This Level 2 Certificate in Supporting Teaching & Learning in Schools is a competence-based qualification for learners 16+ who are interested in working in the following roles:

• teaching assistant
• classroom assistant
• learning support assistant
• additional needs assistant
• pastoral/welfare support assistant
• bilingual support assistant
• foundation stage assistant
• other site staff including administrators within a school or a college.

The qualification provides comprehensive coverage of the knowledge and skills to support teaching effectively and is suited for both the beginners and people with experience who already work within an educational facility.

Nevertheless, it is important to note that in order to complete this qualification, students will have to be employed in a school or college. This could be a full-time position or a voluntary position of one or two mornings, afternoons or days per week.

This is because apart from a knowledge-based assessment that will be carried out via a remote professional discussion with one of the LearnQ’s assessors, the candidates will also be required to compile a portfolio of evidence of their practical work that must be signed off by a qualified teacher who works side by side with the candidate.

The Level 2 Award in Supporting Teaching & Learning in Schools is ideal for those who:

already work in a learning support position in schools and wish to further develop skills and knowledge and / or obtain a formal qualification

There are no entry requirements, although you cannot complete this course unless you have a suitable placement for collecting your practical evidence for the portfolio. This placement could be full time, part time or voluntary.

YOU DO NOT NEED ANY EXISTING QUALIFICATIONS TO TAKE THIS ONE.

This product is not a course, but just the assessment which accompanies the Level 2 Certificate in Supporting Teaching & Learning in Schools.

It includes workbooks that need to be completed before you take the assessment.

This assessment takes place via online professional discussions with our qualified assessors and workplace evidence that needs to be submitted. You will need to complete the workbooks in full prior to booking the discussions, and they will help you to structure what you need to cover in your discussion to be successful.

There is no requirement to write long essays. There are two types of assessment:

• Knowledge-based assessment – remote professional discussion at the end of the course. This is with one of our experienced assessors in the form of a conversation where they will check your knowledge and understanding of the subject matter.
• Practical skills assessment – portfolio of evidence signed by a workplace supervisor (students will need to have a placement in a school or educational setting in which to gather evidence of skills and learning). This may mean that before you start this course, you need to be in a position where you are already working with children

Our qualification can be achieved quickly and smoothly from the comfort of your own home and your existing work environment. The qualification has been created by a team that has over 10 years of experience delivering online qualifications and is strictly regulated by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) that regulates qualifications, examinations and assessments in England.

The Level 2 Certificate in Supporting Teaching & Learning in Schools is is fully accredited and nationally recognised by Ofqual – the UK government regulator of qualifications. This means that the qualification is accepted by schools and other educational institutes UK wide.

Although there is no international accreditation standard, usually UK qualifications are held in high esteem around the world.

These assessments take up to 3 hours, plus additional time to secure your workplace evidence.

For successful completion, students will be expected to have studied this subject for approximately 300 hours. It usually takes between 4 weeks – 6 months for students to achieve the qualification.

This Level 2 Certificate in Supporting Teaching & Learning in Schools qualification helps you to enhance your career profile. Successful completion enables learners to progress to the other qualifications such as:

• Level 3 Award in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools (RQF)
• Level 3 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools (RQF)
• Intermediate/Advanced Level Apprenticeship in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools
• Level 3 Certificate in Cover Supervision of pupils in Schools (RQF)
• Level 3 Diploma in Specialist Support for Teaching and Learning in Schools (RQF)
• Level 2 qualifications in Children’s Care, Learning and Development, Play Work or Youth Work Practice

If you want to become a good teaching assistant in the UK, then the best advice is to make sure that you learn as much as you can. This could be learning on the job, as much of the skills that you need to now are obtained. 

It can also be using a variety of courses to increase your learning and give you the tools that you can then put into your every day working with the children. 

If you do not have any experience with children, yet you still want to become a teaching assistant, then one of the best paths for you to take is to volunteer within the school that you want to work in (or any school that is in your local area).

Whilst this is not a paid position, it does mean that you can say that you have worked with children in the past and give you valuable experience that can help you to get your career moving.

Taking a qualification, such as the LearnQ Level 2 Award in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools will help you get a paid position.

There are a number of ways that a teaching assistant will support a teacher. They will be responsible for setting up the classroom and ensuring that it is neat, tidy and organised. The ideal environment for learning.

A teaching assistant will also need to be there to support children during the day, helping them with their learning. This could be one to one or in as small group.

A teaching assistant will be on hand to provide the teacher with insights on individual children and feel comfortable discussing some of the challenges and successes of that child in their learning.
More often than not, a teaching assistant is simply there to ensure that the children have the support that they need to be able to learn, and that the teacher can focus on teaching, whilst their teaching assistant tackles some of the other things in class.

There are some teaching assistants who find that they want to take the next step on their career path and discover how they can become a teacher. Many schools and local authorities are happy to support teaching assistants whilst they train to become a qualified teacher.

This may require the teaching assistant to study and obtain their degree, however, there are other methods that they can take to be able to gain the required qualifications, all whilst they are still working in their current teaching assistant role. 

In some schools, SEN teaching assistants will earn more than their standard teaching assistant counterparts. This is largely down to the fact that there is a higher intensity level in their job role, as well as a requirement for more training and experience. 

The salary of a teaching assistant is spread out throughout all 12 months of the year. This means that whilst they do not work through the summer break, they do still receive a wage. That said, this does not mean that they earn money as their salary is only applicable for the time that they work, however, is spread out over 12 months.

Whilst you do not need to have a GCSE in maths to be able to apply to be a teaching assistant, it is usually asked that you have a pass mark of 4 or above (C) in GCSE maths. This is largely due to the fact that you will be required to assist with maths based learning and if you are in Key Stage 2, then this can often leave those who are not clear on their maths, a problem. 

If you want to become a TA, but you don’t have any experience, then the good news is that it is still possible to follow this career path. Whilst it is always great to have some relevant experience to show when you apply for a teaching assistant job, you don’t have to have any specific experience when it comes to becoming a TA.

If you want to gain experience as a teaching assistant, but there are no current roles available to you, then it is a good idea to try and volunteer in a local school. You can listen to the children read and help in a classroom setting. 

As a teaching assistant does not work a full time job as many other jobs would be, this means that a pro rata salary needs to be calculated. To do this, first you need to work out the weekly and hourly salary of the full time earnings.

The salary that you can expect to receive as a teaching assistant will really depend on how many hours you work, where you are in the UK and also the level of experience and qualifications that you have as a TA.