Billericay Teaching Alliance - Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship Level 3

This is for schools with TAs based in Essex, Southend, Thurrock, Havering and Hertfordshire.  

Learners must:

• Be employed as a Teaching Assistant with support from your school and levy account holder/Apprenticeship Service Account holder
• Support from your Line Manager/designated Mentor to work with you throughout the programme and support you with the 20% off-the-job training 
• Have GCSEs in English and Maths at Grade C (4) or above or able to achieve Level 2 English and Maths whilst on the programme (fully-supported on a one-to-one basis)
• Have held a residency in the UK for the last three years

Delivery includes:

• 10 half day Face-to-Face training sessions held in various locations across Essex, Southend, Thurrock, Havering and Hertfordshire.  
• 4 online half day training session with the same TA group and Tutor. 
• Half-termly (4–6) Tutor on-site visits to carry out observations and professional discussions in the school work place.
• A  extensive curriculum with 17 Knowledge, 16 Skills and 6 Behaviours that help support the class teacher and enhance learning.
• Reflective CPD online journal or blog.
• One-to-one teaching sessions with a dedicated Tutor.
• HLTA competencies and career development.
• Individual learning plans.

• Learners must select and complete one specialism while on programme

• You can choose more than one but you must ensure that this is discussed with your employer and tutor so that time spent on these specialisms does not impact your workload and core apprenticeship course requirements

• You will gain a certificate for any specialism successfully completed

• The specialisms become available six months after the apprenticeship start date

 

Special Needs and Disabilities	Early Years	English as an Additional Language	Behaviour	Assessment
Those specialising in SEND will develop their understanding of areas of need such as  Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH), Dyslexia and Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), enabling them to  deliver an even more effective role in supporting provision for students with SEND.	The focus of the Early Years specialism is good practice in nursery and reception  that ensures children are given the best possible start to their schooling, in  line with the principles and practices of the Early Years Foundation Stage.	Selecting EAL will equip TAs to support pupils who may be at different stages of English language acquisition and who have different backgrounds and needs.	The behaviour specialism develops a deeper understanding of behaviour strategies to support children to behave in ways that help them and others to gain the most from their schooling.	A specialism in assessment will support TAs' understanding of formative assessment techniques to; find out what children already know so that they can build on this​, unpick children’s misconceptions, check learning within (as well as at the end of) lesson​ and be able to provide effective feedback to move learning forwards.

• This 18-month apprenticeship costs £7,000 but can be delivered at no cost to you or your setting if your setting is an Apprenticeship Levy payer.
• If your setting doesn’t pay into the Apprenticeship Levy Fund, the government will pay 95% of your fees, with your setting contributing just 5%, which is £350. More details can be found on the Government website.
• Contact our friendly apprenticeship team to confirm the availability of funding for your setting.
  
  

Employer Incentive

An employer incentive payment of £1,000 is available for new apprentices aged 16 to 18 and those under 25 with an Education, Health and Care Plan.

Apprenticeship Levy Transfer
If an employer pays into the Apprenticeship Levy and has unspent funds, they can transfer up to 25% of that contribution to another employer. That means you can benefit from the levy-contributions of a different organisation to cover the full costs of an apprenticeship for a member of your team.

Organisations who are actively willing to transfer unspent funds can be viewed on the pledge page. Learn more about the Apprenticeship Levy Transfer on the Government website.

For Essex Schools, Essex County Council has a sizeable Apprenticeship levy funding pot available to schools. To find out more please contact will.chaney@essex.gov.uk Talent Development Senior Consultant at Essex County Council.

As well as ensuring full competency as a Teaching Assistant, this standard provides a foundation for potential progression into a number of career paths in the Educational sector including Higher Level Teaching Assistant, Assistant Teacher and Teacher. 

On successful completion:

Successful learners will achieve the level 3 apprenticeship qualification and will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and behaviours to make a difference in their school. 

All learners will complete the programme with a final individual learning plan (ILP) to support career development. Best Practice Network's national footprint as an experienced and leading provider of HLTA status, and our teacher training connection as part of our NPQ and Early Career Framework contracts with the Department for Education, ensure we are well-placed to offer expert guidance with the ILP.

A unique feature of our programme is that successful learners, post end-point assessment, will be eligible to apply for a fast-track to HLTA assessment with Best Practice Network.