Edexcel offers congratulations to 20 teaching assistants in Wiltshire who were the first in the country to achieve success in the National Vocational Qualification in Teaching Assistance. The scheme, which started in January, took them through a learning and development programme at level 2.
Head teachers across the county are reported to be very impressed by the results, saying how much it had improved the teaching assistants’ working practice. One commented that the teaching assistant had become "more focussed, more involved and more confident in her abilities”.
The group was drawn from schools across the county. The candidates were partly funded by the Wiltshire Learning and Skills Council through an Employment Training Programme called ETP Free to Learn, which is designed to provide training for people who have never before had the chance to study for qualifications. Aimed at organisations such as schools, who find it difficult to release people for training, the scheme provides “backfill” funding to pay for cover while the teaching assistant is undertaking training or assessment. |
Some of the Wiltshire teaching assistants |
Wiltshire LEA, who organised the training, commissioned ten peripatetic assessors to support the teaching assistant in putting together their portfolio. The assessors were especially trained for their role in providing one to one guided learning and assessment.
Lynn Willmott, of NVQ Consultancy Ltd, who implemented the programme and trained the assessors said: “The team of assessors were fantastic. Without doubt, this made the difference and made the scheme a success. They each took a strong personal interest in helping their candidates meet the requirements. The careful planning and preparation prior to the launch has paid dividends, we are on target for successful completion of at least 25 candidates before the beginning of the August break.
“We designed a range of developmental support paperwork for assessors and a logbook for the teaching assistants to record their activities in the classroom. The timeframes were a pressure, because we knew the pilot scheme for the Free to Learn funding for this group of candidates would end in August, but it did serve to maintain a focus and a source of motivation.
“We set goals for the completion of units and provided the necessary support and encouragement to the candidates to help their achievement. Edexcel has just confirmed that the first 7 candidates have successfully achieved the qualification.”
Edexcel is the awarding body for the NVQ in Teaching Assistance. It is offered at levels 2 and 3. BTEC Director, Rick Firth said: “The approach taken by Wiltshire is exemplary; candidates are given high levels of one to one support with detailed assessment planning.
“The government seeks to raise standards for teaching assistants, but they are a 'difficult to reach' group working in small numbers in schools far and wide. The schools may be unable to free them up to go for training and often the teaching assistant has responsibilities at home that make it difficult to participate in formal learning in college.”
Assessors visited the teaching assistants at their school every three to four weeks and, with the support of the head teacher, they were given time to meet with the assessor and discuss progress.
Julie Jones a teaching assistant from Neston Primary School said: “The advantage of this type of programme is that the assessor comes to the workplace. The benefits are that she sees you at work and can give valuable advice and guidance - I received pointers on how I could improve my work. It has made me look at my practice and understand how the school operates. I now have a clearer understanding of how the school operates as a whole. I have gained confidence in myself, and with the help and support given to me by the school and my assessor to achieve this qualification; I feel I am a much better teaching assistant.“
Linda Davies, head teacher at Neston, said that Julie was now more confident in her abilities, and had a greater awareness of the roles and responsibilities of the staff and that of the governors. “She is much more sure of her role and needs to ask questions less and less. She has found the process supportive and constructive, and enjoyed the ‘practicality’ of the programme”,
Wiltshire LEA plans to repeat the scheme and help more teaching assistants gain the qualification from October 2003.
