By Abi Joachim
Institute SEND Specialist
Friday 25th September is National Teaching Assistants Day! Today, we’re celebrating the incredible work of TAs across all our schools.
National Teaching Assistant Day provides a wonderful opportunity to recognise and celebrate the incredible contribution teaching assistants make across our Trust. Every day, our TAs help to create inclusive classrooms, build pupils’ confidence, remove barriers to learning and, most importantly, support children and young people to thrive.
The Deployment of Teaching Assistants guidance from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) highlights that teaching assistants have the greatest impact when they are deployed in these two ways: supporting high-quality teaching in the classroom and delivering structured interventions. At ATT, we are committed to ensuring that our teaching assistants are equipped with the knowledge, skills and professional development opportunities needed to maximise their impact in both of these important areas.
Developing Excellent Classroom Practice
Recommendations one and two from the EEF guidance focus on the role of teaching assistants working collaboratively with teachers in the classroom to “enable all pupils to access high-quality teaching” and “scaffold learning to develop pupil’s independence” (EEF, 2025).
In response to this evidence, we have developed guidance for academies that promotes the effective deployment and practice of teaching assistants as part of a whole-class approach to teaching and learning. The guidance emphasises the strategic deployment of teaching assistants to complement, rather than replace, high-quality adaptive teaching. Teaching assistants play a valuable role in providing targeted support, but this support should be carefully planned and delivered in a way that promotes pupil participation, thinking and independence. Teaching assistants are encouraged to adopt a ‘least help first’ approach, using careful observation, effective questioning and timely prompts to identify when support is needed. By providing the minimum level of input required and gradually adapting support in response to pupils’ needs, staff can develop independence, resilience and self-regulation while ensuring pupils remain fully engaged in learning.
To support consistent implementation, academies have access to the Maximising the Practice of Teaching Assistants (MPTA) programme. This licenced research-based programme, created by UCL, develops the knowledge and skills of both teachers and teaching assistants, strengthening collaborative classroom practice and embedding effective scaffolding approaches that enable pupils to become increasingly independent learners.
Across the Trust, we have seen how this approach enables teaching assistants to become even more effective partners in learning, helping to create inclusive classroom environments where every pupil can succeed.
Delivering Effective Interventions Through the Inclusion Core Offer
Alongside their classroom role, many of our teaching assistants “deliver well-chosen, evidence based, structured interventions where appropriate” (EEF, 2025) that help pupils overcome barriers to learning and make strong progress.
Our Inclusion Core Offer provides a suite of evidence-informed assessment tools and interventions designed to support a wide range of needs. Through this offer, teaching assistants receive training and support to ensure that interventions are delivered with fidelity, and progress and outcomes are constantly monitored and reviewed to optimise impact.
A crucial part of this work is supported by our Trust-wide Inclusion Core Offer Trainers (TWICOTs). These specialist colleagues champion different aspects of the Inclusion Core Offer and provide ongoing support to academies to ensure that interventions are delivered and embedded successfully. Their expertise helps to build capacity across the Trust, ensuring that academies can implement evidence-informed approaches consistently and effectively.
Together, teaching assistants and TWICOTs help ensure that pupils receive the right support at the right time, making a meaningful difference to their educational experience and outcomes.
Celebrating Our Amazing Teams
On National Teaching Assistant Day, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to every teaching assistant across our Trust.
Your commitment to inclusion, your dedication to supporting pupils, and your willingness to learn, develop and collaborate make a lasting difference every day. Whether supporting high-quality teaching in the classroom, delivering impactful interventions, or championing pupil independence, your contribution is invaluable.
These quotes from some of our SENDCos offer a snapshot of the appreciation for teaching assistants across the Trust:
“What an amazing team who lead a whole range of interventions from dyslexia support, Zones of Regulation, paired reading, mentoring, numeracy and so much more. They always do what is best for our students (SEND students and beyond).”
“Their hard work behind the scenes, constant willingness to help, and the care they show for both staff and students make an incredible difference every single day. They consistently go above and beyond to ensure that our learners receive the support they need to thrive.”
Thank you for everything you do to help our children and young people flourish. We are proud to celebrate you today and every day.
Abi Joachim
Institute SEND Specialist
Effective Interventions: Inclusion at ATT
At Academy Transformation Trust, inclusion isn’t a buzzword; it’s a key aspect of our approach to education, supported by an award-winning team, with interventions designed to meet need across our schools.
Interested in learning more about our Inclusion Core Offer? Read more about how we provide transformational support for every learner on Our Approach to Inclusion page.
