Making best use of teaching assistants

This EEF Guidance Report is designed to provide practical, evidence-based guidance to help primary and secondary schools make the best use of teaching assistants* (TAs). It contains seven recommendations, based on the latest research examining the use of TAs in classrooms. The guidance draws predominately on studies that feed into the Teaching and Learning Toolkit, produced by the Education Endowment Foundation in collaboration with the Sutton Trust and Durham University. Key studies include new findings from EEF-funded evaluations and a programme of research from UCL Institute of Education. As such, it is not a new study in itself, but rather is intended as an accessible overview of existing research with clear, actionable guidance. Although the evidence base is still developing around TAs, there is an emerging picture from the research about how best to deploy, train and support them to improve learning outcomes for pupils.