The Effective Teaching Assistant: A Practical Guide to Supporting Achievement for Pupils with SEND

Aimed at teaching assistants who work closely with children with special educational needs, The Effective Teaching Assistant: A Practical Guide to Supporting Achievement for Pupils with SEND is a practical and accessible resource tailored precisely for teaching assistants’ specific needs, which explores both the opportunities and limitations presented by their role.

Each chapter provides both training activities and teaching resources designed to assist TAs/HLTAs in reflecting on their own experience while enhancing current practice. The chapters address key topics including

• SEND and inclusive teaching
• Multi-sensory teaching
• Supporting differentiation or adaptive teaching.

Supplemented with checklists and useful diagrams, this text is essential reading for teaching assistants, students and practitioners. It is particularly relevant for students working in undergraduate, post graduate and professional development programmes.

Abigail Gray has spent more than 20 years as a teacher and school leader. She now works as an author, independent SEND consultant and SEND Expert tutor for Best Practice Network's NASENCO Award. She speaks and writes on all issues related to SEND and inclusion. Her first book, Effective Differentiation, was published in 2018.

Melanie Wright is a practising SENCO of 15 years. She has worked across six schools in both the State and Independent sectors, from Nursery through to Sixth Form and has been part of the Senior Leadership Team for eight years. She is also a Level 7 Exams Access Arrangements assessor for GCSEs and A Levels, and completed her NASENCO and Masters in Special and Inclusive Edudation at the Institute of Education.