Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship

Who Should Apply?

This two-year course ideally requires L3 qualifications with level 2 in English and maths (eg. GCSE) for entry and candidates could reduce this timeframe depending on experience.

Specialist Teaching Assistants are employed within your workplace with 80% workload and 20% training while undertaking the apprenticeship.

Candidates choose ONE of THREE pathways: SEND, Social and Emotional Well-being or Curriculum.

All work under the supervision* of qualified teachers.

Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant SEND Pathway

Specialist knowledge of SEND to plan, prepare, deliver and evaluate learning and assessment activities, including for individuals and groups or classes. Advocate for children and young people with SEND.

Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant Social & Emotional Well-being Pathway

Specialist knowledge of social and emotional well-being to plan, prepare, deliver and evaluate learning and assessment activities including for individuals and groups or classes. Advocate for children and young people within the area of social and emotional well-being.

Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant Curriculum Pathway

General teaching skills for planning, preparing, delivering and evaluating learning and assessment activities with a phase/curriculum specialism. Working as an integral part of teaching team alongside teachers and teaching assistants providing specialist knowledge and skills. Additional subject knowledge enhancement is available to deepen curriculum knowledge.

The Specialist Teaching Assistant role

Specialist Teaching Assistants are proactive and influential colleagues who provide a complementary role alongside teachers and other staff.

They work under the direction of a qualified teacher to actively plan, organise, deliver and review high quality learning for classes and groups of pupils. As well as undertaking whole class teaching, they can also work in a team-teaching capacity alongside a teacher.

They can have a supervisory, coaching or mentoring role in relation to Level 3 and 4 teaching assistant colleagues.

Examples of roles

Specialist staff to work in behaviour units and in the field of young people’s mental health
Members of teaching teams with qualified teachers supporting curriculum delivery in specialist areas
Specialist staff in neurodiversity, dyslexia and other aspects of SEND
Teaching to support English as an additional language, music, arts or sport – in fact any curriculum area
Team leaders with expertise in the impacts of disadvantage for to lead support teams in pastoral units
Classroom-based specialist mental health staff to bring direct support to learners
Specialists in support for young people who have experienced trauma
Vocational subject input to address the need to apply learning

Progression from the L5 Specialist teaching assistant apprenticeship

Some universities are planning to recognise the work done in the L5 apprentice as equivalent to a foundation degree. This will allow suitable trainees to move into a BA Honours top-up and onto a course leading to Qualified Teacher Status.

2+2 route to becoming a qualified teacher

Two years employed as Specialist Teaching Assistant undertaking the L5 Specialist Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship followed by two years employed as an unqualified teacher undertaking the L6 Undergraduate Teacher Apprenticeship.

Advantages for the apprentice: fully employment-based route into teaching with no student loan.

Advantages for the employer: committed, dedicated member of a teaching team for four years leading to a new teacher colleague fully integrated into the school.

2+1+1 route to becoming a qualified teacher

Two years employed as Specialist Teaching Assistant undertaking the L5 Specialist Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship followed by one year completing an Honours degree, then one year employed as an unqualified teacher undertaking the L6 Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship.

Advantages for the apprentice: fully employment-based route into teaching with one year of student loan instead of four on standard routes into teaching.

Advantages for the employer: committed, dedicated member of a teaching team for up to four years leading to a new teacher colleague fully integrated into the school.