How can you make the most effective use of your staff? One way you can do this is by using evidence-informed insights to make decisions about how you use teaching assistants, including how to get the most impact from teaching-assistant-led interventions.
Teaching assistants (TAs) play an important role in schools, often working closely with pupils who need extra support. As the number of TAs in schools has grown, they have played an even greater role in supporting pupil learning.
However, research has shown that this support isn’t always effective. Research into the impact of TAs in the UK (Blatchford et al., 2009) found that pupils receiving more support from TAs made less progress than their peers. This included pupils with the highest levels of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Using teaching assistants to deliver evidence-based interventions
TAs can help to improve pupil learning by delivering evidence-based interventions. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) recommends this as one of the ways that TAs can be used effectively.
Using an evidence-based intervention can help ensure that TAs add value, provide the right kind of support and help pupils improve academically. It may also help TAs to be better trained, more knowledgeable and more confident in the subject area they are teaching.
Choosing an effective intervention is key to making sure that it has the greatest impact. The EEF recommends that schools engage with the evidence base for interventions, but this can be challenging for busy school leaders.
How to get the greatest benefit from teaching-assistant-led interventions
To help, we did a systematic review of evidence for interventions that can be delivered by TAs and are available to schools in the UK.
The aim is to help schools make informed choices when using TAs to deliver academic interventions.
We found that the impact of TA-led interventions can vary. So, choosing the right intervention for your pupils is key to making sure that TAs add real value, especially for pupils with additional needs.
Here are four tips for school leaders when selecting evidence-informed interventions for the greatest impact:
1. Identify pupils’ needs and whether an intervention is the right solution
The most important step is clearly identifying the learning need you want to address and whether an intervention is the best way to support these pupils.
Every intervention takes time away from classroom teaching and the direct support of a teacher. To be effective, interventions need to align with the mainstream curriculum and complement high-quality classroom teaching, rather than replace it.
Interventions are not the only way for TAs to support pupils with additional needs, and it is important to consider all approaches before choosing the most suitable
2. Choose evidence-informed interventions that match pupils’ needs
Our research found that different interventions are likely to improve different areas of knowledge and skills. It’s vital to find those with robust evidence that clearly show a positive effect on the knowledge and skills your pupils are struggling with.
To ensure impact, it’s also necessary to carefully follow intervention guidelines for selecting pupils. If not, you risk the intervention not being effective or having a negative influence on pupil outcomes.
3. Plan for effective implementation
Even the best intervention will fall short if it isn’t implemented well. Think about what you need to put in place to run the intervention as intended. This includes practical resources, such as a quiet space or IT equipment, and making sure TAs have time for any necessary training, planning and liaising with teachers. It also means ensuring pupils attend the recommended number and frequency of sessions.
Prioritise the intervention in the timetable and give it the same importance as any other lesson. This may mean focusing TA time more tightly on the intervention, rather than using them for duties such as lesson cover.
4. Consider what training your TAs need
In its Deployment of Teaching Assistants guidance, the EEF recommends that TAs are trained to deliver interventions. Training for TAs could help to ensure the best outcomes for pupils.
All the interventions we reviewed involved training for TAs, which may lead to better pupil outcomes. As well as time for training, you will need to factor in any ongoing support by a teacher or the intervention providers.
Explore the most effective interventions
Choosing the most effective intervention for your pupils’ needs is key to ensuring that TAs add real value, provide the right kind of support and help pupils improve academically – especially for pupils with SEND.
To discover the most effective interventions we found, read our research.
Blatchford, P., Bassett, P., Brown, P., Koutsoubou, M., Martin, C., & Russell, A. (2009). Deployment and Impact of Support Staff in Schools. The Impact of Support Staff in Schools (Results from Strand 2, Wave 2) (No. DCSF-RR148). Institute of Education, University of London.
