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  • Support for early career teachers
  • Education Development Trust
  • Year 1: Second half-term: a people profession
    • Summer week 4

    Mentor materials

    Building effective relationships with teaching assistants

    Intended outcomes

    The intended outcomes of this session are for Early Career Teachers to:

    Learn that:

    • Teaching assistants (TAs) can support pupils more effectively when they are prepared for lessons by teachers, and when TAs supplement rather than replace support from teachers

    Learn how to provide opportunity for all pupils to experience success, by:

    • Making effective use of teaching assistants

    Learn how to build effective working relationships, by:

    • Sharing the intended lesson outcomes with teaching assistants ahead of lessons
    • Ensuring that support provided by teaching assistants in lessons is additional to, rather than a replacement for, support from the teacher

    Activities

    Reflecting on learning (10 minutes)

    Start the session by asking the ECT what they learned from their observation of a teaching assistant working with a teacher. For example, did they notice how the teacher and teaching assistant worked together to support each other, and the impact this had on the learning of all pupils in the class.

    Working with teaching assistants (TAs) (15 minutes)

    Together with the ECT read Handout 6.2, which summarises evidence from research about teaching assistants. Discuss with the ECT what they think the key points are in the article.

    In relation to the ECT’s current practice discuss:

    • When have they identified activities where the TA can supplement learning?
    • How have they provided support for the TA so that they understand how they can work together effectively?
    • How do they ensure that they do not reduce their support or input to the pupils who are supported by the TA?
    • How do they evaluate how successfully they work with the TA based on pupil learning?

    Ideas for developing effective working with TAs (25 minutes)

    The ECT may have already engaged with Activity 6.5 in the self-directed study materials, where there are ideas for working effectively with teaching assistants. In this part of the session, mentors should support the ECT to plan to try out some of the ideas in practice.

    To support this, Handout 6.3 provides one school’s approach to clarifying the roles a TA could undertake. Before starting planning, rate (using red-amber-green) the suggestions in Handout 6.2 to identify approaches the ECT is currently using, and strategies they could consider to further develop their working relationships with teaching assistants.

    The ECT should understand that:

    • It is their responsibility to prepare the TA for their lessons by sharing learning outcomes and learning plans.
    • Joint planning of the TA’s role in the lesson enables the ECT and the TA to use their expertise appropriately.
    • Support provided by the TA in lessons is in addition to, rather than a replacement for, support from the teacher.
    • The most vulnerable pupils should have access to the most expert teaching (e.g. from the ECT themselves).

    Planning for action

    Before the next mentor session, the ECT should speak to three colleagues and ask them:

    • What do you do to support your wellbeing?
    • Do you have any tips for managing workload?