Level 3 Teaching Assistant
Duration: 18 months (plus 4 months gateway)
Start date: Sept – July
Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship
If you’re looking to start a career as a Teaching Assistant, this apprenticeship will equip you with the knowledge and skills to support pupils in their learning and development. It meets the national standards for a Level 3 Teaching Assistant.
Throughout the programme, you’ll gain hands-on experience in an educational setting while developing key knowledge, skills, and behaviours. You’ll receive coaching, portfolio support, and guidance to achieve English and maths qualifications if needed. Upon completion, you’ll be ready to progress in the education sector.
Topics and units and assessments
As part of the apprenticeship, you will learn about:
- Contributing to the overall ethos and aims of the organisation and promoting diversity, inclusion, equality and acceptance of all learners
- Implementing safeguarding policies and safe practice, including online safety, in line with legislation, policies, and procedures including maintaining confidentiality
- Promoting engagement and learning behaviours to support the development of independent learners
- Delivering individual and small group teaching within clearly defined/planned parameters in partnership with the teacher and other professionals
- Contributing to assessment and planning by supporting the monitoring, recording, and reporting of learner outcomes and participation as agreed with the teacher.
Before entering the gateway, you must have been successful in completing all knowledge, skills, behaviours and duties, linked to the standard. The following must also be completed:
- Observation with questions
- Professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio of evidence.
How you’ll learn
Apprentices must complete the minimum requirement of 6 hours of off the job training per week or the equivalent over the practical learning duration (20% of capped 30 working hours).
Off the job training must deliver new skills and knowledge that are directly relevant to the apprenticeship standard and can include:
- Teaching of theory via blended delivery methods
- Practical training
- Work shadowing
- Supported learning and time spent writing any assignments / questions
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Teaching Assistant
Teaching Assistants support teachers in the classroom, helping pupils with learning activities, managing behaviour, and providing one-to-one or small group support.
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Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA)
HLTAs take on greater responsibility than standard Teaching Assistants, often leading classes in the teacher’s absence and delivering learning support.
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SEN or Behaviour Support Assistant
These roles focus on supporting students with specific needs, such as learning difficulties, disabilities, or behavioural challenges.
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Teacher Training
You must complete a progressing qualification, such as a PGCE, to become a fully qualified teacher. Teacher training prepares you to plan lessons, deliver teaching, assess student progress, classroom management.
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Grow Future Talent
Apprenticeships offer a structured, hands-on route into vital education roles such as teaching assistants, learning mentors, and early years educators. By nurturing talent from within, schools and education providers can address staff shortages and ensure apprentices gain real-world classroom experience aligned with curriculum needs and pastoral care.
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Build a Stable Support Team
Through apprenticeships, education providers can invest in developing skilled administrative, pastoral, and classroom support staff. This not only helps reduce reliance on temporary or agency staff but also builds a dependable, well-trained team that understands the specific needs of the school community and can grow with the organisation.
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Boost Retention
Apprenticeships help you build a loyal and motivated workforce by offering clear progression and personal development opportunities. When you invest in training, your staff feel valued and supported. This leads to higher job satisfaction, stronger morale, and increased retention, giving you a more stable team and reducing recruitment costs in your education setting.
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Maximise Education Funding
Many schools and education providers are under financial pressure, but apprenticeships offer a cost-effective way to train staff. Employers can use apprenticeship levy funds or access government support to cover training costs, allowing them to reskill their workforce without affecting other essential budgets, aiding in better succession planning.
Employer Hub
Get the information you need on how apprenticeships can benefit your business.
Our Employer Hub provides clear guidance on how apprenticeships can help your business thrive, plus all the details about funding and support you'll get every step of the way to make apprenticeships a key part of your workforce strategy.
Employer solutionsI would recommend an apprenticeship because I think it's a great way to combine learning whilst working and I think it's a really good way of being able to develop your knowledge, skills and behaviours and practically apply those in the workplace.
Emma, Apprentice