This pathway provides trainees with the essential knowledge, skills and confidence needed to thrive in a school environment and support pupils effectively, covering the role of a Teaching Assistant, safeguarding, health & safety, child development, exploring behaviour, technology, curriculum and learning strategies with a final assessment.
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We’ve teamed up with the UK’s largest provider of Teaching Assistant Apprenticeships to offer schools the opportunity to develop their own specialist support staff
Teaching Assistant training programme
The Level 3/4 Teaching Assistant programme helps schools and nurseries overcome hiring challenges by offering full-time teaching assistants who complete training at weekends and holidays. Employed by Engage Education and trained by our provider over 11 months, including a final assessment, the programme’s nine modules develop TAs’ skills to boost student engagement and classroom efficiency, making it a great investment in your team’s growth.
Typical pathway
SEND Pathway
There 5 workshops throughout the programme, covering the SEND landscape in the UK, safeguarding, adaptive curriculums and more.
Apprentices through our Anspear platform will also complete training in understanding Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, learning & social needs, trauma & ACEs and supporting SLCN.
Our approach
We tailor placements to your needs and handle the recruitment process from start to finish. Here’s what to expect:
Fully vetted candidates
Full Level 3/4 training
Support and development check-ins
Training takes place outside of school hours
Progress and attendance monitoring
"Through the teaching assistant scheme, we have been able to secure enthusiastic staff, who are dedicated to learning and growing within their roles as a teaching assistant in our specialist setting."
"The candidates we took on were fantastic. It was great to get the trial day to really get a feel of how they worked and where they would fit."
"The Level 3/Level 4 Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship with the SEND Pathway has been a real asset to our school. Our teaching assistants have grown in confidence and capability incredibly quickly, and their training is already making a noticeable difference to the quality of support we can offer our children with additional needs. The programme has helped us strengthen our SEND provision while also developing skilled, committed support staff who understand our setting and our pupils. It has been a cost-effective and impactful way to build capacity, and we have really valued the ongoing support from the training team. I would highly recommend this pathway to any school looking to enhance their SEND support."
"Our teaching assistant is working well and has developed positive relationships with both staff and children. She is engaging positively in the school environment, and her interactions with others have been consistently respectful and cooperative. We are very pleased with the programme so far"
"I can say that, I have been impressed with the attitude, commitment, passion and support that the tutor has shown her student. The tutor has made many of the processes and procedures, as well as the support clear. This has made it easy for us to be able to support her."
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Why is there a growing need for Teaching Assistants?
Most schools are experiencing an increase in the number of pupils requiring additional support. However, they often lack enough support staff with the necessary skills or expertise to meet these needs. At the same time, many schools face budget pressures and cannot afford to reduce their support staff capacity, making this programme an effective solution to build skilled teams without increasing costs.
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Does the school need to provide a mentor?
Yes. It’s important that the teaching assistant has a main point of contact at the host organisation to report to and receive guidance throughout their training.
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Does the school mentor need to meet with the trainee every week, and how long should these meetings be?
Not necessarily every week, but as often as needed. Meetings may be weekly at the start to help the teaching assistant settle in and get to know the school. It’s best to think of this like any manager supporting and meeting regularly with their team members.
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Does the trainee work with the class teacher to build up to whole class responsibility?
Yes, if they are a Teaching Assistant, they’ll work closely with the class teacher to develop their skills and gradually take on more responsibility. Once ready, they can take on whole-class responsibility, which they’ll evidence as part of the programme.
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How often does the tutor (from our provider) visit the trainee?
The tutor carries out a progress review every three months. These reviews aren’t always on-site and can be done online via Teams. We ask the assigned mentor or line manager to join part of the meeting to provide input. As always, plenty of notice is given, and our provider works around the school’s schedule.
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The trainee is working 6 hours a day - do they need study time built into their timetable?
Not with this model, as most training is delivered during the 12 weeks of school holidays. That said, teaching assistants often have some free time during the week, and we encourage them to use this to log into the e-portfolio when possible.
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How many hours per week do teaching assistants work?
30 hours per week, all year-round.
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What if the teaching assistant isn’t the right fit?
We’ll review the situation, hold an intervention meeting, and explore solutions. Teaching assistants can only be removed after this process if necessary.
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What's the notice period?
4 weeks
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