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The Sutton Trust report

The Sutton Trust report. “The use of teaching assistants has been shown to have very little impact on pupil attainment...”. TA’s: Equal and crucial practitioners. Robert Stafford-Williams Woodside High School. Qualities for TAs to ensure they are equal and crucial practitioners. TAs:

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The Sutton Trust report

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  1. The Sutton Trust report “The use of teaching assistants has been shown to have very little impact on pupil attainment...”

  2. TA’s: Equal and crucial practitioners Robert Stafford-Williams Woodside High School

  3. Qualities for TAs to ensure they are equal and crucial practitioners TAs: • Highly educated, highly skilled graduates • Use of TAs is constructive, focused and creatively applied.

  4. Teaching assistants at Woodside are key members of staff. We put work in to ensure their ability in key areas of student achievement such as: • Increasing baseline attainment, regardless of any students learning needs • Developing whole school initiatives in the form of school projects and extracurricular activities • Providing pastoral support to handle any issues developing that may hinder student progress

  5. Teaching Assistant Structure

  6. TA Communication flow Teachers

  7. Q: In what ways does your school make use of Teaching Assistants to address students issues with specific subjects or specific learning needs?

  8. Raising attainment • Boosters based on subject specialism; science boosters/ exam practise, foundation maths skills support • Boosters based on learning needs; LUCID Exact screen for comprehension and language needs, and then progress onto: • phonics software for language; TAs with experience and strong rapport to handle behaviour as some students start off rejecting such foundation level exercises. • comprehension classes with English specialists for comprehension needs. • Re-screen! TAs trained to go through results. • Important career development opportunity: TAs learn about screening processes and specific areas of learning need. The school benefits from this increased knowledge base.

  9. Year 11 coursework intervention: • A common practise in schools but a very important one. The focus in Woodside is on highly skilled and educated TAs providing specialist support

  10. For example... • Bilal Din, Year 11 • Stargardt Disease; visual impairment to the point of near blindness. • A contingent of the Teaching Assistant team are specially assigned to support Bilal’s access to the work. This has been actioned in several ways • The production of high quality MP3 audio files • The graphic re-production of exam paper images to ensure that the blown up image has a high enough resolution for his very limited eyesight. • The school have provided an iPad to assist him in his studies; allowing document navigation, audio file use, Dropbox app use. Independent access, independent revision, independent learning • This is on top of the one-to-one coursework support where TAs talk through the assignment and allow him to vocally form his coursework; indirect practise of exam format.

  11. The results of this support: • FROM: • C/D average at the start of year 10 across all subjects • TO: • A* in Applied Business controlled Assessment and on track to get at least an A • On the A/B borderline for Maths, Science and English and All his other subjects

  12. The effect of highly skilled and highly educated TAs!

  13. “Effective feedback has the most impact on pupil progress...can increase a child’s progress by up to 9 months”

  14. Effective feedback • Teaching Assistant receive training on providing effective feedback to students from Woodside’s AST • TAs give feedback written in books or in post-it note form • Feedback relates to levels/grade of knowledge they are working on, and need to work towards • Feedback based on particular issues specific students have so they are aware of progress

  15. Q: In what ways does your school raise the profile of Teaching Assistants?

  16. Raising the profile of TAs • The TA’s at Woodside are held to maintain a high standard and maintain a professional image. • Termly Observation cycles • Knowledge of student’s needs • Knowledge of class attainment • Ability to apply this knowledge to effectively support and improve the students outcomes • Ensure outstanding quality of support alongside outstanding teaching • Coaching opportunity to develop and maintain the standards of TAs whether they are new or experienced.

  17. Added benefit: period of focus for Teachers and TAs to jointly develop their practise

  18. Creation and contribution to Target/Strategy Documents for individual students • Learning passports • Benefit from TAs close working relationship with the students • Experience with what works... And what doesn’t! • Used by all teaching staff, unlike old IEPs which ended up complicated and impersonal.

  19. These strategies and further techniques used by teaching staff and those with pastoral roles are shared by TAs in short mini-presentations after briefing to all teaching staff • TAs can go on to closely monitor how these (and any) new strategies and forms of differentiation are allowing independent access. No loss of teacher contact with any students.

  20. Q: What Pastoral roles do your TAs take on in school.

  21. Pastoral roles • Co-tutors; • in a position to closely monitor attendance and punctuality alongside close classroom performance. • Catching issues, forwarding concerns (head of year , child protection staff) • Key worker; under development • Strong knowledge of attainment, strategies and progress for key students • Contact point for parents or teachers

  22. Q: What whole school initiatives do you involve your TAs in

  23. Whole School Initiatives • Separate educational projects; • bursaries applied for such as our maths project • some students come into our school without primary school level maths skills; bursary funded for visual aids and maniplulatives (cards, counters, “pretend cash and change”) • Sports coaching; • Those who have proven their professinalism and have a balanced attitude to education and sport additional training to develop our young football teams • going with them to fixtures to maintain consistent support which helps forge productive attitudes.

  24. Raising attainment • Effective feedback • Needs based interventions provided by well trained TAs • Skilled development of resources for Tas • Raising profile • Observation cycles to ensure quality • Involvement in strategy development • Pastoral support • Co-tutors; link classroom support to attendance to ensure well being • Key workers; point of contact and champion for individuals • Whole school initiatives • Educational project opportunities; attaining funding and resources • Sports involvement • Professional development opportunities; previous TAs Teachers, HOY

  25. Make use of, and invest in developing their skills to have a team of highly qualified and talented teaching assistants • Make use of the close working relationships with students to ensure TAs are raising attainment and ensuring that children are achieving the outcomes they aspire to.

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