Survey for staff
Teaching assistant deployment
Asks teaching assistants about preparation, time with teachers, training, cover and their part in pupil plans, in line with the EEF guidance on making best use of teaching assistants, so you can plan next year's staffing on evidence. About 5 minutes to complete.
What respondents read first
This survey is for teaching assistants and HLTAs. It asks how you are prepared for lessons, the training you get and how you are used, to help plan next year's staffing. It takes about 5 minutes and is anonymous: the school cannot see who answered, and results are only shown for groups of 10 or more. Written comments are read by the school. If one suggests that a child or an adult may be at risk of harm, including a concern about the conduct of someone who works with children, it goes straight to the school's safeguarding lead and is kept out of the report.
How anonymity works in this survey
- The school cannot see who answered. Nothing is reported until 10 people have answered.
- A group, such as one role or one year group, is shown only when 10 or more people in it have answered. Smaller groups are hidden.
- An answer chosen by fewer than 5 people is hidden, along with enough others that it cannot be worked out by subtraction.
- Written comments appear only once 10 people have answered.
The questions
Numbered in the order respondents see them.
Respondents choose
Which best describes your main role?
- Class teaching assistant
- One-to-one support for a pupil
- Higher level teaching assistant (HLTA)
- Resource base or SEND unit
This places each answer in a group for the report. It is the only question about the person answering.
Teaching assistant deployment7
- Question 3.
I know what my role is during each part of the lesson.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
- Question 5.
I have a regular way to tell the teacher how the pupils I support got on.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
- Question 7.
I have had training for the specific needs of the pupils I support.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
- Question 8.
When I deliver an intervention, I have been trained in how to run it.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
- Question 10.
The pupils I support also get regular time working directly with the teacher.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
- Question 12.
In a typical half term, how often are you taken away from your planned role to cover a class or fill another gap?
Choose one
- Never
- 1 or 2 times
- 3 to 5 times
- 6 to 10 times
- More than 10 times
- Question 18.
What one change would help you make a bigger difference to the pupils you support?
Write your own answer
Teaching and learning2
- Question 2.
Teachers tell me what the lesson will cover before it starts.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
- Question 11.
I am used in lessons in a way that makes the most of my skills.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
Support staff2
- Question 1.
I know which pupils and classes I am working with before the day starts.
How often: Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Always
- Question 13.
When I am asked to cover a class, I have what I need to do it well.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
SEND and inclusion3
- Question 4.
I get time to talk with the class teacher about the pupils I support.
How often: Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Always
- Question 9.
Teaching assistants are used in ways that help pupils become more independent.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
- Question 14.
I am asked to contribute when support for the pupils I work with is reviewed.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
Professional development1
- Question 6.
I have been trained in how to support pupils' learning in lessons.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
Assessment and feedback1
- Question 15.
I know how the pupils I support are progressing.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
Wellbeing2
- Question 16.
Staff in roles like mine are treated with the same respect as teachers.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
- Question 17.
I feel valued for the work I do here.
Agree scale: five points, strongly disagree to strongly agree
Free to run. The full report is £149.
Running it is free and gives you the headline result, with strengths and priorities. The full report adds every chart, comments grouped into themes and briefing slides.
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