Book excerpt: Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools is an accessible, user-friendly handbook designed to provide practical guidance and ideas to support Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs). It covers the knowledge and skills needed by HLTAs to work effectively with pupils, teachers, parents and other professionals concerned with the well-being of children. The book relates directly to the standards for HLTAs but also provides a deeper grounding in pedagogy and the role of the teacher and the HLTA in creating productive learning environments. The text is illuminated with examples of existing good practice, and a range of tried-and-tested strategies to help HLTAs develop in all aspects of their work. It provides essential background knowledge, together with a range of activities designed to support learning, examining: the roles of the HLTA and teacher respectively, and interactively classroom management and interactions with pupils pupil differences the place of the HLTA within the school community professional development. The book can be used alongside the popular Routledge Learning to Teach in the Secondary School series, which gives detailed examples of theory and practice about teaching and learning for trainee teachers. It is an invaluable resource for current and prospective HLTAs working across a wide range of subjects