EEF launches updated guidance to help schools deploy their teaching assistants

School leaders should make sure they’re utilising teaching assistants in ways to allow all pupils to access high-quality teaching, meaning that pupils who struggle most should spend at least as much time with the teacher as other pupils, if not more. 

This is according to a recommendation from the Education Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) updated guidance on teaching assistants. Published today, the guide gives school leaders practical recommendations to effectively deploy teaching assistants (TAs) in schools across the country.

As part of the updated guide, the EEF has undertaken a brand-new review of the evidence base, synthesizing the findings from over 52 different studies to provide five clear and evidence-informed recommendations on how to best utilise TAs to support attainment outcomes.

This update comes as the TA workforce continues to grow within the English education system. According to the most recent data, there are over 280,000 TAs across schools in England, a figure that has increased by 28% since 2011, when support staff data was first included in the school workforce census.

Many TAs play a role in supporting the inclusion of pupils with SEND in mainstream schools and are widely seen as vital in helping maintain inclusivity, as the number of pupils with SEND and complex needs continues to rise.  

Making sure TAs are deployed effectively is also vital to supporting high quality teaching for all pupils, but particularly those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

The guide, which originally launched in 2015 and was last updated in November 2021, has proved popular with school leaders. In the last year alone, it has been accessed over 65,000 times on the EEF website.

The updated guide, which is now known as the ‘Deployment of Teaching Assistants Guidance Report’, focuses on five actionable recommendations. A new recommendation highlights the importance of engaging all staff and focuses on how school leaders can make sure all staff are on the same page about the role of TAs and how they can effectively support all pupils. 

A separate recommendation focuses on the role that TAs can play in delivering structured one-to-one or small-group interventions like tutoring, while another focuses on how TAs can help develop pupils’ independence through powerful scaffolding techniques. 

The guide includes detail within each recommendation to help school leaders support their implementation. For example, as part of the recommendation on scaffolding, there is a classroom example of how a TA may help scaffold learning for a struggling pupil in an English lesson as well as a visual scaffolding framework for leaders to draw on with their teacher and TA teams.

Alongside the updated guide, the EEF has also developed additional new resources to further support educators. These resources include a teacher-TA partnership tool to help establish ways of working between the two, helping inform their ongoing communication and decision-making to support the learning of all pupils 

Commenting on the updated resources, Emily Yeomans, co-chief executive at Education Endowment Foundation said: “Teaching Assistants play a vital role in our education system. Ensuring TAs are deployed strategically is crucial to making sure they have the biggest impact on learning, supporting teachers and ultimately helping pupils to reach their potential at school. Put simply, TAs are an invaluable part of our school workforce.

“We’re delighted to share this updated ‘Deployment of Teaching Assistants Guidance Report’ as well as the helpful additional supportive resources. We are not naive to the challenges that school leaders face. Supporting TAs to have maximum impact is complex, involving a range of people and actions. We hope that these resources provide clear and actionable direction for senior leaders, classroom teachers and TAs alike.”

The updated guidance and resources are available to read here.