Written by Teresa Deshon, Education Improvement Leader Diverse Leaners, Department of Education
Educational Support (ES) staff are the quiet drivers of inclusion in schools. They are the steady presence that helps students navigate learning, emotions and relationships. Yet, in many schools, their work is guided more by goodwill than by structure. When we shift from seeing ES staff as helpers to viewing them as integral members of the teaching team, their impact on student learning becomes visible, measurable and profound.
Research from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) shows that the most effective ES practice happens when support is explicit, planned and connected to the teacher’s instruction. When ES staff work separately or reactively, students can become unintentionally dependent or disengaged. When support is structured and collaborative, students experience greater independence, confidence and achievement.
The key lies in purpose. Schools that deploy ES staff through a planned, evidence-informed model are transforming their classrooms. This starts with clarity, clear role descriptions, shared learning goals and collaborative planning routines. When ES staff understand not only what to do but why it matters, every adjustment becomes intentional. The focus shifts from completing tasks to enabling learning.
Inclusive practice is strongest when ES staff, teachers and leaders share ownership of learning outcomes. In practical terms, this means co-planning lessons, sharing feedback, and reviewing student progress together. It also means recognising that ES staff need professional learning and coaching just as teachers do. Training focused on explicit instruction, cognitive load, and scaffolding can build confidence and consistency across classrooms.
Across Victoria, the Disability Inclusion reforms have brought this issue into sharper focus. Schools are redesigning how they allocate support time and ensuring that ES deployment aligns with Tier 1 teaching strategies rather than sitting beside them. This shift acknowledges that inclusion is not an intervention but part of everyday teaching.
The benefits extend beyond students with disability. Structured support improves outcomes for all learners. When ES staff use consistent routines such as prompting recall, modelling metacognitive strategies, or providing visual supports every student gains access to clearer, more scaffolded teaching. The classroom becomes a place where differentiation happens naturally because every adult knows their role in promoting independence.
This approach also strengthens collective efficacy, the shared belief among staff that they can make a difference together. Teachers feel supported, ES staff feel valued, and leaders can see evidence of progress through student engagement and achievement data. It builds a culture where collaboration is not an optional extra but part of how the school functions.
At the heart of this work is respect. Educational Support staff deserve clarity, professional learning, and a voice in planning. They carry enormous expertise in understanding student behaviour, engagement and sensory needs. When that knowledge is brought into teaching conversations, the result is not just better inclusion it is better teaching and learning.
Schools that embed structured, collaborative models of support are showing what true inclusion looks like. Every student benefits when the adults around them work in sync, guided by shared purpose and high expectations. The message is simple: when we move from help to impact, we move closer to every learner reaching their potential.
Teresa is speaking at the Melbourne Diverse Learners Symposium on ‘Using ES for impact in schools‘. View the Full Conference Program Here.