Teaching assistant apprenticeship training is a great way to develop your skillset if you're already in role. Teaching assistant apprenticeship training is offered at Level 3, which is the equivalent to A levels (grades A-E).
Teaching assistants support teachers in the classroom as well as the children. Often working with children that need additional support or assisting the teacher in managing classroom behaviour, teaching assistants are a key part of any school's structure.
What do teaching assistants do?
The role of the teaching assistant is to help pupils understand and analyse lessons given by the teacher. Teaching assistants are sometimes assigned to a particular student, a particular class, or a particular subject. For example, some teaching assistants will work closely with pupils that require additional help and will assist them in multiple lessons. Other teaching assistants (especially those in primary schools) will spend their time with the same class and aid the teacher in a range of different subjects. In secondary school, teaching assistants may be assigned to different subjects (such as chemistry, mathematics or English, to name a few).
What will a teaching assistant apprenticeship course teach myself/my team?
- How to help children who need extra support
- Different techniques for supervising group activities
- How to manage class behaviour
- How to prepare materials that match development needs
- Understand child safety policies
Who can apply for a teaching assistant apprenticeship course?
Apprenticeship training isn’t just for school leavers, although it does offer a valuable route into the career for new starters as well. There is no age limit and apprenticeships are open to people of any age and any career level. Apprenticeships are valuable for staff of any industry looking to learn practical, role-ready knowledge and skills and you can use the apprenticeship levy to train existing staff as well as taking on new employees. Across all standards, apprenticeships are offered from Level 2 (intermediate) all the way up to Level 7 (degree) and are a great way to develop the knowledge and skill set of existing staff.
| Name | Level | Equivalent Educational Level |
| Intermediate | 2 | GCSE |
| Advanced | 3 | A Level |
| Higher | 4,5, 6 and 7 | Foundation degree and above |
| Degree | 6 and 7 | Bachelor's or master's degree |
If you are a company required to pay the apprenticeships levy, you can spend your levy money on apprenticeship training and end-point assessment with a training provider on the Education & Skills Funding Agency’s Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers (RoATP). We only list RoTAP approved apprenticeship providers, and you can search for courses here to find a provider to match.
Apprenticeship training must last a minimum of 12 months and 20% of the apprentice’s time must be spent on off-the-job training. You can only use funds in the account to pay for apprenticeship training and assessment for apprentices that work at least 50% of the time in England, and only up to the funding band maximum for that apprenticeship.
For employers who don’t pay the levy, support is still available. If you pay 10% of the apprenticeship training costs and the government will pay the rest (90%), up to the funding band maximum. This is known as ‘co-investment’.
Choosing the right training provider for your teaching assistant apprenticeship training:
You can find and compare government approved, RoATP registered apprenticeship providers on our website. If you’re not sure which level is right for you or your staff you can find guides, articles and help on our Apprenticeship Hub.
