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 Working in Leicestershire Schools & CollegesClassroom support staff make a valuable contribution to children's learning, supporting
the work of teachers in a variety of ways to create an educational environment in which pupils' all
round development is in accordance with the school/college development plan.
Each
school/college establishes their own staffing structure and determines the precise duties and job titles
to suit their particular circumstances.
For more information about Higher Level Teaching Assistants, click
here.
A central list of all support staff roles is not held, though many supportstaff
vacancies are advertised at www.leics.gov.uk/jobs as well
as in the local press (e.g. Leicester Mercury, Loughborough Echo, Hinckley Times etc).
This manual has been produced to provide information about qualifications and training
programmes for school support staff. Follow the link above to download the manual.
The LA has also developed a grid which helps map the CPD and career opportunities
available for classroom support staff in Leicestershire. These opportunities include vocational
qualifications as well as short courses.
The CPD grid has been sent to all Leicestershire Schools and Colleges and can also
be downloaded here (PDF doc, 67kb).
The website www.skills4schools.org.uk
also gives information about training routes for a wide range of support roles in schools and colleges.
As well as formal qualifications, various short courses are offered in areas such
as:
Details of short courses are
provided by the service/department responsible for the delivery of the course, and are sent directly
to schools and colleges over the duration of the academic year.
Some vocational qualifications and short courses are funded by the LA. Details
are sent to schools/colleges as and when funding is available.
If you would like to discuss CPD opportunities for support staff please contact
the team on (0116) 305 6873/8045 or e-mail teaching@leics.gov.uk.
Within the East Midlands region there are various providers of Foundation Degrees
specifically for classroom support staff.
The programmes offer flexibility and typically involve two to four years of work-based
learning with university attendance once a week (may be day time or evening, depending on the provider).
Delivery is through a modular approach, with the full Foundation Degree being worth
a total of 240 CAT points, providing a route for progression to Hours / Qualified Teacher Status for
those wishing to progress their studies further.
For details, including course content and entry requirements, please refer to the
providers’ websites:
Leicester University - www.le.ac.uk/education
For further information contact Min Wilkie on 0116 252 5799, email: teach.assist.clerk@leicester.ac.uk
Northampton University – www.northampton.ac.uk/education
Nottingham Trent University – www.ntu.ac.uk/education
Derby University – www.derby.ac.uk/education
Bishop Grosseteste College – www.bishopg.ac.uk
Classroom Support Staff Conference, 27th February 2008
Classroom Support Staff Conference, 21st March 2007
Classroom Support Staff Conference, 29th March 2006
Following the 2006 Conference for Classroom Support Staff a number of professional
networks have been set up around the county.
If your development group is not listed here, and
you would be interested in developing a network in your area, please speak to your line manager in the
first instance.
The networks aim to benefit all classroom support staff, sharing practice, knowledge
and ideas, with the main aims of developing their role as professionals and enriching children’s learning.
As part of a Government initiative to implement a programme to increase and improve
the support offered by classroom support staff to teachers and pupils, a specific website area has been
developed containing resources for Teaching Assistants. While this is aimed at LA officers responsible
for the training and qualifications of teaching assistants, the information may also be of interest
to teaching assistants themselves.
The HLTA status was developed in support of the 2003 National Agreement for Raising
Standards and Tackling Teacher Workload, introducing a new level of career progression for classroom
support staff with professional standards that post-holders must be able to demonstrate. These
professional standards can be downloaded from www.hlta.gov.uk.
The status aims to formally recognise the skills of experienced and high calibre
classroom support staff and also to provide assurance to headteachers, principals, teachers and parents
in respect of the standards they can expect from those undertaking HLTA duties. In order to apply
for HLTA positions you will be required to have obtained HLTA status.
HLTAs are not, and have never been, intended to be interchangeable with teachers.
However, HLTA roles do have a greater complexity and autonomy than other classroom support roles,
and duties may fall in the areas of:
This can include working
with whole classes under the direction and supervision of a teacher, but it does not need to. (Though
this is one of the HLTA standards which must be met in order to achieve HLTA status)
The exact roles of HLTAs across Leicestershire, and indeed nationally, vary considerably,
depending on organisational need and the individual's background.
HLTA Training and AssessmentThere are several different training routes to obtaining HLTA status, all of which
include statutory "preparation for assessment" training:
HLTA training and/or
assessment is fully funded by the LA. Information on application rounds for funding is distributed
to Leicestershire Schools and Colleges throughout the year.
Applicants will need to
Funding Application for HLTA Training / AssessmentTo apply for funding for HLTA training and/or assessment please click here to request
an information pack: HLTA@leics.gov.uk.
HLTA Documents to Download |
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