About the authors

Maggie Balshaw

Maggie Balshaw is an independent consultant/researcher with over 20 years’ experience in carrying out action research and inquiry-based development in collaboration with schools and local authorities. She holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge, an MA in Education from the University of East Anglia, and an advanced diploma from the Institute of Education, University of London. She has written extensively about the work of TAs over the last 20 years.

Her action research has been in the fields of developing inclusive education and overall school improvement, with specific reference in many cases to developing the work and role of TAs. She was a joint leader of the team that carried out the Department for Education and Education (DfEE) national research into the work of TAs in the University of Manchester between 1998 and 1999. She followed this up with advisory and editorial work on key Department for Education and Skills (DfES) documentation and guidance to all schools and local authorities in England about TAs, including the national induction training programmes.

For the last six years, she has worked closely with the Sheffield City Council Organisational Development, Learning and Development (School Support Staff) Service team (see below), providing consultancy and research support to them. The research carried out leading to the production of The Good Practice Guide has been a key strand of that work during the last four years.

Her other related publications can be found in the Resources section.

Sheffield City Council Organisational Development, Learning and Development (School Support Staff) Service

The Sheffield City Council Organisational Development, Learning and Development (School Support Staff) Service team (hereafter referred to as ‘the Sheffield team’) includes Sylvia Walker, Wendy Flemming and Melanie Rice. It is due to their vision and leadership that the practice developed for support staff in Sheffield’s schools has been so effective, particularly for the professional development of TAs/HLTAs. The Sheffield team were instrumental in the creation of The Sheffield Guarantee for support staff.

An account of the development of support staff training in Sheffield over the last 20 years, written by Sylvia Walker, is provided below. It provides insights into why the Sheffield team has been a positive example of local authority continuing professional development (CPD) provision to school support staff, and shows how the Sheffield team has led the field in its initiatives with TAs/HLTAs.

	The story of support staff training in Sheffield