Making the Most of Teaching Assistants

Roger Smith

2655ePackOct 01978 1 84070 443 3

Optimising staffing

With the Local Authority Standards Fund grant for training teaching assistants and the Government pledge to employ more non-teaching staff, management of teaching assistants has become an important issue in schools. Those schools that use them effectively are able to manage pupils and support teaching and learning more effectively, thereby raising attainment.

This pack will help you to clarify how teaching assistants can take on various aspects of the teacher's role; work with groups of children; develop the skills of children with Special Educational Needs; work with the more able generally; and improve conditions in crowded classrooms.

Professional development

Making the Most of Teaching Assistants sets out how they can work both alongside teachers and under their direction; following instructions as well as using their initiative for the benefit of pupils. Furthermore, it will help you to plan a programme of professional development for teaching assistants and support them in developing their own individual skills.

Contents

• Introduction
• What do your teaching assistants do?
• Raising standards
• Performance management
• Working with teachers
• Emotional and behavioural difficulties
• Learning difficulties
• Useful skills when working with children
• References