ABSTRACT
We originally conceived of TSTs as a system of support from a team of peers for class teachers experiencing teaching difficulties in relation to special educational needs (SEN). Our model was that individual teachers request support on a voluntary basis from a team which usually includes the SEN coordinator, a senior teacher and another class teacher. The team, along with the referring teacher, collaborate in order to understand the problem(s) and design appropriate forms of intervention related to learning and behaviour difficulties. Our own research suggests that TSTs actually function in a much broader way than we originally thought would be the case. In some schools they may well function as supports for teachers’ problem-solving far beyond the original SEN remit.
