The evidence is clear: poor TA deployment has a negative impact on pupil attainment. This INSET is designed to up-skill Teaching Assistants, providing a practical toolkit of strategies for 1:1 & small group support.
Schools in England employ 380,000+ Teaching Assistants and the average school spend on Teaching Assistants is about £200,000 per year. Despite this massive financial investment, research shows that outcomes from TA support can be inconsistent and even negative in terms ofstudent attainment. Crucially, when TAs work in structured settings with high quality support and training, their impact on attainment increases to approximately three to four additional months’ progress (effect size 0.2–0.3). Therefore, it is essential that schools unlock the potential of this often poorly deployed and undervalued group of professionals through high quality CPD.
This Masterclass will review relevant research findings and clarify the foundations needed to maximise the impact of this significant part of the education workforce. Teaching Assistants will receive the practical guidance needed to implement evidence-based approaches in the classroom, and in 1-1 and small group interventions.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Teaching Assistants/Learning Support Assistants, SENDCos or Senior Leaders reviewing the effectiveness of TAs in their school, Cover supervisors, Supply teachers and other Support Staff such as School Librarians & Technicians
KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES
This Masterclass/session will enable you to:
Clarifying the role of Teaching Assistant: How TAs can add value to teacher led instruction
How metacognition and skilful questioning promotes independent & reflective learning.
How TAs can become Scaffolding Experts
How purposeful talk and explicit vocabulary tuition scaffold oracy in the classroom
Supporting literacy & numeracy using evidence-based TA-led interventions
Understanding the causes of challenging behaviour
How motivation can be fostered through a skills-based approach to progress
FACILITATOR
Amanda is a freelance SEND consultant, executive function coach, conference speaker and trainer specialising in all aspects of SEND, neurodiversity and whole school approaches that support students with learning differences.
With over 15 years’ experience leading on SEND & Inclusion in schools, as Assistant Head Teacher, Head of Learning Support, DDSL and Wellbeing Lead, Amanda understands the demands of integrating SEND support within the wider, complex context of whole-school management.
Now working as a consultant, Amanda supports parents and schools who often seek guidance when they have reached crisis point due to lack of engagement from overstretched local authority services. She is passionate about delivering neurodiversity awareness training as she believes that effective whole school approaches and adaptive teaching strategies support teachers, help to avoid crisis and promote positive outcomes for all pupils.
In her private practice as an executive function coach, Amanda works individually with young people and adults with Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and mental health challenges to recover their self-esteem and confidence and acquire new skills to achieve the outcomes they seek in education or on their journey through life. new skills to achieve the outcomes they seek in education or on their journey through life.
