Making Best use of Teaching Assistants Mobilise Project October 2016

The Facts!

Education Endowment Foundation Using and implementing guidance from the EEF report https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/our-work/campaigns/making-best-use-of-teaching-assistants

Mobilise Mobilise Project Following the LLP (Lincolnshire Learning Partnership) launch event on 22 April 2016, Lincolnshire Teaching Schools Together (LTT), in partnership with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), and the LLP is implementing its first school improvement project. The goal of the MOBILISE project is to ensure that school leaders in ALL Lincolnshire schools are supported to act on the research regarding the impact of teaching assistants in the classroom. Supported by the EEF, Lincolnshire Teaching Schools will work to create a structured network of school clusters to enable rapid implementation of research findings. Carla and Rosie leading this at St Francis and work will be carried out throughout this academic year.

The Findings

Recommendation 1: T.A should not be used as informal teaching for lower attaining pupils. Drift towards T.As taking on role of primary educator and resulting in lower learning outcomes

Recommendation 2: Use T.A’s to add value to what teachers do: not replace them. Break away from ‘Velcro’ model Supplement teachers work, not replacing or repeating exactly what teacher has just said. Complete RAG Rating 1 and 2

Recommendation 3: Use T.A’s to help pupils develop independent learning skills and manage own learning Give pupils least amount of help first. Leaning should be differentiated to allow for independent work. What are T.A’s being used for? If its recording work, what could you use to allow it to be independent working ie: Use Clicker, Ipads, video recordings, voice notes instead.

Knowing how to approach problems or find things to help Questionswords, pictures Consider how the resources can meet these needs Modelling ‘Big news’ at the moment. Look at framework above. Bearing your type of child/class in mind, discuss what this looks like in the area in which you work. Complete Rag Rating 3

Level One (2-3 year olds) Questions relate to the immediate environment and require concrete thinking. Examples include: “What is that?” “What can you see?” “Find one like this” “What is — doing?” “Is it a —?” (yes/no response) Level Two (3-4 year olds) Involve some analysis such as classifying/ grouping objects, describing and understanding object functions. “Find something that can …(cut)” “What is happening in this picture?” “Where is the…?” (requires a location response e.g. “under the table” not just pointing “Find something that is …(red) and …(spiky)” “How are these different?” “Which one is … (a fruit)?” Level Three (4-5 year olds) Require child to use their own knowledge to make basic predictions, assume the role of another, or make generalizations. Begin to use higher-order thinking skills. “What will happen next?” “How do you think he feels?” “How do I make… (a sandwich)?” “How are these the same?” “What is a …?” (definitions) Level Four (5 years +). Involve problem solving, predictions, solutions and explanations. Require own knowledge and thinking about the future and past. Predicting changes: “What will happen if…?” Solutions: “What should we do now?” Causes: “How did that happen?” Justifying: “Why can’t we …eat ice-cream with a knife and fork?” Explanations: “How can we tell he is sad?”

Recommendation 4: Ensure T Recommendation 4: Ensure T.A’s are fully prepared for role in classroom. Teachers to differentiate tasks, not T.A’s Sufficient time for teachers and T.A’s to meet. Complete next Rag assessment

Recommendation 5: Use T.A’s to deliver high quality one to one and small group interventions Need to be structured and of high quality Currently there are mainstream interventions we can look at or develop our own Things such as precision teaching and toe-by-toe already delivered.

Recommendation 6: Adopt evidence based interventions to support T Recommendation 6: Adopt evidence based interventions to support T.A’s in their role Sessions which are brief and carried out regularly are effective Careful timetabling Structured support, clear objectives Assess and measure outcomes Complete RAG

Recommendation 7: Ensure explicit connections are made between everyday classroom learning and interventions Ensure learning extends classroom work and is linked to classroom work. Pupils may not make links themselves. (E.G. Consider what their AAC targets are and use consistently in class)

Levels of support

http://maximisingtas.co.uk/apps/8a456f82c 3/