Teaching Assistant: Level 3 Certificate in Supporting Teaching & Learning in Schools

Why become a Teaching Assistant

If you wish to work with children in a school but do not wish to become a Teacher (perhaps because you do not want to do all of the paperwork, assessments and planning associated with that role) then working as a Teaching Assistant is an ideal option.

Teaching Assistants, also known as Classroom Assistants or Learning Support Assistants, help Teachers within the classroom by supporting groups of children with English, Maths and other subjects. They also carry out work with small groups or individual children outside of the classroom under the Teacher’s direction, to help those children with particular work that they have struggled to understand within the lesson.

Teaching Assistants can also sometimes work one-to-one with children who have Special Educational Needs, delivering a programme of work designed by the Teacher, tailored especially for that particular child.

Other duties that you will commonly be expected to fulfil include creating displays for the classroom and wider school environment and photocopying.

Teaching Assistant Qualifications

The role of a Teaching Assistant is an interesting and rewarding one and whilst technically no formal qualification is required, it is such a highly sought-after role that competition for jobs demands that you have at least a Level 3 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools. At Study365, we offer this NCFE, nationally-recognised qualification in an online format, enabling you to fit your studying around your existing work or family commitments.

Whether you are seeking work as a Teaching Assistant or are already working as a Teaching Assistant and want a professional qualification, this course will provide you with up-to-date, invaluable practical training to help you to gain employment or simply to work to the highest possible standards.

Our support team is available to help you with any queries you may have during your course, which is delivered through online tutorials that you can access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, during the 12 month duration of your course.

Course content

This course will give you invaluable knowledge of the national learning frameworks and general practices within schools that will help you to work effectively and be a valuable member of the school team. You will learn about the importance of understanding the normal development of children so that you can help to identify children who may fall outside that ‘norm’ and provide extra support to those who need it. You will also learn about the importance of recording and monitoring children’s progress, promoting and modelling positive behaviour and engaging in reflective practice to continually improve your skills.

Safeguarding, health and safety and risk assessment are also very important in the role of Teaching Assistant and are covered extensively throughout the course.

Why choose Study365

Being able to access all relevant course materials and support online will enable you to balance your existing commitments with your studies. We are a leading UK training provider and have a 96% pass rate for this course, with excellent feedback from our past students, many of whom have gone on to secure employment within primary, secondary and specialist schools.

The course is broken down into units, and you must pass each unit to pass the whole course. Units are delivered through professionally-narrated tutorials that you can access online at any time.

Course content

You will need to achieve 32 credits from the units taught. This includes four units from the Level 3 Award in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools, seven units from the Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools, and one unit studied at Level 4.

The course provides 180 hours of guided learning, delivered over the course of one year.

The units are as follows:

Unit 1: Understand Child and Young Person Development

Unit 2: Understand How to Safeguard the Wellbeing of Children and Young People

Unit 3: Support Children and Young People’s Health and Safety

Unit 4: Engage in personal development in young people’s settings

Unit 5: Support learning activities

Unit 6: Promote children and young people’s positive behaviour

Unit 7: Develop professional relationships with children, young people and adults

Unit 8: Promote equality, diversity and inclusion in work with children and young people

Unit 9: Support assessment for learning

Unit 10: Communication and professional relationships with children, young people and adults

Unit 11: Schools as organisations

Practical work

As well as learning the theory through the online tutorials, you will also need to work within a school during your course – this can be as a paid member of staff or as a volunteer. You will need to arrange your placement with the school of your choice by asking the Head Teacher if the school can accommodate you, as the Teacher with whom you will work will need to spend some time signing off evidence that you have completed the necessary work for your units. Your placement will need to be at least 50 hours in total during the course of 12 months.

Assessment

During your work experience, you will build up a portfolio of evidence. There are no exams, but you will need to submit written assignments to demonstrate your understanding of what you have been taught.

You will also need to gather evidence of the work you have carried out during your placement within a UK school and will need to provide documents such as policies, diaries and examples of work.

If you are successful you will gain an industry recognised NCFE Level 3 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools (QCF).

Important notes

You must arrange your own work placement with a school as Study365 do not provide this service. We will provide you with the information you need to help you to establish this placement.

There is an additional fee of £199 for your assessment and certificate, payable when submitting your assessments (not at the time of registration).

Prerequisites

You must be aged 16 years or older and have a confirmed work placement that will last for the full 12 months of your course. The placement must be within a school, in Foundation (Reception) classes or above. You must have a solid understanding of the English language and have access to a PC and the internet throughout your course, plus basic computer skills.

If you do not have a confirmed placement within a school, you could consider undertaking our Level 3 Award in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools qualification instead.

Once you have obtained your Certificate, you will have a greater chance of being offered employment as a Teaching Assistant, and you can progress your learning further. You may go on to study for a Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People’s Workforce, or a Foundation Degree in Supporting Inclusive Practice, a BA degree in Education or a PGCE. There is also a range of Level 4 qualifications that you could pursue.