Strictly classroom: Why knowing your dance routine can help you maximise the contribution and impact of teaching assistants

Teaching assistants (TAs) are one of the biggest investments we make in terms of provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and those eligible for the Pupil Premium funding. Most TAs spend the majority of their time supporting these pupils in lessons across the curriculum. Yet, perhaps counter-intuitively, the evidence shows that this is one of the least effective ways to improve outcomes. The largest UK study of the impact of classroom support staff found that pupils who got the most TA support performed less well academically than those who received little or no support – regardless of whether they had underlying SEND or low prior attainment (Blatchford et al., 2011). The common-sense view is that children who experience difficulties with learning require more support, and this tends to come from TAs. Yet, as the evidence also reveals, a side-effect of this arrangement – and something of which teachers need to be mindful – is that pupils w