2001)

Year 6 booster lessons (DfEE 0778/2001)

Supporting children with gaps in their mathematical understanding – Wave 3 mathematics (DfES 1168-2005 G)

Training and professional standards for teaching assistants Induction training for teaching assistants in primary schools. See the teaching assistants’ area of Teachernet:www.teachernet.gov.uk These modules include two new modules – ‘Understanding how children learn’ and‘ICT in teaching and learning’.

Higher level teaching assistant (HLTA) programme. See the HLTA website: www.hlta.gov.uk

Literacy and numeracy requirements for the professional standards for HLTA are available on the HLTAwebsite: www.hlta.gov.uk

NLS and NNS literacy and mathematics workshops for teaching assistants in Year 6 may be available via your LEA.

Interventions from provision map, pages 8–10

• Talking Partners www.rowa.co.uk/talk_part.htm

• Phonographix™ www.readamerica.net

• Paired reading www.Dundee.ac.uk/psychology/TRWresources

• Reading Recovery http://ioewebserver.ioe.ac.uk/ioe/index.html

• National Pyramid Trust www.nptrust.org.uk/

• Friendship skills groups, circles of friends, anger management groupsContact your local educational psychology or behaviour support service for information.

Copies of this document may be available from:

DfES Publications Tel: 0845 60 222 60Fax: 0845 60 333 60Textphone: 0845 60 555 60e-mail: [email protected]

Ref: DfES 1228-2005 G

© Crown copyright 2005

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