Key Attributes of an Effective Teaching Assistant in Schools

Hi everyone I’m Natalie from My-Progression and this video is about, “what makes a great Teaching Assistant”. When I say Teaching Assistant I mean Learning Support Assistants or Learning Support Practitioner

basically anyone in a supporting role in a school. For simplicity I’m just going to use TA. You’re already doing a great job but as education professionals its our responsibility

to continuously challenge ourselves to be the best we can be. This video is for Teaching Assistants who want to reflect and refine their practice or anyone looking to start a career in education.

A TA is the very best and most valued resource a classroom can have! Today we are going to explore the many attributes that a good Teaching Assistant will have which will complement and support the teacher as well as aid encourage and enhance the learning

experience for the pupil. Some of this might seem obvious but take this opportunity to reflect can you do more? I have been told on numerous occasions that being a Teaching Assistant is one of the most

satisfying jobs within a school. When putting this training together we have looked at the opinions of teaching staff Teaching Assistants themselves along with the perception of the pupils to decide what makes a good

TA. For clarification I know that TA stands for Teaching Assistant but by the end of this video we should all agree that it should stand for totally amazing!

The National Careers Service describes a role of a Teaching Assistant as someone who supports teachers and helps children with reading writing and learning activities. We all know it’s so much more than that!

… I’m going to talk through what a great TA looks like: The relationship with the Teacher in the classroom is crucial and… A great Teaching Assistant will need to: Build excellent professional relationships:

The Teachers and support staff need to have a good working relationship so that they can carry out what is required to be able to deliver the lesson planned, and support the children in the class.

A great TA will communicate well: The TA will likely be feeding back a great deal of important information about how the child or group they have been working with has managed. The observations from the TA in the classroom can be crucial to making professional decisions

about children’s learning. It’s important to always state clearly and objectively what you have noticed throughout the day.

A great TA will support the class Teacher with whatever they need. This may be supporting practically with photocopying finding resources adapting resources and discussing appropriate work for children.

A great TA will be that extra pair of eyes in the classroom: A Teaching Assistant is likely to be in for the main delivery of the lesson and this is where they can support the Teacher as an extra pair of eyes to observe the class.

Which children are engaged and concentrating? Who needs to be kept on track? It’s so easy for the teacher to be unaware of the low level disruption when delivering

a lesson but that extra pair of eyes will be able to feed back to the teacher: "Billy was trying to distract Evan constantly throughout the lesson; tomorrow I’ll sit near them."

This feedback makes the teacher more aware of pupils to watch out for and is invaluable. That extra pair of eyes can pick up on other issues and notice changes in pupil’s behaviour or mood which may indicate an issue.

They may notice that Sam is looking tired and unable to concentrate; is there a reason to this? A lot of the time it’s the TA that the children will go to, often around the photocopier,

to disclose something. This brings with it added responsibilities and it is because of this unique role with the children that a TA may find themselves privy to information that may need acting

upon. So a teaching assistant needs to be fully aware of the safeguarding protocol in school and who the designated lead is in school.

It is often through good observational skills, along with gleaning information through the informal chatter that occurs amongst pupils that little worrying pieces of information come to light.

Full training through school should be given but see our video on How to take action with a Safeguarding concern for more information on how to handle that situation. And whilst you’re there like and subscribe to keep seeing more from My-Progression.

****A great teaching assistant is the eyes and ears which may be crucial to protecting a child. As a great TA you and the Teacher should be a double act in the classroom.

Sometimes if a TA is aware that the children aren’t “getting it” they can act as an advocate for the class by taking on the role of the child: "Mr Brown I’m really sorry but can you explain that to me again as I just didn’t get that

method?" It should be agreed upon beforehand that this is what you will do if you spot the class getting lost so that the Teacher understands that that tricky long division method needs

explaining again! Sometimes in class the TA will be the one to help the children with answers to boost confidence: “OOH!

