34 Australian studies. 5 key takeaways. Practical steps your school can take today.

Teaching Assistants play an essential role in Australian schools. Every day, they support students with diverse learning needs, work alongside teachers and help create more inclusive classrooms.

But are we (school leaders) setting them up for success?

A new Australian systematic review, published in Review of Education in 2026, raises some important questions about how teaching assistants are being used, supported and trained in our schools.

The research, conducted by Alexandra Epstein, Fiona Rillotta and Emma Grace from Flinders University, examined 34 Australian studies exploring the roles, responsibilities, skills and training of teaching assistants supporting students with disability.

The findings highlight a familiar challenge: teaching assistants are being asked to take on increasingly complex responsibilities, often without the role clarity, professional learning or support they need.

The good news? There are practical steps schools can take to improve this.

We've broken the research down into five key takeaways, with simple strategies school leaders and teaching assistants can use to turn these findings into action.

What the research found

Teaching assistants undertake a wide range of responsibilities, from supporting classroom learning and student independence to assisting with behaviour, personal care and adjustments.

However, the research found that their roles are often unclear, with responsibilities sometimes extending into areas traditionally managed by qualified teachers.

This can create confusion about who is responsible for planning learning, delivering instruction and monitoring student progress.

What schools can do

Start by asking a simple question: Does everyone in our school have the same understanding of what teaching assistants should be doing?

Practical actions include:

• Review teaching assistant job descriptions and everyday responsibilities.
• Clearly define the roles of teachers and teaching assistants in planning, instruction and assessment.
• Provide a structured induction for new teaching assistants.
• Establish regular opportunities for teachers and teaching assistants to communicate and plan together.

How ATA can help

The ATAPS framework provides schools with a structured approach to reviewing and strengthening teaching assistant practice, while supporting role clarity and professional growth.

It supports school leaders to start important conversations, fruitful conversations, about how teaching assistants are deployed, supported and included in the wider teaching and learning team.

Combined with ATA's professional development library, and supporting resources, schools can move from uncertainty to clearer expectations and more consistent practice.

A small step to try this week: Ask teachers and teaching assistants to independently list their three main responsibilities. Compare the answers. Are expectations aligned?

What the research found

One of the strongest messages from the review was the gap between the complex work teaching assistants undertake and the training they receive.

The researchers found that teaching assistants often rely on informal, on-the-job learning, with some receiving little or no formal training or induction.

The review identified three important areas where further learning is needed:

• Disability awareness and inclusion: Understanding disability and how to support inclusive participation.
• Student support: Developing skills to support learning, behaviour and classroom participation.
• Rights and responsibilities: Understanding relevant policies, duty of care and professional boundaries.

Teaching assistants need opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills required for the work they are expected to do.

What schools can do

Professional learning doesn't always need to involve a full-day workshop.

Schools can build learning into everyday practice by:

• Identifying priority training needs across their teaching assistant team
• Setting aside regular time for professional learning
• Encouraging teachers and teaching assistants to learn together
• Linking professional learning to the actual needs of students and classrooms
• Following up training with opportunities to practise, reflect and improve

How ATA can help

ATA makes professional learning more accessible and manageable for busy school teams.

Our free 5-minute professional development provides a simple starting point for building knowledge and sparking professional conversations.

For schools wanting a more comprehensive approach, ATA School Membership provides access to more in-depth professional learning and supporting resources, at competitive prices. If budgets limit your desire to become an ATA member, we still have your covered! Our monthly, live web events are free for TAs, teachers, and school leaders to register and attend.

Rather than relying on occasional training opportunities, schools can build a more consistent approach to developing teaching assistant capability.

A small step to try this week: Choose one 5-minute PD topic and invite your teaching assistants to complete it. Follow up with a short team discussion about one strategy they could put into practice.

What the research found

The review highlights an important challenge for inclusive education: more adult support does not automatically mean better inclusion.

While one-to-one teaching assistant support can be necessary and valuable, the research raises concerns about overreliance on this approach.

When a teaching assistant is constantly positioned beside a student, it can unintentionally reduce opportunities for that student to interact with their teacher and peers, build friendships, and develop independence.

The researchers suggest shifting away from a default reliance on one-to-one support and move towards teaching assistants working more broadly alongside teachers to support inclusive classroom practice.

What schools can do

The goal isn't to remove support from students who need it. It's to make sure support is helping students participate, learn and become as independent as possible.

Consider:

• Encouraging teaching assistants to support small groups and whole-class activities where appropriate
• Building opportunities for students to work with their peers
• Ensuring students with disability have regular, meaningful interactions with their classroom teacher
• Teaching strategies to students so they can complete tasks with increasing independence
• Regularly reviewing whether the level and type of adult support is still appropriate

How ATA can help

ATA's Tools and Templates can support school leaders to gather data from their teaching assistants and reflect on how they are being used across classrooms and whether current practices are promoting inclusive participation.

ATA's full range of professional development resources support teaching assistants to build their knowledge and understanding of effective support strategies, including scaffolding support and feedback, encouraging independence, working collaboratively with teachers, and avoiding unnecessary dependence on adult assistance.

