Are we giving TAs the right support for a challenging role?
The teaching assistant role has changed considerably over the past two decades.
Yet despite increasing workload and responsibilities, particularly for children with special educational needs, higher-level training has been notoriously difficult to finance. This is just one of the reasons (coupled with low pay and lack of a clear career pathway) why 81% of headteachers say they struggle to recruit TAs with a specialist knowledge of SEND.
The role itself is often made more complex by a lack of time, budget and resources; 41% of TAs told researchers from the NCFE (Northern Advisory Council for Further Education) that they don’t have everything they need to support children with SEND, while one in five secondary TAs in the latest research from the DfE felt they did not have sufficient training to take on the demands of the role.
Dr Mark Turner, an Educational Psychologist, Co-Founder of Real Training and Director of Educational and Sporting Futures, believes one of the ways we could help TAs would be to equip them with a practical understanding of psychology to manage the demands of the job.
“Many teaching and learning support assistants are already doing a fantastic job of supporting children with SEND,” he explains, “but most have never had the chance to access the latest evidence – the ‘why’ behind the interventions or scaffolding support they are involved in.”
This is especially important, Mark says, when it comes to things like understanding working memory, metacognition and its relationship to neurodiversity and getting to grips with the scaffolding techniques required to support adaptive teaching.
“Knowing the ‘why’ matters, it’s what allows you to better understand and respond to individual needs in the moment,” says Mark.
The need for this is pressing; there are now 300,000 more children classed as having SEND than there were five years ago and more complex SEMH and behavioural needs in mainstream schools since the pandemic. The Labour government is also focussed on inclusion. From September 2025, new OFSTED school report cards will include an inclusion criterion.
New career pathways: The Specialist Teaching Assistant (STA) apprenticeship
In September the Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant apprenticeship standard was given the official go-ahead. It will offer teaching assistants (and other support staff such as LSAs and classroom assistants) the chance to specialise in either SEND, social and emotional wellbeing or curriculum provision.
The good news for school leaders is that this high-quality training can typically be fully funded through the Government’s apprenticeship levy.
Even in the small minority of cases where employers aren’t able to access full levy funding, they need to pay just 5% of the training and assessment costs.
SEND experts and educational psychologists from Real Training have collaborated with OFSTED-outstanding apprenticeship provider, Educational and Sporting Futures, to deliver the new qualification from December.
“This new standard marks a significant milestone in recognising and elevating the vital role of teaching assistants,” says Jo Pountney, Director of Educational and Sporting Futures, who was part of the trailblazer group that created the apprenticeship.
The Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant apprenticeship programme and its three specialisms delivered by Educational and Sporting Futures will include optional HLTA status. The social and emotional wellbeing specialism will also include ELSA training, while the SEND specialism (amongst other things) will cover;
- theoretical knowledge of SEND, such as autism and dyslexia as well as an understanding of attachment and trauma
- strategies to advance learning for pupils with a range of SEND
- practical skills for ongoing assessment and support.
Jo hopes that the new qualification will lead to staff feeling more valued and likely to stay in the profession. “It opens up a rewarding career pathway for teaching assistants who have at least one year of experience, while also extending the knowledge of existing HLTAs through the specialist areas,” she explains.
Manor Fields Primary School will be one of the first settings to benefit from upskilling their TAs through Educational and Sporting Futures.
“We are really excited to be part of the first cohort,” Headteacher Helen Smith says. “There is such huge value in the apprenticeship programme – both as a means of attracting new staff and as a way of investing in our current staff members, developing and retaining talent within school. I’m delighted how enthusiastic our staff members are about taking part.”
How can I access my school’s apprenticeship levy?
Organisations with a wage bill of over £3m will already contribute to the levy (currently 0.5% of the staffing bill). This can only be accessed to fund apprenticeship training.
Claiming the levy depends upon the type of school you are in;
- Local Authority schools can access advice and levy funding for apprenticeships via their Local Authority’s Apprenticeship Levy Manager. (Note if your school is on a pooled PAYE system things may be slightly more complex but this is where apprenticeship advisors at Educational and Sporting Futures can help).
- Multi-academy Trusts often have a wage bill of over £3m and so will have a ‘levy pot’. Contact your MAT’s central finance or HR team as the next step.
- Voluntary Controlled schools should also approach their Local Authority as they are the employer.
- Voluntary-aided and Foundation schools, if non-levy paying, can access 95% of the cost through government apprenticeship funding. Further support may be accessed via the Local Authority or through levy transfer.
All schools can access apprenticeship funding, and large organisations can support smaller employers through what’s known as levy transfer. Contact Educational and Sporting Futures for further advice.
More apprenticeships designed to develop SEND provision
Educational and Sporting Futures also offer:
- Level 7 Advanced SEND Leader apprenticeship for SENCOs who want to evolve their inclusive vision and practice for their setting
- Level 3 Teaching Assistant apprenticeship with SEND – offering foundational skills (equivalent to A-level) for TAs.
We expect the DfE to be launching more levy-funded courses to support schools with inclusion. Contact us to find out more.
Next steps
For one-to-one advice about how your school can benefit from the new apprenticeship, how to access your levy and the time commitment involved, visit: esfapprenticeships.co.uk/specialist-TA Or call: 01438 791068
Educational and Sporting Futures delivers apprenticeships as Sporting Futures UK Ltd.
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