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Level 3 Diploma For Teaching Assistants - Feb StartApply Now »
Location: The RoundHouse
Years: 1
Weeks: 30
Hours: 3.00
Start: 23/02/2022
Days / Times: Wednesday 09:30 to 12:30
Tuition (£): 2225.00*
Full Concession: (0 Tuition/Exam Fee) available dependant on eligibility – A Full Concession is not applicable to a full-cost course
Adult Loan Amount: 2225.00****
Interview: Y
Course Summary
Are you passionate about developing educational opportunities for future generations? Would you like to support teachers and other professionals to improve educational opportunities for children and young people?
Do you want to develop your skills and expertise in your current role and possibly progress to become a higher level teaching assistant? If so, this is the course for you.
DCG has an excellent track record for high-calibre, inclusive teaching and learning. We strive for excellence and deliver dynamic lessons to stretch and challenge. We will support and guide you with continuous professional development.
Completing this Diploma with us gives you a nationally recognised qualification.
You will have exclusive access to high-quality course resources, library and career development services, as well as a busy Student Union with all the benefits and discounts that come with membership. We have good links with local schools and offer a progression event every year so you can plan the next steps in your career.
What are the benefits?
- You will develop secure knowledge and effective strategies to become an excellent teaching assistant
- You will have opportunities to develop your interpersonal skills
- You will develop your ICT skills
- Your school will secure additional high-quality support for its pupils and staff
- Children in schools will benefit from effective support to maximise their potential
Entry requirements
You must be aged 19 or over and have evidence of:
- At least a grade 4/C in GCSE English
- Suitable experience as a teaching assistant (employed or voluntary) prior to starting the course (ideally, three months experience)
- Access to a minimum of two days per week voluntary or employed work in a supporting role in a school or educational provider setting, with the opportunity to lead small groups of children or young people. This must be in Year 1 or above
- Confidence using standard ICT applications
- Ability to work at Level 3
- A DBS, which is required in order for you to work/volunteer at a school: you, along with the school, will be responsible for obtaining this.
Course Content
Teaching assistants work in Primary, Special and Secondary/College education across all age ranges, encompassing special educational needs and emotional vulnerabilities.
The primary role of the teaching assistant is to support the class teacher to enhance pupils’ learning either in groups or individually, ensuring pupils understand the work set, know their learning objectives and stay on task in order to make progress.
Promoting self-belief, social inclusion and a high self-esteem plays an integral part in pupils’ wellbeing, ensuring they thrive in a positive, nurturing, safe environment. Teaching assistants play an active role, supporting the learner to access the curriculum. They are good role models, act with honesty and integrity, take part in team meetings, and contribute to planning and class activities.
Promoting fundamental British values through spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and positive behaviours is crucial in contributing to improved pupil progress and development.
You will develop knowledge, skills and professional behaviours holistically during this course, and use your work placement to practise what you learn. Your work in classrooms with children, young people or adults is critical in enabling you to develop confidence, understanding and practice. Alongside this, you will work towards your Level 3 qualification, thematically studying the following units:
- Schools and Colleges as Organisations
- Support Health and Safety in a Learning Environment
- Understand How to Safeguard Children and Young People
- Develop Professional Relationships with Children, Young People and Adults
- Understand How Children and Young People Develop
- Support Positive Behaviour in Children and Young People
- Support Children and Young People During Learning Activities
- Support English and Maths Skills
- Support the Use of ICT in the Learning Environment
- Support Assessment for Learning
- Engage in Personal and Professional Development
- Support Children and Young People’s Speech, Language and Communication
- Understand How to Support Bilingual Learners
- Understand How to Support Learning of Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
- Support Children and Young People during Transitions
- Support the Role of Play, Leisure and Extra-Curricular Activities for Children and Young People
How will I be assessed?
You will be assessed through a range of methods, including using ‘One File’; individual and group presentations; group tasks; written tasks; professional discussions; assessment of skills during observations of your practice in your school; reflective practice and continuous professional development. Assessment is continuous and is designed to develop your academic and communication skills while building your confidence.
Are there any additional costs or specialist equipment required?
No
What can I do after this course?
Once you have completed the Diploma, you can:
- Progress in your current job role
- Progress to a Level 4 Certificate for Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTA)
- Advance to a Foundation Degree (Teaching Assistants, Early Years, Children and Young People or SEND Pathway)
Did you find the course information on this page useful?
* Tuition - This figure is the tuition fee to be paid - There are no concessionary fees available.
**** Advanced Learner Loan: if you are aged 19 or over and want to study at Level 3, 4, 5 or 6, you could apply for an Advanced Learner Loan to help with the costs of your study. This is the fee that would need to be financed by a successful application for a loan. Alternatively, you or your employer could pay the fees directly.
Sophie Nelson
Sophie finds true vocation thanks to Derby College
Former Derby College student Sophie Nelson is looking forward to starting a degree in occupational therapy next year. But Sophie, who has completed her Higher Level Teaching Assistants course at the Roundhouse “never in a million years” thought she would be going to university.
She said: “I wasn’t that confident in my own abilities and didn’t think I was good enough. At school I put my focus into making people laugh rather than learning but as I’ve grown up I‘ve realised the importance of studying, and that it’s never too late... I’m capable of doing everything that’s required of me on a degree course, including the referencing and academic writing. Thanks to Derby College I feel like I can do anything and would recommend the HLTA course 100%.”
Sophie who is 27 and originally from Mickleover, thought she wanted to be a police officer when she first left school so took levels 2 and 3 of the Public Services course at Broomfield Hall.
She added: “We had to do a lot of volunteering on that course so I volunteered at St Andrews Academy in Derby, a school for 11 to 19-year-olds with special educational needs. I absolutely loved it. I realised exactly what I wanted to do, so, after finishing college, I went on to work as a teaching assistant at other special schools. Before that I’d always known I wanted a job which would benefit the community, but not teach.”
To further her knowledge, Sophie enrolled on the level four course for higher level teaching assistants, which she completed in 2019.
Due to take up her place at Derby University in September 2021, she is soon to start a new job in a secondary school. In her role as student engagement and learning mentor, Sophie will be supporting students with learning difficulties resulting from social, emotional or behavioural issues.
She added: “Once I have finished my degree I would like to be an occupational therapist, specialising in supporting children with special needs to live the most fulfilling life possible. My mum worked for Leicestershire Disabled Children’s Service and at a young age I was aware of special needs and the importance of inclusion.”
I wasn’t that confident in my own abilities and didn’t think I was good enough. At school I put my focus into making people laugh rather than learning but as I’ve grown up I‘ve realised the importance of studying, and that it’s never too late... I’m capable of doing everything that’s required of me on a degree course, including the referencing and academic writing. Thanks to Derby College I feel like I can do anything and would recommend the HLTA course 100%.