A small step to try this week: Observe a classroom activity and ask: Is the teaching assistant helping the student participate more independently, or is the student becoming dependent on the adult?

Use the answer to guide a supportive conversation about what could be adjusted.

What the research found

The review identified differences in how teaching assistants, teachers and principals understand the teaching assistant role.

It also highlighted the importance of refocusing teaching assistant work towards supporting teachers to deliver inclusive education.

This is an important distinction to understand.

Teaching assistants should not be expected to take sole responsibility for the education of students with disability. Teachers retain responsibility for planning, teaching, and assessing student learning.

Effective support requires teamwork, communication and shared understanding.

What schools can do

Strong collaboration doesn't happen automatically. It needs to be built into school routines.

Schools can:

• Establish brief, regular teacher-teaching assistant check-ins
• Share learning intentions and planned adjustments before lessons
• Clarify what the teaching assistant should do during planned learning and activities
• Encourage teaching assistants to share observations about student engagement and progress
• Provide opportunities for joint professional learning

Even five minutes of purposeful communication can help teachers and teaching assistants work more effectively together.

How ATA can help

The ATAPS framework provides a strong starting point for examining how teaching assistant practice fits within the school's broader approach to teaching, learning and inclusion.

By approaching improvement as a whole-school responsibility, schools can move beyond expecting individual teaching assistants to solve complex classroom challenges on their own.

Consider completing the ATAPS Facilitator Training to learn how to start using the ATAPS framework effectively, and receive supporting resources, tools, templates and more to support effective implementation.

A small step to try this week: Introduce a five-minute weekly teacher–teaching assistant check-in. Tight on time? Consider using weekly assembly time or pupil free days to schedule teacher-teaching assistant check-ins. Discuss what's working, what needs adjusting and the priorities for the coming week.

What the research found

Perhaps the most important message for school leaders is that effective teaching assistant practice requires more than individual skills and goodwill.

The researchers identified opportunities for school principals to improve practice through clearer job descriptions, formal induction and training.

They also highlighted broader workforce barriers, including casual employment arrangements and limited opportunities to participate in professional learning during paid working hours.

These challenges cannot all be solved by individual schools. However, school leaders can take meaningful steps to create better systems of support.

What schools can do

Rather than addressing teaching assistant practice only when a problem arises, make it part of your school's ongoing improvement priorities.

Start by considering these reflection questions:

• Do we have a consistent approach to teaching assistant induction?
• Are teaching assistants assigned and timetabled according to student needs and inclusive education goals?
• Do teachers and teaching assistants understand their respective responsibilities?
• Is professional learning accessible and relevant for teaching assistants?
• Do we regularly review whether our teaching assistant practices are supporting student participation and independence?

These questions can help identify where your school is already doing well and where improvements may be needed.

How ATA can help

This is where the ATAPS framework, ATA professional learning and supporting resources work together to build a whole-school approach to teaching assistant role clarity, induction, planning for professional growth, and ongoing career aspiration.

The ATAPS framework offers a structured starting point for reviewing practice and identifying priorities for improvement.

ATA's free 5-minute PD makes it easy to begin building staff knowledge and understanding of evidence-based support practice, while ATA School Membership offers a pathway to more comprehensive, ongoing professional learning.

Together, these supports can help schools turn research-informed priorities into practical actions that fit their own context.

A small step to try this week: Choose just one area of teaching assistant practice your school could improve this term. Identify one action, who will lead it and how you'll know whether it's making a difference.

The findings from this Australian research are an important reminder that teaching assistants have a valuable role in inclusive education, but how they are deployed, trained and supported matters.

For school leaders, the message isn't that everything needs to change overnight.

It's that better outcomes begin with clearer roles, stronger collaboration, purposeful professional learning, and a shared commitment to student independence and inclusion.

You don't have to work it all out on your own - ATA are here for you!

We're committed to helping schools equip teaching assistants with evidence-based knowledge and practice.

Whether you're a principal reviewing how teaching assistants are used across your school, an inclusion leader developing your team's capabilities, or a teaching assistant wanting to grow your skills, there are practical ways you can get started today.

• Explore the ATAPS framework to support reflection and improvement in teaching assistant practice.
• Start with free 5-minute PD to build knowledge through short, accessible professional learning.
• Explore ATA School Membership for more in-depth professional learning and access to supporting resources for your school team.

When it's all said and done...

Better inclusion happens when we make sure the support we provide is effective, purposeful and focused on helping every student participate and succeed.

ATA is here to help your school take that next step!

Research Reference

Epstein, A., Rillotta, F., & Grace, E. (2026). School staff experiences and perceptions of roles, responsibilities, skills and training of teaching assistants supporting students with disabilities in Australian schools: A systematic review. Review of Education, 14, e70221.

https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.70221

Note: This blog article provides a practical interpretation of five key findings and implications from the systematic review. The five action areas are ATA's synthesis, rather than a numbered list of recommendations presented by the researchers.