The number of assistants in schools in Ireland and Northern Ireland has increased significantly over the years in response to changes in educational policy and although the role of the assistant has been the focus of many research studies, ambiguity still surrounds the role. There is also a notable gap in the research on the topic of working relationships between assistants and teachers, particularly from the perspective of the assistant. The aim of this project was to investigate the nature of teacher-assistant partnerships in special schools from the perspective of the assistant.
