Level 3: Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship with additional SEND Training

As a Teaching Assistant, you could expect to be involved in:

• Liaising with the teacher to understand the objectives of each lesson
• Providing teaching support in small groups and where necessary be assigned to individual pupils in order to aid the teacher
• Assisting the teacher with observations and monitoring of the progress of children, both educationally and socially
• Promoting positive behaviour patterns, raise self-esteem, and improve independent working in children to assist their education and growth

Benefits for the school include:

• Use the Apprenticeship Levy to upskill and develop the knowledge and skills of your current  Teaching Assistants
• Increase the support available in your setting for pupils with SEND
• Build a specialist team of Teaching Assistants to provide your SENCO and Classroom Teachers with additional support
• Increase capacity for 1:1 support and interventions for pupils with SEND
• Establish a Professional Development or career pathway for current Teaching Assistants
• Upskill your current Teaching Assistants to Level 3
• It is also possible to develop your Teaching Assistant workforce by employing a new Teaching Assistant apprentice

Over the course of the apprenticeship, you will be required to:

• Submit a portfolio of evidence that comprises written assignments, case studies and presentations
• Demonstrate your knowledge, skills and behaviours in observations conducted by your tutor and in-school mentor
• Present your portfolio of evidence and complete a professional discussion as part of your End Point Assessment (EPA).

The Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship is ideal if you are working in an educational setting and are looking to upskill by developing SEND expertise in order to enhance your career, or learn new skills. It is also suitable for those with aspirations of becoming a Teaching Assistant.

To join this apprenticeship, you will need to have:

• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Strong communication skills
• The ability to work as part of a team

No qualifications are required if you are aged 19+ (although it is desirable to have maths and English GCSE at Grade 4/C or above)

For apprentices aged 16-18 only:

• Grade 4/5 in GCSE English and maths (equivalent to Grade C and above)
• If you don’t hold the above, you must work towards Level 2 Functional Skills as part of your apprenticeship.
• Functional Skills are valuable qualifications. Find out more about the support ESF Apprenticeships offers.
• You must have held residency in England for the last three years and have right to work in the UK

The apprenticeship is available to schools in England who have access to the Apprenticeship Levy. The levy can be used to cover the cost of the apprenticeship training and assessment. The way in which the levy applies depends on the type of school and the overall employer. For more information, please contact the ESF Apprenticeships team on 01784 222 300 or info@esfapprenticeships.co.uk.

You can register for this apprenticeship now as applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year. Places are limited, so please apply as early as possible.

The apprenticeship is 13-15 months in duration, inclusive of the End Point Assessment (EPA). In total approximately 300 hours of training and apprenticeship-related activity will be delivered and directed throughout the programme over this period of time.

In line with the standards set for all apprenticeships by the ‘Institute for Apprenticeships’, apprentices should complete 6 hours of ‘off-the-job’ (OTJ) learning per week, if they are a full-time apprentice (working at least 30 hours per week).

However, these OTJ hours will not all be completed through structured learning sessions. They also include all the practical application of your learning, for example, your project and portfolio work, as well as any other non-guided implementation and practice of learned skills and knowledge, which can be carried out as part of your new SEND remit in your setting.

If your employer pays into the Growth and Skills levy, the full cost of the apprenticeship can be covered. If your employer doesn’t pay into the Growth and Skills levy (because they have an annual wage bill of less than £3 million) they will pay 5% of the cost, which for this apprenticeship is £350. It may be possible to apply for ‘Levy Transfer’ to cover the cost of your apprenticeship if your employer doesn’t pay the levy. ESF Apprenticeships can support you with this.

Find out more about how to apply here.

ESF Apprenticeships are an Ofsted Outstanding Training Provider that won the Education and Childcare Apprenticeship Provider of the Year’ at the AAC 2022 Apprenticeship Awards.

With deep roots in education, they understand the importance of having the right support at every level of education. Their experienced team includes subject leaders and teachers from both primary and secondary settings. This combination of training and practical expertise allows them to deliver the right solution for every school setting.

ESF Apprenticeships offer a variety of apprenticeships across the Classroom, school leadership PE and Community settings.

“Since starting this apprenticeship, I’ve become much more confident in adapting resources and supporting children – especially those with additional needs.

Overall, the support from tutors and the wider ESF team has been exceptional. A truly outstanding training experience. Thank you.”

Claudia Ungureanu
Level 3 Teaching Assistant, Harris Academy Rainham