Maximising the Practice of Teaching Assistants

Providing TAs with the skills to scaffold learning and support pupils to become confident, independent learners.

The MPTA training content has been developed and approved by UCL Institute of Education and is linked to the book The Teaching Assistant’s Guide to Effective Interaction: How to maximise your practice (second edition), by Bosanquet, Radford and Webster.

Abi Joachim, the trainer, has received full training from the Maximising the Practice of Teaching Assistants (MPTA) team and Academy Transformation Trust is licensed to deliver Maximising the Practice of Teaching Assistants (MPTA).

MPTA training has the maximum impact in academies where the leadership team has also made wider changes to TAs’ deployment and preparation. Before requesting training, senior leadership teams should complete the MPTA Checklist to determine their readiness for MPTA training, ensuring they judge overall use of TAs to be at least improving i.e more amber than red.

Maximising the Practice of Teaching Assistants

Improving Pupil Independence (Core)

This course provides teaching assistants with the skills to scaffold learning and help pupils become confident, independent learners.

Course Content

  • Summarising latest research and guidance on complementary roles of TAs and teachers
  • Scaffolding as a framework for developing pupil independence
  • Reflecting on current practice and developing specific scaffolding strategies
  • Making an effective contribution to assessment for learning
  • Next steps: putting the strategies into action

Target Audience

TAs, LSAs and HLTAs

Course Length

6 hours, including breaks

Course Delivery

Can be delivered virtually or face-to-face or a mixture. The course can be divided into shorter sessions, if required.

Maximising the Practice of Teaching Assistants

Improving Pupil Independence (Extended)

This course focuses on delivering effective interventions and collaborative group work. Attendance on the MPTA (core) is a prerequisite for this course.

 

Course Content

  • Effective delivery of intervention programmes
  • The TA’s role in supporting collaborative group work
  • Reviewing changes and putting strategies into action

Target Audience

TAs, LSAs and HLTAs

Course Length

3 hours, including breaks

Course Delivery

Can be delivered virtually or face-to-face or a mixture. The course can be divided into shorter sessions, if required.

Maximising the Practice of Teaching Assistants

What Teachers Need to Know

This course provides teachers with essential information on how to plan for and deploy TAs in the classroom and ensure they can make full use of TAs’ new MPTA skills.

 

Course Content

  • Summarising latest research and guidance on use and impact of TAs: what does and does not work
  • Guidance on the complementary roles of teachers and TAs
  • Scaffolding as a framework for developing pupil independence
  • Using TAs to ensure quality assessment for learning
  • Next steps: putting the strategies into action

Target Audience

Teachers and senior leaders

Course Length

2 hours of content

Course Delivery

Can be delivered virtually or face-to-face. The course can be divided into shorter sessions, if required.

Facilitator- Abi Joachim

Abi Joachim worked as a teaching assistant, and later HLTA, for over twenty years and now leads on ‘Enabling Education’ professional development as Institute SEND Specialist at ATT and also works for Suffolk County Council as Suffolk TA Network Coordinator. She has a degree in psychology and an MA in education, with a focus on SEND. Abi is passionate about pupil-facing support staff CPD and made this her focus while completing the TDT Associate Qualification in CPD Leadership and the NPQLTD. She has spoken at the nasen Live conference and Schools and Academies Show and writes articles and blogs for a range of publications, including the TES, The Link magazine and the Research Schools Network on issues relating to support staff.