What is it?

A teaching assistant (TA) is someone who supports a teacher in the classroom. Their duties can differ dramatically from school to school, though the main tasks tend to be working with small groups of children who need extra support in an area of the curriculum such as literacy or numeracy. They are also often responsible for hearing children read and helping teachers with administrative tasks. 

How effective is it?

Overall, research shows that students in a class with a teaching assistant present do not on average outperform those in one where only a teacher is present. This average finding covers a range of recorded impacts; in some cases teachers and teaching assistants have worked together effectively leading to increases in attainment, while in others pupils (particularly those who are lower attaining) have performed worse in classes with teaching assistants present compared to those without. 

One clear implication of this surprising finding is that schools should think carefully about the deployment, training (both of the teacher and TA) and evaluation of their TAs if they hope to achieve positive impacts in terms of attainment. Comparisons with qualified teachers suggest that TAs are consistently less effective in terms of raising attainment (achieving about half the gains). It is suggested that where overall negative impacts have been recorded TAs have effectively been substitutes rather than supplementary to teaching from teachers. 

There is some evidence of greater impact when TAs are given a well-defined pedagogical role or responsibility for delivering specific interventions, particularly when training and support are provided. Evidence suggests that impact is similar across subjects and at both primary and secondary level. There is also evidence that pupils’ perceptions and attitudes may be more positively affected, and also of positive effects in terms of teacher morale and reduced stress of working with a TA.

How secure is the evidence?

There are a number of systematic reviews of the impact of support staff in schools, though there are no meta-analyses specifically looking at the impact of TAs on learning. However, there have been a number of reviews internationally which have consistently found broadly similar effects. The most recent study in the UK suggests that on average low attaining pupils do less well with a TA supporting them. The research literature does not distinguish between different levels or grades of teaching assistants.

What are the costs?

The average teaching assistant’s salary is about £17,000 per annum or about half of an average teaching salary. Costs overall are estimated as high.