Recognising and valuing the work of teaching assistants

The Australian Teaching Assistant Professional Standards (ATAPS) recognises and values the work of teaching assistants and provides schools with an evidence based framework to support their performance and professional growth.

ATAPS, which was developed by Australian Teacher Aide, in collaboration with an industry reference group of education experts, aligns with the Australian Professional Teaching Standards.

As a school we recognise that whilst our teacher development is guided by the AITSL Teaching Standards and our Teacher Performance and Development Framework, we do not have a similar framework for our ESOs. The implementation of ATAPS will allow us to raise the status of our ESOs, facilitate their reflective practices, target their professional development needs, acknowledge their experience levels, and support their career aspirations. - Ros Sullivan, Deputy Principal, Sycamore School QLD

To ensure that ATAPS is meaningful and relevant in all school settings, Australian Teacher Aide invited schools to participate in the ATAPS School Pilot Program. School leaders and teaching assistants from participating schools, attended three workshops, to learn how to apply the ATAPS framework to their school’s performance and professional growth processes, and provide feedback. 

When EAs have clear standards to follow, it ensures consistency in their approach and helps them understand what excellence looks like in their profession. This, in turn, benefits students as they receive consistent and high-quality support, regardless of the classroom or school they are in. - Jay Morris, Head of Learning Support, Ocean Reef Senior High School, WA

In the workshops, teaching assistants learned to reflect on their practice to identify strengths and opportunities for professional growth, set goals, identify professional learning that aligned with their goals, collect evidence to evaluate their progress, and map their professional growth across all seven Standards. 

The standards will help LSO staff to move away from being general classroom helpers into a more focused and targeted role which in turn will improve outcomes for students.  The standards also give teachers a better idea about the skills and knowledge our LSO team possesses. - Lynsey Price, Leader of Learning Inclusion, St Francis of Assisi Primary School, Baranduda 

Following the ATAPS School Pilot Program, Australian Teacher Aide have been collating the data gathered from schools which will be presented to the industry reference group for ratification.

The culmination of over three years of rigorous work will be the publication of Australian Australian Teaching Assistant Professional Standards (ATAPS) by the end of the year. 

Schools that are interested in implementing the ATAPS performance and professional growth framework, can register their interest in participating in the School Leadership Workshops in 2025.