Difficulties in identifying good practice approaches to the deployment of teaching assistants (TAs) are nothing new. Ever since the Sutton Trust and Deployment and Impact of Support Staff (DISS) reports first surfaced between 2008 and 20121,2, the value and place of TAs in our schools has been continually questioned. The assertion that many TAs are having a neutral and, in some cases, a negative influence on pupil attainment is significant cause for concern. Clearly, the government is unsure of their stance on TAs, choosing not to publish the long awaited new TA standards and instead leaving it to the unions to take the plunge.3
Why the concern?
Uncertainty around the role of TAs is entirely justified when we consider the widespread problematic nature of their current deployment. For a start, it is widely acknowledged that TAs spend the majority of their working day supporting children identified with special educational needs (SEN), or those struggling to access the learning in the main classroom. Consequently, we often have a situation in which the most vulnerable and arguably most ‘challenging to teach’ children are spending a large proportion of their time with the lowest qualified adults in a classroom. It is, therefore, not a surprise that this scenario isn’t always having positive results in terms of pupils’ academic progress.
When we also consider that there are significant difficulties with TAs’ management across our schools, with staff in different positions holding the responsibility for managing TAs, and the dearth of relevant training opportunities available for TAs, the severity of the problem becomes clear. The roles that TAs undertake on a daily basis are hugely varied and the level of skills, knowledge and experience that TAs bring to those roles are more varied still. Therefore, a ‘one size fits all’ approach isn’t appropriate.
There are over 200,000 TAs in English primary schools alone and, as a workforce, they cost the government in excess of £4 billion a year. Consequently, many of the aforementioned difficulties associated with their role are positioning TAs as an easy target for cuts. Some Local Authorities have announced significant cuts to TAs’ wages in recent weeks. Durham’s decision to reduce TAs’ pay by up to 23 per cent will have a huge influence on the workforce, especially when we take into account that the average TA in Durham currently earns around £15,000 a year.
Yet, many large scale research studies, including my own recently completed doctoral study into the role of TAs, have highlighted that schools overwhelmingly deem TAs to be indispensable in the smooth running of school life. So, where does their value lie, and how can we make the case for their continued employment?
How should TAs be used?
The Education Endowment Foundation published a report in Spring 2015 which, for the first time in recent years, attempted to highlight effective practical approaches to the deployment of TAs in our schools.4 Approaches such as ‘use TAs to add value to what teachers do, not replace them’ were an important step forward, yet, in many cases would involve a significant organisational shift if they were to be implemented well.