Teaching
Assistant
Apprenticeship

With our Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship, we’ve made it easy for primary and secondary schools to use the Apprenticeship Levy to train both experienced and new members of staff.

Predominantly online, the Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship covers education across all age ranges and encompasses special educational needs and emotional vulnerabilities. The course is for teaching assistants who put pupils at the heart of education and includes not only the promotion of academic achievement but also a realisation of the importance of a child’s emotional needs. This includes promoting self-belief, social inclusion and a high self-esteem, which all play an integral part in pupils’ well-being. Teaching assistants undertaking this course will learn strategies to ensure that pupils thrive in a positive, nurturing, safe environment.

Who is this course for?

This Apprenticeship Levy-funded course would suit those new to the role of teaching assistant or within their first three years of appointment and new to teaching, and will support their ongoing development. With both core and optional modules, the course can offer a personalised learning route.

Key facts

Qualification

Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship (Level 3)

Programme duration

18 months

Mode of study

Work-based, predominantly online

Start dates

January / February 2023

Funding band

£5,000, funded via the Apprenticeship Levy

Entry requirements:

Typically, a Teaching Assistant Apprentice is expected to have already achieved 5 GCSEs, including Maths and English, Grade C or above or 4/5. However, there are opportunities to work with teaching assistants who have not gained these grades but are committed to gaining these confirmations prior to the completion of the course.

An example breakdown of the course content is shown below, but exact modules and options may vary

Course content

Overview

The curriculum of this 18-month course focuses on the professional knowledge, skills and behaviours required of a teaching assistant. These include:

  • Valuing the importance of keeping pupils at the centre of everything, including promoting diversity, equality and inclusion
  • Showing a strong commitment to safeguarding and health and safety including following statutory guidance and school-based policies
  • Understanding how pupils learn and develop including the need to provide feedback to support and facilitate an appropriate level of independence
  • Recognise the importance of using appropriate technology to support learning
  • Gaining an appropriate knowledge of the curriculum and context that you are working in
  • Delivering interventions in accordance with training given
  • Valuing effective communication within the team to ensure that the pupils have the best outcomes
  • Demonstrating strong professional behaviours including flexibility, trust, professional conduct, confidentiality and being respectful

Skills

The Skills standard covers:

  • Develop strategies to support and encourage pupils to move towards independent learning
  • Communication and team work
  • Working with teachers to accurately assess
  • Using technology
  • Problem solving/ability to motivate pupils

Knowledge

The Knowledge standard covers:

  • Understanding how pupils learn and develop
  • Technology
  • Working with teachers to understand and support assessment for learning
  • Curriculum
  • Keeping Children Safe in Education

Behaviours

The Behaviours standard cover:

  • Building relationships/embracing change
  • Adding value to education
  • Promoting equality, diversity and inclusion
  • Professional standards and personal accountability
  • Team working, collaboration and engagement

Project Management Skills

Level 5. 20 Credits.
To enable the development of skills necessary to lead a team to achieve set objectives within resource and time constraints while mitigating potential risks.

Ethical Leadership in the Workplace

Level 6. 20 Credits.
Developing an appreciation of ethics in an organisational context and how ethical leaders instil ethical principles throughout organisations in ways which promote responsible behaviour to stakeholders while taking into account that stakeholders may hold different, culturally-informed, sets of ethical values.

Further information

FAQ sheet

Answers to frequently asked questions on our apprenticeship courses.

Download

Off-the-job training

A guide to how easy it can be to satisfy off-the-job training requirements.

Download

Levy explainer

Clear explanations of how our apprenticeship courses are funded.

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Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship course enquiry form