Teaching
Assistants play an essential role in delivering high quality education and many
students could not succeed without them. In more normal times
their work is certainly varied but in responding to the difficulties caused by
the pandemic they have proved themselves to be more adaptable, resilient, and
compassionate than ever. They are quite simply absolute gold.
For
students with special educational needs, and others, a teaching assistant acts
as a key worker. They really connect and are able to unlock young people’s
potential through building trusting relationships. These are developed through
daily one to one conversations, regular calls and meetings with families, and
TAs being a consistent presence day to day, term to term and indeed year to
year. This means that every young person has a member of staff who
is an expert in their strengths and needs. Teaching Assistants are specialists in many fields, but most importantly they are
expert specialists for every child they lead.
Every
term Teaching Assistants review the progress made by those students for whom they
act as keyworkers. This demands detailed knowledge of the student based on time
spent with them and discussion with family. It also requires co-ordinating
feedback from teachers and collating information from assessments to review the
progress made and what the next steps should be. This is essential work that
binds the triad of school, home and child. It also directly influences the
level of support arranged by the SENDCo and the approaches taken by teachers.
In
classrooms Teaching Assistants play an active role in making sure students can
access learning. This takes many forms and includes activities such as reading
text aloud, breaking down information into manageable chunks, or providing models
and scaffolds that over time increase students’ independence. It is always the
aim of teaching assistants to start with the least amount of help that is
possible. Research confirms this is the most effective approach to securing
rapid progress, increasing confidence, and developing students’ autonomy. SENDCOs
should work closely with TAs and teachers to embed
strong communication; teachers who liaise closely with TAs
about the needs of students and how these can be met in the classroom see the greatest
success.
This
short article can only begin to explain the diversity of tasks TAs undertake.
Whether checking for and removing nits, managing those in fight / flight mode, or
giving up lunch time to speak with a psychologist or offer advice to a
colleague, Teaching Assistant s always keep the children’s interests at the
heart of what they do.
Inclusive organisations are committed
to adapting and increasing the level of support students require to meet high standards and Teaching Assistants are an essential part of this good quality practice.
Without them some of the most vulnerable students would be further
disadvantaged but the care, professionalism, and humility that TAs display mean
they are an asset to schools.
