Teaching Assistant interview questions

Classroom support in primary and secondary schools, including safeguarding and behaviour.

1
Motivation
Why do you want to work as a teaching assistant, and why at this school?
Give them two halves. First, why the job: something specific about helping children make progress, not just that you like children. Second, why this school: read their website, their latest Ofsted report and their values page beforehand, then name one thing you saw and link it to what you can offer. Saying "your Ofsted report mentions strong support for pupils with SEND, and that is the work I want to do" beats anything generic.
2
Competency (STAR)
Tell me about a time you helped someone who was struggling to understand something. What did you do and what happened?
Use STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Keep the situation to one sentence, spend most of your time on your actions, and finish with what changed for that person. It does not have to be a school example. Helping a colleague, a family member or a customer all count, as long as you show you broke the task down, checked understanding and adjusted rather than just repeating yourself louder.
3
Safeguarding
A pupil tells you something has been happening at home that worries you, and asks you to keep it a secret. What do you do?
This is the question that decides the interview, so answer it cleanly. Never promise to keep a secret: say gently that you cannot, because your job is to keep them safe. Listen without interrupting, do not ask leading questions, and do not investigate. Record what they said as soon as possible in their own words, with the date and time, and report it to the Designated Safeguarding Lead the same day. Mention Keeping Children Safe in Education and that you would follow the school's safeguarding policy.
4
Behaviour
A pupil refuses to start their work and is distracting the children around them. How do you handle it?
Show a calm ladder rather than a confrontation. Start with proximity and a quiet, private word. Use the school's behaviour policy language, offer a limited choice, and give take-up time instead of standing over them. Look for the reason underneath: the work may be too hard, they may not have understood, something may have happened at break. Keep the class learning, avoid a public power struggle, and hand over to the teacher and log it if it continues.
5
Practice
How do you support a child without simply doing the work for them?
Interviewers ask this because over-helping is the most common weakness in new TAs. Talk about scaffolding: questioning rather than telling, modelling one example then stepping back, using visual prompts or word banks, and deliberately withdrawing support so the pupil can succeed alone. The phrase they want to hear is that your aim is to make yourself unnecessary.
6
Teamwork
How would you work with the class teacher during a lesson?
Show you understand the teacher leads and you support. Mention checking in before the lesson to understand the objective and who needs help, positioning yourself where you are useful rather than hovering, taking initiative during independent work, and feeding back afterwards on who struggled. A short, specific handover at the end of a lesson is the detail that marks out an experienced TA.
7
Knowledge
What do you know about supporting pupils with SEND?
You are not expected to be a specialist, so be honest about your level and show you know the landscape. Mention the four areas of need in the SEND Code of Practice: communication and interaction, cognition and learning, social, emotional and mental health, and sensory or physical needs. Say you would read a pupil's EHC plan or support plan, take direction from the SENCO, and adapt with visuals, chunked instructions and extra processing time.
8
Judgement
What would you do if you were worried about how a colleague spoke to a pupil?
Schools call these low-level concerns and every safeguarding policy now covers them. Say you would not ignore it and you would not gossip about it. You would report it to the headteacher or the Designated Safeguarding Lead, in line with the staff behaviour policy and Part Four of Keeping Children Safe in Education. Making clear that you would raise a concern about an adult, not just about a child, is exactly what they are testing.
9
Closing
Do you have any questions for us?
Always have two ready. Good ones show you are picturing the job: which year groups you would work with, how TAs are deployed across the week, what training or apprenticeship routes they offer, or what they would want you to have achieved in your first term. Do not open with pay or holidays. Finish by saying you would like the job.

Now try answering them out loud

A mock interview asks you these one at a time, marks every answer and shows you a stronger way to say it.

Why do you want to work as a teaching assistant, and why at this school?

Give them two halves. First, why the job: something specific about helping children make progress, not just that you like children. Second, why this school: read their website, their latest Ofsted report and their values page beforehand, then name one thing you saw and link it to what you can offer. Saying "your Ofsted report mentions strong support for pupils with SEND, and that is the work I want to do" beats anything generic.

Tell me about a time you helped someone who was struggling to understand something. What did you do and what happened?

Use STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Keep the situation to one sentence, spend most of your time on your actions, and finish with what changed for that person. It does not have to be a school example. Helping a colleague, a family member or a customer all count, as long as you show you broke the task down, checked understanding and adjusted rather than just repeating yourself louder.

A pupil tells you something has been happening at home that worries you, and asks you to keep it a secret. What do you do?

This is the question that decides the interview, so answer it cleanly. Never promise to keep a secret: say gently that you cannot, because your job is to keep them safe. Listen without interrupting, do not ask leading questions, and do not investigate. Record what they said as soon as possible in their own words, with the date and time, and report it to the Designated Safeguarding Lead the same day. Mention Keeping Children Safe in Education and that you would follow the school's safeguarding policy.

A pupil refuses to start their work and is distracting the children around them. How do you handle it?

Show a calm ladder rather than a confrontation. Start with proximity and a quiet, private word. Use the school's behaviour policy language, offer a limited choice, and give take-up time instead of standing over them. Look for the reason underneath: the work may be too hard, they may not have understood, something may have happened at break. Keep the class learning, avoid a public power struggle, and hand over to the teacher and log it if it continues.

How do you support a child without simply doing the work for them?

Interviewers ask this because over-helping is the most common weakness in new TAs. Talk about scaffolding: questioning rather than telling, modelling one example then stepping back, using visual prompts or word banks, and deliberately withdrawing support so the pupil can succeed alone. The phrase they want to hear is that your aim is to make yourself unnecessary.

How would you work with the class teacher during a lesson?

Show you understand the teacher leads and you support. Mention checking in before the lesson to understand the objective and who needs help, positioning yourself where you are useful rather than hovering, taking initiative during independent work, and feeding back afterwards on who struggled. A short, specific handover at the end of a lesson is the detail that marks out an experienced TA.

What do you know about supporting pupils with SEND?

You are not expected to be a specialist, so be honest about your level and show you know the landscape. Mention the four areas of need in the SEND Code of Practice: communication and interaction, cognition and learning, social, emotional and mental health, and sensory or physical needs. Say you would read a pupil's EHC plan or support plan, take direction from the SENCO, and adapt with visuals, chunked instructions and extra processing time.

What would you do if you were worried about how a colleague spoke to a pupil?

Schools call these low-level concerns and every safeguarding policy now covers them. Say you would not ignore it and you would not gossip about it. You would report it to the headteacher or the Designated Safeguarding Lead, in line with the staff behaviour policy and Part Four of Keeping Children Safe in Education. Making clear that you would raise a concern about an adult, not just about a child, is exactly what they are testing.

Do you have any questions for us?

Always have two ready. Good ones show you are picturing the job: which year groups you would work with, how TAs are deployed across the week, what training or apprenticeship routes they offer, or what they would want you to have achieved in your first term. Do not open with pay or holidays. Finish by saying you would like the job.