Following research on the negative impact of support from teaching assistants (TAs) on pupils' academic progress, there was a clear need for schools to fundamentally reassess the way they use TAs. This article reports on findings from a collaborative project aimed at developing and evaluating alternative strategies to using TAs. Practitioner-led…

Catch Up® Literacy is a structured one-to-one literacy intervention for pupils between the ages of 6 and 14 who are struggling to learn to read. It teaches pupils to blend phonemes (combine letter sounds into words), segment phonemes (separate words into letter sounds), and memorise particular words so they can be understood without needing to use…

This article reports the Project STAR interview study that examined changes in K-3 teacher perceptions after teaching for a year in small classes or regular classes with aides. Teachers believed small classes or aides changed teaching and learning. They became more effective and satisfied and provided more individual attention. (SM)