Tips for Teaching Assistants

Teaching assistants are often the unsung heroes of our classrooms. The work you do can have a profound impact on the smooth flow of learning, as well as the lives of the young people around you. The role of teaching assistant can be so varied that it is hard to define. From supporting pupils one to one and working in small groups, to problem solving on the hoof, and managing the class for a few minutes (hopefully!), one of the key attributes of a teaching assistant is to be flexible and up for any challenge that comes your way — usually at short notice!

Here are some of my top tips for people in the role of teaching assistant, or those who might just need to feel good about what they do, because you are amazing people!

Play to Your Strengths

Teachers are often run off their feet, and your ability to bring your own strengths into the classroom can lighten their load. If you’re brilliant at displays, artistic, organized, or tech-savvy, these talents can greatly enhance the learning environment. You will be appreciated for helping out with anything related to the broader curriculum and the look and feel of the classroom. Offer your help with the things you love doing, that someone else may find a chore. Enrol the pupils in this or join staff teams with the responsibilities that float your boat. This is a way to become a vital cog in the school machinery while doing what you do best.

Plan Ahead

Get to know what future topics your class will cover. Become a mini expert on the topic so that you can engage in conversations with the pupils. If it's a history topic, research it on CGP+ and save some little gems of information to share in the lessons. You might even suggest a great resource that the teacher could use, one that they may not have spotted. Equally, by boning up on the content, you will feel more confident and knowledgeable when you work with groups or individuals and have to give feedback on learning.

In the same vein, make it your business to know what the lessons for the week ahead will look like. You might be facing a new topic, some tricky maths or grammar — particularly in upper Key Stage 2. If you were put on the spot, how confident would you feel in supporting pupils who are struggling? In many cases, teaching assistants are given pupils who are having difficulty with learning, to help them overcome a hurdle with small group or one-to-one intervention. Being prepared puts you on the front foot. In some schools, there are meetings at the start of the week to go through lesson plans, which helps build the classroom team.
 

A Box of Tricks

Get to know the supporting equipment for the lessons ahead. Maybe set up a box of tricks with all the things you might need: laminated place value cards, counters, word banks, the coloured marking pens you will need, spare pencils and other equipment. Take this with you wherever you go. A learning toolkit like this can have you ready for all situations, giving you another superpower to add to your teaching assistant skills and it means the learning experience isn’t interrupted because a pupil needs something as simple as a ruler or something to count with.
 

Build Relationships

Pupils prefer to work with someone who knows them and understands how they tick. Build positive working relationships with pupils by listening to them and asking them about their interests. What kinds of books do they like, what are their hobbies, what are their favourite subjects? These are always quick ways in. When hearing children read, take a little time to ask how they are — did they have a good weekend, and what are they looking forward to this week? This all makes for a happy relationship and they will appreciate you more for being personable and look forward to working with you next time.

Behaviour and Policies

Get to know the behaviour policy, safeguarding procedures and key policies of your school. These should give you clear guidance on what to do in a tricky situation, such as when you are alone with a student and they divulge sensitive information. Safeguarding is the bottom line in every school. You may well find yourself in a situation where it is important to follow procedures. Get to know the school's Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and never be afraid to seek advice on sensitive matters from them or your class teacher. No question, insight or niggle is too small in matters such as this.

Make it your business to get to know the rewards and sanctions policies. Use the rewards as much as you can, creating a sense of positivity around you. It will rub off on pupils and staff you work with. A smile, praise for a job well done, or a thank you to a pupil holding open a door are all tiny positives that build on each other. Notice when pupils reflect the core values of the school and boldly celebrate them.

Every Day is a New Day

Some days are going to be better or worse than others. Pupils have complex needs and schools can be fraught, busy places where a day can frazzle you completely. Talk to your teacher or team about anything that is bothering you and try not to take it all home with you. Get it off your chest so you can relax in your own space out of school. Always take time for yourself after a difficult or exhausting day. A teaching assistant who has interests outside of school brings so much to the life of the school, as I mentioned above. Your talents may well help around school, or they may be just something for you. Either way, they are important. After a tricky day, try to keep the faith that tomorrow will be better and come back with a winning smile! It can help the staff and pupils around you to make a fresh start and to see that you can reset and try again.

Proactive Psychic Powers

The most amazing teaching assistants I have worked with, and I have been lucky to have worked with many, develop a curious psychic field around me. They realise I will need scissors or glue or paint and I haven't had time, memory or energy (and other excuses) to get those things prepped. They somehow see before I do what will be a stumbling block and have things already in the bag. Sometimes, they offer to do this or that, sometimes they just do it, sometimes they ask if I have remembered to do something. This is such an amazing power and one I have endlessly appreciated in my time as a class teacher. One of my teaching assistants used to remind me to get a drink or go to the toilet or to remember to send that message. It might sound like I expect my TA to be my PA, but this is far from it. It becomes a part of the way we work together, and it is mutual caring for each other to make our classroom the best place to work and learn. I hope I also reminded them to get that drink or to just have a minute when it was all a bit too much!

Someone who is happy to get involved in lessons is one of the best things you can have in a teaching assistant. Someone who is a sounding board, who will do some drama, play as your partner in crime or get involved in an idea makes the classroom interactive and fun. Go with the flow with the teacher you work with and do what you can to foster learning conversations and enriching, fun learning situations. Follow their lead and bring your own learning into the classroom. How do you learn? How do you remember that fact or spelling? Join in. It all enriches the lessons.

Golden People

Teaching assistants are at the heart of every great learning environment. It has been my privilege to work with so many dedicated people who have made such a difference to pupils, giving them confidence and a sense of purpose, picking them up when they are at their lowest. When there is a good working partnership, a sense of respect and trust and a willingness to play off ideas, the classroom can buzz and delight pupils. If you are a teaching assistant, I hope it is something you feel proud of, and I hope these tips give you the spirit and confidence to feel equipped to make a difference in so many people's lives. I salute your work because believe me, you do all those things!

I have been a teacher for 28 years, deputy head for about twenty-four of those, and taught from Reception all the way up to Year 6. In this time, I did a two-year stint with my local authority as an adviser for ICT, working in a wide range of schools with teachers and children. I have always been a class teacher at heart, inspired by the wonderful minds of pupils, which makes teaching such an intense but creative and satisfying career.

Take a look at CGP+ resources by Simon.