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Will your qualification be worth the paper it’s written on?

Are you a bit confused by all the different courses on offer and the providers offering them, our checklist should help you to make the right decision for you…
 
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THE TACOLLEGE COURSES

There are currently two courses offered by The Teaching Assistant College, the CACHE Level 3 Certificate for Teaching Assistants and CACHE Level 3 Certificate for Teaching Assistants. In general Level 2 qualifications are seen to be similar to GCSEs and Level 3 similar to ‘A’ Levels in standards.

CACHE Level 2 Certificate for Teaching Assistants

The CACHE Level 2 Certificate for Teaching Assistants is the first level of qualification that The Teaching Assistant College offer for those working or wanting to work in school as a voluntary or employed Teaching Assistant. This certificate is ideal if you want to begin a career as a Teaching Assistant or gain a qualification to enhance your experience.

Course Outline:
The course consists of two units, both of which are completed by all students with a main assignment at the end of each. Each unit requires approximately 60 hours of learning (about 3 hours each week) this includes both time studying online and carrying out independent tasks.

Unit 1 – Supporting the Curriculum
- Supporting Literacy
- Supporting mathematics
- Supporting ICT
- The Planning Process
- Supporting pupil’s learning
- How to Scaffold Learning on Task

Unit 2 – Working Within the School
- The role of the Teaching Assistant in School
- Policies and Procedures
- Relationships with Pupils
- Encouraging Positive Behaviour

see full syllabus

Time in school
Your placement in a school is for you to gain hands-on experience as a Teaching Assistant and to carry out activities given to you by the class teacher and being involved with the general life of the school along with carrying out activities for assignments and course tasks.

At Level 2 it is a course requirement that you spend at least 120 hours in school (60 hours for each unit). You can choose whether you want to attend about 3 hours each week over the course or in larger periods of time e.g. blocks of whole weeks when it suits you, as long as the total adds up to at least 120 hours. Only hours spent in school during the course can be counted.

Assessment
There are no exams in order to gain this qualification, instead you assessed by completing two main assignments, one at the end of each unit. Unit one assignment is marked by CACHE, unit two is marked by The Teaching Assistant College.

You will also be assessed throughout the course by completing a number of small tasks to demonstrate your understanding of the study sessions, often these will be linking your studies to school experience. Some of these tasks will be completed online during the study session and you will need to save others in your online folder. Your tutor is then the only other person other than you who will have access to your online folder.

CACHE Level 3 Certificate for Teaching Assistants

The CACHE Level 3 Certificate for Teaching Assistants is ideal for experienced Teaching Assistants working mainly without supervision in a variety of roles within school on a voluntary or employed basis.

The course consists of three units, each student must study unit 1 followed by a choice of either unit 2 or 3. Each unit requires 60 hours of study

Unit 1 – The Role of the Teaching Assistant in School - Mandatory
- School Structure and Job Role
- Relationships and Interactions
- Encouraging Positive Behaviour
- The Planning Process
- The Learning Process
- Supporting and Scaffolding the Learning Task
- Record Keeping
- Policies and Procedures
- Health and Safety

Unit 2 Supporting Pupils with Particular Learning Needs – Optional
- The School Approaches
- Working with other Professionals
- Understanding the Terminology and Concepts
- Supporting the Pupils
- Individual Differences
- Factors Affecting Pupils
- Different Approaches

Unit 3 Teaching and Learning – Optional
- Supporting Learning
- Supporting the Literacy Curriculum
- Supporting the Numeracy Curriculum
- Support Information Communication and Technology
- Working with Others
- Working with Parents and Carers

see full syllabus

Time in school
As with the Level 2 Certificate your time in school is for you to gain hands-on experience as a Teaching Assistant and to carry out activities given to you by the class teacher and being involved with the general life of the school along with carrying out activities for assignments and course tasks.

At Level 3 however, you may have more responsibility working with groups of children or individuals and the teacher may ask you to perform more demanding tasks. You will also be expected to spend time observing for the Unit 1 assignment requirements.

At Level 3 it is a course requirement that you spend at least 240 hours in school (120 hours for each unit). You can choose whether you want to attend about 6 hours each week over the course or in larger periods of time e.g. blocks of whole weeks when it suits you, as long as the total adds up to at least 240 hours. Only hours spent in school during the course can be counted.

Assessment
There are no exams in order to gain this qualification, instead you assessed by completing two main assignments, one at the end of each unit. Unit one assignment is marked by CACHE, unit two or three (depending which you choose) is marked by The Teaching Assistant College.

You will also be assessed throughout the course by completing a number of small tasks to demonstrate your understanding of the study sessions, often these will be linking your studies to school experience. Some of these tasks will be completed online during the study session and you will need to save others in your online folder. Your tutor is then the only other person other than you who will have access to your online folder.

Course costs:

CACHE Level 2 Certificate for Teaching Assistants £674 + VAT*

CACHE Level 3 Certificate for Teaching Assistants £774 + VAT*

*Please note that this price includes registration with CACHE for the processing of your assignments and certification.

If you require a CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check this will cost an additional £30 -£40.
All schools require you to have CRB clearance prior to you starting your placement.

You do not require a new CRB check if:
You are working in a school that has previously carried out a CRB check and they are happy for you to continue without a new check being carried out.

Or,

If you have had a CRB check carried out within the last 12 months (you can send your original to us, we will then take a copy for our records and return the original to you).

You will require a CRB check to be carried out if you have not had a check in the last 12 months, or if it is your first time working in a school. There is no need to worry about your CRB check now, we will help you complete the forms as part of the application process.