Last week the latest issue of the School Inspection Update was issues by OFSTED. It referred to the deployment and use of Teaching Assistants (TAs) and this information may be of interest to you. It draws on newer research published by the Education Endowment Fund (EEF) published since their guidance report Making Best Use of Teaching Assistants

It reports on seven projects where “TAs delivering structured interventions to
pupils who are struggling with literacy and numeracy. All seven projects have shown
a marked positive impact on pupil’s learning, typically adding around three to four
additional months’ progress, and creating a compelling case for action in schools” (OFSTED, 2016, p12). You can read about the projects here. You can download a pack of free practical resources here. The resources may be of interest to you as students, TAs and HLTAs although they aimed at schools.

In the OFSTED update it is suggested that these areas should be considered by OFSTED inspectors as they inspect schools:

• How do senior leaders ensure that TAs are deployed effectively in line with
  this evidence?
• Are TAs supplementing the work of teachers or replacing them?
• Is there a well-planned programme of training and support for TAs who
  deliver out-of-class interventions?

These are questions you might like to consider in relation to your own roles.

Reference:

OFSTED (2016) School Inspection Update. Issue 8. [online] Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-inspection-newsletter-2015-to-2016 [Accessed: 28th November 2016]