The role of the teaching assistant: An investigative study to discover if teaching assistants are being used effectively to support children with special educational needs in mainstream schools

The issue addressed in this small scale case study relates to whether teaching assistants (TA's) are being used effectively to support children with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream primary schools. The term ‘teaching assistant’ has become an umbrella term for a variety of support staff within schools. If the research was to find that the TA's were being deployed effectively then how and what support mechanisms/strategies were in place that supported this? If they were not being used effectively then what was needed? The research was supported by a Best Practice Research Scholarship.