Teacher–TA lesson briefing card

The five-minute pre-lesson brief

• Learning: the essential concept, skill and successful outcome.
• Starting point: what pupils already know and the misconception to watch for.
• Role: where the teacher and TA will be during explanation, practice and review.
• Scaffold: the prompt, clue, model, visual or written support available if needed.
• Independence: what pupils should attempt before adult help and how support will be faded.
• Feedback: the one observation the TA should bring back after the lesson.

During the lesson: support thinking, not only completion

• Allow wait time and invite the pupil to identify a strategy.
• Use the least amount of help that enables productive thinking.
• Return attention to the teacher’s explanation and whole-class discussion.
• Avoid becoming the permanent communication route between teacher and pupil.
• Notice when a scaffold can be reduced and when missing knowledge needs re-teaching.
• Share concise feedback about understanding, independence and barriers after the lesson.