Teaching assistants (TAs) are adults who work alongside teachers to support learning in the classroom. This evidence summary focuses specifically on studies in which TAs are deployed in structured interventions aimed at improving pupil outcomes.
Structured interventions are targeted programmes designed to strengthen a particular aspect of teaching and learning in order to accelerate pupil progress. Their focus may be broad, such as improving reading, writing, or behaviour, or more specific depending on identified need.
The role of a TA goes beyond interventions. It is wide-ranging, adaptable, and highly context-specific. Responsibilities may include supporting pupils’ learning during lessons; helping teachers to prepare resources and deliver instruction; and working in partnership with families, particularly to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Guidance on effective TA deployment across all areas of practice is available in the Deployment of Teaching Assistants from the Education Endowment Foundation.
Teaching assistants can provide a large positive impact on learner outcomes, however, how they are deployed is key.
There is strong evidence for structured, time-limited, targeted interventions that improve attainment outcomes for pupils.
High quality teaching is the best lever to improve outcomes for all pupils, including pupils with SEND and pupils experiencing disadvantage.
Whilst structured interventions can improve outcomes, these should not become a barrier to pupils accessing high quality classroom teaching or lead to lengthy removal from lessons.
There is growing evidence to suggest that TAs can be deployed to support and develop pupils’ behaviour for learning, social emotional learning, self-regulation, and metacognition.
Evidence suggests a positive impact on pupil outcomes when TAs are deployed in this way.
The average impact of teaching assistant interventions is equivalent to around three additional months of progress over a year. Positive effects are found in both primary and secondary school settings.
Wider research suggests that pairing TAs ad-hoc with individual pupils does not improve outcomes. There are several possible reasons for this, including reduced time spent with the class teacher and an overreliance on TA support, which may hinder pupils’ independent learning.
As well as helping to deliver interventions, TAs can promote progress for pupils in more indirect ways. For example, teachers report the benefits in terms of workload and reduced stress from working with TAs. There is also evidence that working with TAs can support classroom behaviour and pupils’ social-emotional learning.
In England, positive effects have been found in studies where teaching assistants deliver high-quality structured interventions over a finite period and link learning to classroom teaching. However, leaders should carefully consider the fit and feasibility of implementing a programme.
Examples of promising programmes include:
- Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI)
- FFT Reciprocal Reading
- 1stClass@Number1
Most studies in the strand were targeted interventions conducted in primary schools where the impact is typically slightly higher than for secondary age pupils.
Most of the evidence relates to reading and other aspects of literacy. Whilst still positive, the impact is slightly lower for mathematics in primary schools.
The vast majority of effective approaches involve targeted small group or one-to-one interventions. However, positive effects were still recorded in studies that included larger group sizes.
Time-limited interventions (up to 20 weeks) were more effective at improving pupil outcomes. It may also be beneficial to ensure the interventions are short in duration and of regular frequency.
Teaching assistant interventions can be beneficial for all pupil groups. When pupils experiencing disadvantage also have low prior attainment, deploying TAs to lead well-planned structured interventions may promote pupil progress.
However, this should not lead to pupils having less access to high-quality teaching in everyday classroom environments as this may widen the attainment gap and negatively impact pupil progress.
More support and information for supporting pupils experiencing disadvantage can be found in the EEF’s Guide to the Pupil Premium.
In the most effective examples, leadership teams, teachers, and TAs work together to ensure a well-aligned approach. While finding time to meet face to face can be challenging due to working patterns and limited planning and preparation time, providing access to shared planning resources, pupil information, and wider strategic priorities can help.
As well as deploying TAs to support interventions, settings may wish to train and support TAs to scaffold learning. A TA might model and prompt the use of planners and visual timers for pupils to monitor their learning during a task and to encourage focus and on-task behaviour, support positive self-reflection by posing questions, and encourage and prompt positive self-talk to maintain motivation. The extent to which the TA supports pupils may reduce over time as they develop their independence.
When introducing new approaches, schools should consider implementation. For more information see Putting Evidence to Work – A School’s Guide to Implementation.
Overall, the median costs of implementing teaching assistant interventions are estimated as moderate. The costs associated with the effective deployment of teaching assistants arise from staff salary expenses, the majority of which are recurring costs.
Whilst the median cost estimate for the effective deployment of teaching assistant interventions is moderate, differences in training and resource costs through specific teaching assistant taught programmes or interventions means that costs can range from very low to high. Evidence suggests that the more effective approaches are structured and involve high-quality support and training, so it is important that teaching assistants have professional development in the pedagogy and content of the specific intervention they are expected to use.
These cost estimates assume that schools are already paying for teacher time to work with and support teaching assistants, and the facilities and materials required to implement a teaching assistant intervention. These are all pre-requisite costs of using teaching assistant interventions, without which the cost is likely to be higher.
The security of the evidence around teaching assistant interventions is rated as moderate. 65 studies were identified.
Overall, the topic lost an additional padlock because a large percentage of the studies were not independently evaluated. Evaluations conducted by organisations connected with the approach – for example, commercial providers, typically have larger impacts, which may influence the overall impact.
Guidance Reports
Making Best Use of Teaching Assistants
Guidance Reports