Teaching Assistant Supporting Statement: Example and Tips

Teaching assistant jobs are popular, and schools often receive many applications for each post. A focused supporting statement is how you get from the pile to the shortlist.

Before you start, read my step-by-step guide on how to write a supporting statement. This post builds on it with tips that are specific to teaching assistant (TA) and learning support roles.

What schools usually look for

Every school writes its own person specification, so always work from the one in your job pack. Most TA person specifications include some of these:

• Experience of working with children or young people
• Supporting children’s learning, one-to-one or in small groups
• Helping to manage behaviour in a positive, consistent way
• Understanding of safeguarding and your duty to report concerns
• Good literacy and numeracy
• Working as part of a team with teachers and other staff
• Communicating well with parents and carers
• Willingness to learn and take part in training

In Wales, some posts also list Welsh language skills as essential or desirable. If you speak any Welsh, even a little, say so.

An example paragraph

Here is how one criterion might look, using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result). The criterion is “Experience of supporting children’s learning in small groups”:

“As a volunteer reading helper at my local primary school, I supported a group of four Year 2 pupils who were finding phonics difficult. The class teacher asked me to help them practise the week’s sounds. I made simple sound-matching games using picture cards and kept each session short and lively, praising effort as well as accuracy. Over the term, all four children moved up a phonics group, and the teacher asked me to take on a second group.”

It is specific, it shows what you did, and it ends with a result.

If you have no classroom experience

Lots of good teaching assistants started with no school experience at all. Schools are looking for the right qualities as well as experience. Think about where you have used the same skills:

• Parenting or caring for family: helping with homework, managing routines, staying calm when a child is upset. Give a specific example rather than “I am a parent”.
• Volunteering: Brownies, Scouts, Sunday school, sports clubs, holiday schemes, reading schemes.
• Childcare: nursery, playwork, after-school or holiday clubs, childminding.
• Other work: customer service (patience and communication), care work (empathy and record-keeping), office work (organisation and accuracy).

Then show you are ready to learn: any courses you have done or are willing to do, such as a safeguarding course or a supporting teaching and learning qualification.

Applying for an SEN or ALN teaching assistant role

For roles supporting children with special educational needs, or additional learning needs (ALN) as it is called in Wales, the panel will want to see:

• Patience and calm, shown with a real example of supporting someone who was struggling or distressed.
• Understanding of particular needs that the advert mentions, such as autism, ADHD, speech and language needs or physical disabilities. Personal or family experience can count, if you are comfortable sharing it.
• Working with others: following a support plan, sharing observations with the teacher, and working with parents and outside professionals.
• Respect and dignity: how you help a child become more independent, not more reliant on you.

Don’t forget safeguarding

Almost every school person specification mentions safeguarding. You don’t need to be an expert, but you do need to show that you understand that keeping children safe is everyone’s responsibility, and that you would report any concern to the school’s designated safeguarding lead. If you have done any safeguarding training, include it.

Quick checklist before you send

• Have I covered every essential criterion, in the same order as the person specification?
• Does each one have a real, specific example?
• Have I mentioned safeguarding?
• Have I said why I want to work at this school?
• Is it within the word or character limit?
• Have I read it out loud to check for mistakes?

I have helped friends, family members and students with their applications, including people with little or no work experience, and their applications got them through shortlisting. The biggest change usually comes from turning everyday experience into specific examples. Most people have far more to offer than they realise.

Looking at other school roles? See my guide to school admin and learning support supporting statements, including support roles for pupils with ALN or SEN.