Who is this template for?
This template is designed for all teaching assistants and higher-level teaching assistants (HLTAs) in Wales. It provides a clear and supportive structure to reflect on your practice, take ownership of your professional learning, and prepare for meaningful appraisal conversations.
Why use this template?
This template provides a clear, structured process to support teaching assistants in their professional growth, ensuring reflection is aligned with the professional standards for assisting teaching. The benefits include:
- Empowers Professional Ownership: Enables teaching assistants to lead their own performance management through structured, meaningful reflection against the standards that define their role.
- Fosters a Culture of Professional Learning: Encourages a positive and proactive approach to CPD by helping you identify specific areas for development, from pedagogy to leadership.
- Provides a Clear Structure for Appraisal: Creates a transparent and evidence-informed foundation for appraisal discussions with line managers, focusing on both achievements and future goals.
- Links Individual Growth to School Improvement: Helps align personal development objectives with the wider priorities of the school, ensuring your growth contributes to better outcomes for learners.
- Builds Confidence and Clarity: The process of making judgements, providing evidence, and analysing your practice brings clarity and builds confidence in your professional contribution.
- Supports Career Progression: Provides a clear framework for TAs aspiring to achieve HLTA status by demonstrating sustained, highly-effective practice against the standards.
How does it work?
This template follows the standard, intuitive iAbacus process: make a judgement, verify it with criteria, provide evidence, analyse helping and hindering factors, and create a targeted action plan. The evaluation is structured around the five professional standards for assisting teaching:
- Pedagogy
- Collaboration
- Professional Learning
- Innovation
- Leadership
Gaining Strategic Insight
For school leaders, this template offers a powerful tool for strategic planning. A Headteacher, SLT member, or lead teaching assistant can overlay all the teaching assistant self-evaluations. This creates an instant overview of strengths and weaknesses across the staff team, highlighting who may need support in different areas. This insight is invaluable for planning targeted, high-impact CPD and INSET training sessions that meet the real needs of your staff.
Clear, Professional Reporting
With one click, you can export a completed evaluation into a polished, visually compelling PDF report. This is perfect for a teaching assistant to share with their line manager or Headteacher ahead of an appraisal meeting, providing a clear summary of their performance and reflections. It also serves as a personal record, allowing the teaching assistant to see their progress and identify areas for future improvement.
References / Source Material
How to Get Started
New to iAbacus? Discover how this template can support your improvement strategy. Book a personalised demo or start a free trial to explore the full platform. Visit www.iabacus.com to learn more.
Already a subscriber? You can find this template in the template library within your iAbacus account. Simply log in, create a new abacus, and select it from the list to get started.
