Effective practice in the use of teaching/support assistants to support pupils with SEN in mainstream schools

Introductory Activity Work with a partner. Find out the following about your partner: Name Role in school Type of school – primary, secondary, mainstream How many teaching assistants supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SENDs) work at their school? What do TAs, who support pupils with SENDs do in their school?

Effective practice in the use of teaching/support assistants to support pupils with SEN in mainstream schools What does current research tell us about practice?

The effective use of Teaching Assistants Research Special Educational Needs and Disability: Towards Inclusive School (Ofsted 2004) Inclusion: does it matter where pupils are taught? (Ofsted 2006) Deployment and Impact of Support Staff Project (DISS) (DCSF/London IoE. 2009) The Impact of adult support staff on pupils and mainstream schools (DCSF/London IoE, 2009) Lamb Inquiry Report (2009) Workforce Reform: has it made a difference? (Ofsted, 2010) The special educational needs and disability review (Ofsted, 2010) Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability – The Green Paper (March 2011) Toolkit of Strategies to Improve Learning: Summary for schools spending the Pupil Premium. (The Sutton Trust, 2011)

Findings TA support can mean that pupils have too few opportunities to work independently. TAs generally support the lowest attaining pupils When TA support was available, teachers were less likely to plan tasks so that pupils with SEN could undertake them successfully. Pupils with TA support as the main type of provision made less academic progress than pupils with access to specialist teaching. TAs could not substitute for focused, highly skilled teaching.

Findings Limited observation of TA practice or evaluation of their impact on pupil outcomes. Consistent negative relationship between the amount of support a pupil received and the progress they made in English and mathematics. The more support pupils received, the less progress they made.

Findings When TA/pupil interaction increases, teacher/pupil interaction decreases Support is ‘alternative’ not ‘additional’ to teacher TA support for some pupils had little consistent impact on non-supported pupils.

Findings TAs took responsibility for tasks away from pupils TAs prioritised the end products of tasks TA support was reactive and unplanned TAs ‘close down’ rather than ‘open up’ talk and conceptual understanding TA explanations were sometimes inaccurate or confusing. TAs more frequently supplied pupils with answers.

Focus on the end product of tasks rather than the pupils’ learning. Try not to do it so fast and you might do it a bit neater. [And later] Oh, that’s looking super now. Feedback to student engaged in a writing task to demonstrate understanding of different types of genres.

Supplying the Answer You need to explain what that phrase is telling you, Veronica. Does it make you feel that she’s angry for him, or she’s upset for him, or... ? Use whatever word you feel. You need to say that Grace Nicols feels upset... because he’s now living in London.

Findings Little opportunity for joint planning or assessment between TAs and Teachers Teachers lacked the skills to manage and evaluate the work of TAs. Teachers identified the benefits of TA support but did not always consider whether such support made a difference to pupils’ learning. General support in class made less of a difference to pupils’ learning.

Findings TAs had a positive effect on teachers’ workload, level of job satisfaction and levels of stress. Teachers felt that TAs had a positive effect on the quality of teaching. TAs had a positive effect on the overall amount of individual attention and on classroom control.

Findings TAs provided informal and personalised interactions TAs aided engagement TAs provided immediate support and differentiation. TAs, when they are prepared and trained for specific curricular interventions, with support and guidance from a teacher, show positive effects on pupil progress.

Findings The most effective practice occurred when: all staff had a clear understanding of their own roles and those of others. there was collaborative planning between teachers and support staff there was a shared understanding of what constituted good learning there was direct involvement of support staff in assessing and recording pupils’ progress

Findings TAs who had qualifications and training that were directly relevant to the specific areas in which they were working had the greatest impact on learning. High quality performance management which focused on the impact of TA support on pupils’ learning were effective in developing a new culture of professionalism and accountability.

Impact on pupil progress and achievement Most studies have consistently found very small or no effects on attainment.... There is some evidence that there is a greater impact when teaching assistants are given a particular pedagogical role or responsibility in specific curriculum interventions where the effect appears to be greater, particularly with training and support. Even here, however, comparisons with qualified teachers suggest they are consistently less effective (achieving about half the gains compared with qualified teachers.

Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability – The Green Paper (March 2011) Within schools, support staff can make a real difference to the achievement of pupils with SEN, but they need to be deployed and used effectively in order to do so..... However, teaching assistant time should never be a substitute for teaching from a qualified teacher. Too often, the most vulnerable pupils are supported almost exclusively by teaching assistants. This practice is not acceptable. Children with SEN need more, not less, time withy the school’s most skilled and qualified teachers.

Classroom deployment Better value for money in schools (March 2011) The Audit Commission In summary, the use of teaching assistants may hold the greatest potential for efficiency savings from classroom deployment. A large number of schools do not use teaching assistants at all, while their impact on teaching hours and attainment has been inconclusive.

Questions for school leaders, governing bodies and councils How have you considered the role and responsibilities of teaching assistants in your school? How have you communicated these roles and responsibilities to the rest of the school workforce, parents and pupils. How have you reviewed how your teaching assistants have reduced teacher workloads, and supported improved educational attainment? How have you considered the contribution your teaching assistants have made to help achieve the schools’ objectives and outcomes for pupils? What is the quality of support, performance management, training and development for the teaching assistants in your school? How do you know if the use of teaching assistants in your school has had positive or negative impact on pupils in your school?

Disability Discrimination The recent decision by a primary school to permanently exclude a boy for scratching a teacher caused controversy when the High Court concluded they had been discriminatory due to not making reasonable adjustments for his ADHD.

Disability Discrimination None of the LSAs at the school had been offered training regarding ADHD and the school had not enlisted the advice of the access to learning specialist team prior to the incident. This was considered as a failure to make reasonable adjustments.

Final Words! I wish they could make it so I could get around the school with no helper. It is like having your mum with you all the time. (Year 6 pupil, PD )

Final Words! The teacher’s talking and all the time Miss [TA] is sitting near me telling me what she [the teacher] is saying. It is hard for me to look at both of them. I want to know what the teacher is saying but I’m supposed to look at Miss [TA]. I can’t follow two of them together. (Year 7 pupil, HI)

Final Words! My assistant always comes over and tries to help me. He doesn’t always know what he is talking about and I would prefer the teacher to help me but if I tell the teaching assistant I want the teacher to help and not him, he gets angry. (Year 8 pupil, PD)

Consider What are the implications for schools as a result of the findings and recommendations of research? Identify the top key challenge for your school in responding to the outcomes of the research.