The inclusion of all children in regular classrooms is an important aim in many European countries. For the implementation of inclusion some children rely on support via learning and support assistants. Despite the benefits assistants provide by enhancing student access and progress, assistants' support has also been criticised for contributing to…

Teaching assistants are not always utilised effectively in mathematics classrooms. Moreover, there is limited research examining instructional models that might more meaningfully incorporate teaching assistants into the teaching and learning of mathematics. To address this gap in the literature, the current study explored three distinct…

This study investigated the role of ITE in preparing beginner, secondary school teachers for including diverse groups of learners by capturing their experiences of ITE and their early career. An online questionnaire was completed by early career secondary school teachers. Follow-up interviews with four teachers explored salient findings from the…

This article reviewed international data from English-language peer-reviewed studies on the use of TAs in inclusive classrooms from the past 10 years concerning: (a) the roles of TAs; (b) the impact of TAs on students, educators, and inclusive education; and (c) the factors that influence the performance of TAs. These studies suggest that unclear…

This paper presents the findings of a government-funded research project that was aimed at providing well-trained teacher assistants to enable inclusion of learners with intellectual disabilities in 21 Emirati government schools across the United Arab Emirates. The project is a first in the country and attracted media attention because of its dual…

This paper describes the development of an online training model for teachers and teaching assistants working with students with special educational needs. Originally developed as part of a government funded initiative in the UK, the model has been successfully applied in other contexts, most notably in New South Wales, Australia where it has had…

In this article, the author reflects on findings from research on the role and impact of teaching assistants and experience of working as a special educational needs (SEN) officer. Research evidence suggests the reliance on teaching assistants to include pupils with Statements of SEN in mainstream settings masks a collective, though unintentional,…