Mr Brown! Rory knows the answer to this!” or “Robyn has a fabulous idea for our shared writing would you like to hear about it?”

The TA is empowering the children in a nurturing and supportive environment whilst openly assisting the Teacher in the lesson and making sure that all are understanding the classroom situation. A great TA will have excellent subject knowledge across the curriculum.

The TA in any class has to have a good grip on the curriculum so good research skills and the ability to keep one step ahead of the children is key. A TA may be supporting in a science class and need some knowledge of solids gases and

liquids. Prior communication with the Teacher may allow time for a little research to be able to support children.

TAs are required to have a high standard of education so it is presumed that any TA will be able to support. A great TA will support small groups and provide additional teaching: If the TA notices that

some children are struggling they will sit with them go over the task again and support their learning. Again it’s important to feedback to the Teacher what you’ve done.

"Emma and her group just needed me to go over the properties of quadrilaterals so they didn’t finish the work but I feel they do understand more clearly now." Good ICT skills.

Anyone working in teaching needs to have a basic level of ICT skills as this will enable access to a wealth of resources to support the teacher and children. Many TAs are also asked to write reports and input data.

The use of ICT across the curriculum is embedded and so requires some level of competency. There is no doubt that a Teaching Assistant is a satisfying and busy job and so the ability to work under pressure is essential too.

From the moment a TA walks into school there are things to do; it may be photocopying liaising with the Teacher preparing for the child or children you are working with or preparing resources.

Being efficient and competent and the ability to plan your tasks will support you in your organisation. Be prepared to say NO when things are overwhelming or ask for time to be able to complete the

work. Marking and recording pupil progress is a skill required at times. A trusted TA may take responsibility for small groups of children and take on the responsibility

of marking and recording the data. Motivating children is essential. The heart of the good TA will be with the child.

So praise, encourage, motivate, care and nurture all children so they feel safe in their learning environment. It’s not always an easy task with some children and this is where a TA can make the world

of difference to a child and how they feel about learning. Sometimes that child just needs one person to give them a bit of extra attention and that could genuinely change their life!

A more experienced TA may be asked to step in to cover classes for the Teacher from time to time. This would usually be discussed beforehand and agreed to by all however sometimes in

an emergency a TA may be left with the class. Being confident and in control is a skill too! Just keeping the children on track or recapping on what the Teacher has said is ideal.

The ability to praise and encourage will help motivate and support behaviour management. As you already know, a teaching assistant has many roles but the main one is to assist and support the teacher whilst also assisting and helping the children to learn.

To be able to support the children effectively, the TA needs to build great relationships with the children in school. The teaching assistant has their feet in both camps; the professional work related camp

alongside the children’s world. They are often the bridge between those two Worlds and therefore need to have excellent relationships with both staff and children.

Children when asked see a good TA as someone who they can relate to and approach to ask for help not just in the academic capacity but also in the social and personal aspects. It is so very often the TA who is told by a child that they are feeling unwell or upset

or anxious. To recap a great TA will: Build excellent professional relationships Communicate well Support the class teacher with whatever they

need Be that extra pair of eyes in the classroom Be fully aware of the safeguarding protocol in school Should be a double act with the teacher in the classroom

Have excellent subject knowledge across the curriculum Will support small groups and provide additional teaching Have Good ICT skills Have the ability to work under pressure

Be able to Mark and record pupil progress Be able to Motivate children Be confident and in control And build great relationships with the children in school That’s a lot so hats off to all our great

TAs! You may be watching this thinking ‘I know someone who’d make a great Teaching Assistant! Send this to them.

TAs are needed more than you may know! I’ve been Natalie from My-Progression and if you’ve found this video has helped upskill your practice then why not check out the rest of our channel for more videos on working

in education, and make sure you like and subscribe to keep hearing more from My-Progression. If you have any further tips or advice on this topic please do get in touch and share your experiences in the comments below!

We are all in this together! And as always… let’s keep your career… in motion.