Recruiting great Teaching Assistants (TAs) has never been more important—or more challenging. Staffing pressures, rising absence, and increasingly complex pupil needs mean that every appointment matters, and this challenge is being felt nationwide.
On 17th June, Herts County Council hosted a dedicated Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) recruitment event. This successful event aimed to open doors for people who may not have considered working in SEND before, as well as for those already working within the sector, and enjoyed broad representation from across the county, enabling 140 attendees to explore a wide variety of rewarding career pathways and roles and meet representatives from
- Schools, colleges and childcare settings, represented via Teach in Herts
- health services, short breaks providers,
- independent living services,
- statutory SEND services,
- training providers and
- Herts Parent Carer Involvement.
Some great conversations were had with attendees from a broad range of backgrounds, including experienced teachers, those considering a career change, returning to work, or simply curious about making a difference in their local community.
Recruitment is now more critical than ever
With increasing challenges, schools are under pressure to get appointments right first time rather than relying on probation or induction to fix things later. We talked to some headteachers about how they have adapted their recruitment processes to secure the right people, recruiting for values rather than technical skills.
Many traditional recruitment processes still prioritise:
- Written application forms
- Formal interviews
- Task-based assessments
But these activities often test the wrong things.
“Some of our best Teaching Assistants didn’t perform strongly in traditional interviews but are outstanding in the classroom,” says Alex Tomkins from Greenside School. “This role is about how you connect with children, not how you perform in a formal setting.”
Neil Ward from Amwell View seconds this: “you need to be active, very child centred, very positive and just open minded to learn and to work together.”
The reality is simple:
Being a great TA is not about performing under interview pressure—it’s about how you are with children, especially in real classroom conditions.
Shift the focus: Recruit for values first
Why?
- Skills can be taught
- Experience can be built
- Values and mindset are far harder to develop
As Tracy Prickett, Executive Headteacher at Howe Dell told us “I’m looking for people who are kind. Often, I see support staff come in who have got so much enthusiasm, show the kindness, are really passionate about making a difference. For me, I know I can then provide the skills they need through in-house training and other training… it’s those people skills we really need. You don’t need a degree, just be kind.”
The qualities teams prioritise include:
- Kindness and respect
- Commitment to young people
- Ability to work as part of a team
- Flexibility and adaptability
This is especially crucial in special schools, where needs vary widely and staff must adapt quickly to changing contexts.
The key question needs to be: Who is the person, not just what can they do today?
Put candidates where it matters: The classroom
Perhaps the most powerful shift we are noticing is embedding classroom immersion into the recruitment process.
At Greenside, candidates now:
- Spend time with younger pupils (where play-based learning is key)
- Experience a second, contrasting classroom setting
- Interact with staff and pupils without formal observation pressure
This approach reveals far more than an interview ever could:
- How comfortable candidates are with children
- Their natural communication style
- Their emotional responsiveness
- Their ability to engage in learning through play
It’s essential to respect candidates’ time, but a longer recruitment process can still be valuable if it is immersive rather than intensive, reflects the importance of the position and provides genuine insight into the role
To reduce the ‘performance pressure’ effect of traditional recruitment setups which can distort behaviour, Greenside also deliberately leave candidates in classrooms without senior leaders observing closely. This allows time to build natural interactions and encourages informal conversations with staff. The insight here is simple: Authenticity gives you better hiring evidence than performance.
At a system level, there is a growing effort to open doors to a wider range of candidates—including career changers, people returning to work, and those without traditional education pathways—helping schools access talent they might otherwise miss.
Crucially, this approach works both ways as candidates also get a genuine feel for the school—and whether it’s right for them.
Done well, this approach improves retention, reduces early attrition and builds stronger commitment from day one.
Treat TAs as the critical workforce they are
One of the most striking reflections was about the status of TAs as some of the most important roles in the school.
The best TA roles offer genuine progression opportunities— Classroom support can be a great first step into teaching for those who want to experience classroom life before making the decision to teach, or who may not feel that a university route is right for them. Neil from Amwell View told us “we’ve taken staff all the way from GCSEs up through school-based degrees and teacher training– and it’s probably the best route you can go into specialist teaching through – you learn every aspect of the job. I would absolutely encourage people to start as a TA and train to be teacher, it’s a fantastic way of doing it”.
This approach really reinforces the original recruitment message:
“You matter—and we’re investing in you.”
Key takeaways for school leaders
If you’re reviewing your TA recruitment approach, consider these principles:
✅ Recruit for values, not polish
✅ Use classroom immersion as your main assessment tool
✅ Reduce artificial interview pressure
✅ Test adaptability across different groups or classes
✅ Design recruitment as a two-way experience
✅ Position TAs as central to school success
✅ Align recruitment with meaningful CPD
Final thought
In a system under strain, it’s easy to default to faster, more transactional hiring.
But the evidence is clear:
Better recruitment isn’t about doing more—it’s about focusing on what truly matters.
And when it comes to TAs, that means one thing above all:
Find the right people—and let them show you who they are where it counts most: with children.
To find out more about how Greenside School have transformed their recruitment process, catch the HFL podcast. Or for hands-on support, contact the HFL Recruitment Services team at teachinherts@hfleducation.org or on 01438 544468.
Lucy Makins
