Updated guidance on deployment of teaching assistants

The Education endowment foundation (EEF) has updated is guidance on how schools can make decisions about how to deploy teaching assistants (TAs).

The third edition of this guidance has drawn five recommendations from the evidence base on teaching assistant deployment practices and how these can lead to improved outcomes for pupils.

The guidance celebrates the contributions TAs make to schools at the same time as acknowledging the complexities of maximizing their impact.  It highlights research on effective TA deployment, high quality teaching and inclusive learning environments offering leaders insights into overcoming barriers and making leadership decisions that unlock the full potential of this workforce.

Recommendations:

• Deploy TAs in ways that enable all pupils to access high-quality teaching, noting that TAs should supplement, not replace, the teacher
• Deploy TAs to scaffold learning and to develop pupils’ independence
• Deploy TAs to deliver well-chosen, evidence based, structured interventions where appropriate
• Prepare and train staff around effective TAs deployment, with leader ensuring that all staff are on the same page about the role of TAs and how they can most effectively support pupils
• Engage all staff in the process of implementing effective TA deployment to ensure the school community is engaged and aligned to build a shared understanding of good TA practice.