Grappling with SEND in Education

Few professionals are more dedicated to supporting vulnerable learners than teaching assistants.

Across schools, teaching assistants help pupils access learning, manage emotions, navigate social situations, understand instructions and overcome barriers that might otherwise prevent participation. For many children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), teaching assistants provide consistency, encouragement and support that can be genuinely life-changing.

Yet over the past two decades, a growing body of research has raised an uncomfortable question:

Can too much adult support sometimes become a barrier to pupil progress?

This question sits at the heart of what many SEND researchers have referred to as the “Velcro TA” phenomenon”—a situation in which a teaching assistant becomes permanently attached to a pupil throughout the school day.

The term is not intended as a criticism of teaching assistants. Rather, it describes a pattern of support where adult proximity becomes so constant that opportunities for independence, peer interaction and self-determination gradually diminish.

The challenge for schools is not whether teaching assistants should support pupils.

The challenge is how they can support pupils without becoming indispensable.

What Is a Velcro TA?

A Velcro TA is not a particular type of teaching assistant.

It is a pattern of deployment.

Typically, the pupil:

• Is rarely more than a few feet from the teaching assistant.
• Receives immediate help whenever difficulties arise.
• Relies upon adult prompts to begin work.
• Depends upon adult reassurance.
• Interacts primarily with adults rather than peers.

The teaching assistant may:

• Explain instructions.
• Organise resources.
• Manage behaviour.
• Support communication.
• Facilitate transitions.

While all of these actions may be entirely appropriate at times, problems can emerge when support becomes continuous rather than strategic.

Over time, pupils may begin to associate success with the presence of the adult rather than their own capabilities. The result can be learned dependency.

What Does the Research Say?

Perhaps the most influential research in this area comes from the Deployment and Impact of Support Staff (DISS) Project led by Peter Blatchford, Anthony Russell and Rob Webster.

The project examined the experiences of thousands of pupils across hundreds of schools.

One of its most striking findings was that pupils receiving the highest levels of teaching assistant support often made less academic progress than similar pupils receiving lower levels of support (Blatchford et al., 2012).

This finding generated significant concern.

However, it is important to understand what researchers did not conclude.

They did not conclude that teaching assistants were ineffective.

They did not conclude that pupils should receive less support.

Instead, researchers identified several unintended consequences of how support was being delivered.

These included:

• Reduced interaction with teachers.
• Reduced peer interaction.
• Over-prompting.
• Simplification of tasks.
• Fewer opportunities for independent thinking.

In other words, the issue was not the teaching assistant. The issue was the system.

The Adult Dependency Cycle

Many pupils with SEND experience repeated difficulties throughout their education. Adults naturally respond by increasing support. The cycle often looks like this:

Pupil struggles

↓

Adult intervenes

↓

Task completed successfully

↓

Pupil experiences success

↓

Adult intervenes more quickly next time

↓

Pupil has fewer opportunities to struggle productively

↓

Dependency increases

At first glance, everything appears positive. Tasks are completed. Behaviour improves. Lessons run smoothly. However, something important may be happening beneath the surface. The pupil may not be developing the confidence or strategies needed to succeed independently. Success becomes linked to adult presence rather than personal competence.

The Hidden Cost of Constant Adult Support

The impact of excessive adult support is not always immediately visible. Indeed, some of the most significant consequences emerge gradually over time.

Reduced Independence

Perhaps the most obvious consequence is reduced independence. Pupils may become accustomed to adults:

• Organising equipment.
• Managing routines.
• Solving problems.
• Initiating tasks.

As a result, opportunities to develop these skills independently may decrease.

Reduced Teacher Interaction

Research has consistently shown that pupils receiving high levels of TA support often spend less time interacting directly with teachers. This creates an unfortunate paradox.

The pupils with the greatest educational needs may receive the least direct interaction with the most qualified professional in the room.

Reduced Peer Interaction

Social development is a crucial component of education. Yet pupils accompanied by adults throughout the school day may experience fewer opportunities to:

• Develop friendships.
• Resolve disagreements.
• Negotiate social situations.
• Learn from peers.

The presence of an adult can unintentionally create a social barrier. Peers may direct communication towards the adult rather than the pupil.

Reduced Problem-Solving

Every time an adult solves a problem, a learning opportunity disappears. Problem-solving contributes directly to:

• Self-efficacy.
• Resilience.
• Confidence.
• Independence.

When adults intervene too quickly, pupils may never discover what they are capable of achieving.

The Impact on Self-Efficacy

Bandura’s (1997) theory of self-efficacy provides an important lens through which to understand the Velcro TA phenomenon. Self-efficacy refers to an individual’s belief in their ability to succeed. According to Bandura, self-efficacy develops primarily through mastery experiences. In simple terms, people become confident when they successfully overcome challenges themselves.

This presents an important dilemma.

If adults consistently remove challenges, pupils may have fewer opportunities to experience mastery. Consequently, they may begin to believe: “I can do this because my TA helps me” rather than “I can do this because I know how.”

This distinction is subtle but profound. One belief promotes independence. The other promotes dependency.

Why It Happens

The Velcro TA model rarely develops because of poor practice. More often, it develops because:

• Staff care deeply about pupils.
• Schools want pupils to succeed.
• Parents want children to feel safe.
• Systems reward short-term success.

The problem is therefore structural rather than individual. Teaching assistants are often placed in difficult positions. They are expected to:

• Keep pupils engaged.
• Prevent difficulties.
• Improve outcomes.
• Reduce disruption.

Naturally, this can encourage immediate intervention. Unfortunately, immediate intervention is not always the same as effective intervention.

Moving from Dependence to Independence

The solution is not removing support. The solution is redesigning support. Teaching assistants should increasingly function as coaches, facilitators, and independence builders, rather than constant problem-solvers. Useful strategies include:

The Pause Principle

Before intervening:

Wait.

Give pupils thinking time.

Many pupils solve problems independently when given sufficient time.

Prompt Hierarchies

Move from least intrusive to most intrusive support:

1. Wait.
2. Visual cue.
3. Gesture.
4. Open question.
5. Guided question.
6. Verbal prompt.
7. Model.
8. Physical assistance.

The goal is always to return to lower levels of support.

Promote Peer Support

Encourage pupils to:

• Ask peers.
• Work collaboratively.
• Learn from classmates.

Peers are often a more sustainable source of support than adults.

Transfer Responsibility

Ask: “What can the pupil do now that I am currently doing for them?”

Then gradually transfer responsibility.

What Should a Great Teaching Assistant Look Like?

Perhaps the most effective teaching assistants are not those who remain permanently attached to pupils. They are those who make themselves progressively less necessary.

A highly effective TA:

• Builds confidence.
• Develops strategies.
• Encourages independence.
• Facilitates relationships.
• Promotes self-regulation.

Their success is measured not by how much support they provide, but by how much independence they create.

Rethinking Success

Schools often celebrate support. Perhaps they should celebrate independence more often. A pupil who:

• Starts work independently.
• Organises resources.
• Solves a problem.
• Advocates for themselves.
• Completes a task without prompting.

has achieved something significant. These moments may not appear on data dashboards. They may not be reflected in examination results. Yet they are often among the most important outcomes education can achieve.

Final Thoughts

The Velcro TA phenomenon challenges schools to rethink one of the most fundamental questions in SEND education:

What is the purpose of support?

If support simply helps pupils succeed while adults remain present, then success may disappear when the support disappears. If support develops competence, confidence and autonomy, success can continue long after the adult has stepped away. The most effective teaching assistants are therefore not those who stay closest to pupils. They are those who help pupils learn how to stand on their own.

References

• Bandura, A. (1997) Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. New York: W.H. Freeman.
• Blatchford, P., Russell, A. and Webster, R. (2012) Reassessing the Impact of Teaching Assistants: How Research Challenges Practice and Policy. London: Routledge.
• Webster, R., Blatchford, P. and Russell, A. (2015) Maximising the Impact of Teaching Assistants. London: Routledge.