Teaching Assistant Level 3 Course (NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Supporting Teaching & Learning, RQF)

Examine the structure and culture of educational institutions from early years through to post-compulsory provision. The unit maps the roles and responsibilities that define a school or college workforce, explores how Ofsted frameworks and institutional ethos shape day-to-day practice, and considers how policies and procedures create the conditions for effective teaching and learning.

Develop the knowledge and practical awareness needed to maintain a safe learning environment for children and young people. The unit covers risk recognition and management, including during off-site visits, appropriate responses to accidents, incidents and illness, and the boundaries of the teaching assistant's role in administering medication and supporting pupils to manage their own risk.

Study the legal and procedural framework that protects children and young people from harm, with reference to current statutory guidance including Working Together to Safeguard Children. The unit covers inter-agency partnership working, appropriate responses to concerns about abuse or neglect, and the teaching assistant's duty to promote the well-being and safety of every learner in their care.

Build the interpersonal and professional competencies that underpin effective support in educational settings. The unit covers principles of positive relationship-building with children, young people and colleagues, the legislative requirements around confidentiality and data protection, and inclusive practices that enable all learners to participate fully in the life of the school.

Examine the expected patterns of physical, cognitive, social and emotional development from birth through to the age of 19. You analyse the range of factors, including family, culture, health and learning differences, that influence developmental trajectories, and consider how teaching assistants can identify when a child's progress warrants intervention or specialist referral.

Apply whole-school behaviour policies to the everyday support role of the teaching assistant. The unit examines theoretical and practical approaches to promoting positive behaviour in learning environments, and develops the skills needed to respond appropriately and consistently to behaviour that challenges, protecting the learning of all pupils while maintaining respectful relationships.

Develop the practical skills required to contribute effectively at every stage of a planned learning activity. You engage with curriculum planning, prepare and adapt resources, deliver targeted in-class support, observe and record learner progress, and feed into formal evaluation processes, ensuring that your contribution is purposeful, evidence-based and aligned with the teacher's objectives.

Strengthen your ability to identify and respond to learners who need additional support in English and mathematics. The unit develops strategies for recognising gaps in literacy and numeracy, and equips you with practical tools to scaffold access to reading, writing and mathematical tasks, enabling learners to engage more fully with the broader curriculum.

Explore how digital technology supports teaching and learning across the curriculum. The unit covers school ICT policies and procedures, the preparation and management of technology resources, and how teaching assistants can confidently support learners and teachers in using ICT effectively, including in relation to online safety and responsible use.

Investigate how formative assessment strategies drive pupil progress and self-awareness. You examine the characteristics of effective assessment for learning, apply practical strategies such as questioning, peer and self-assessment, and feedback, and develop the skills to maintain accurate learner records that contribute to the teacher's overall assessment picture.

Apply reflective practice to your own professional role and growth as a teaching assistant. The unit guides you through evaluating your own performance against the standards of the role, engaging in structured supervision and review, and producing a personal development plan, embedding the habit of continuous improvement that characterises effective educational professionals.

Examine the central role that speech, language and communication play in children's overall development and academic achievement. The unit analyses how teaching assistants can identify and respond to communication needs within the learning environment, and develops practical strategies for creating language-rich classroom conditions that support all learners, including those with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).

Explore the specific challenges and strengths that bilingual learners bring to the classroom. The unit covers approaches to assessing language ability and stage of acquisition, and develops strategies for helping bilingual pupils access the curriculum, drawing on additive bilingualism and collaborative approaches that value learners' home languages.

Study the legislative and philosophical principles of inclusive education, including the rights framework established by the Children and Families Act 2014 and the SEND Code of Practice. The unit examines the four areas of SEND: cognition and learning, communication and interaction, social, emotional and mental health, and sensory and physical needs, and develops the strategies teaching assistants use to tailor support to individual pupils.

Examine the range of transitions that children and young people experience, from school entry and key stage changes to family breakdown and bereavement, and the varying impact these can have on well-being and attainment. You develop the skills to recognise when a learner is struggling with change and to provide structured, sensitive support that helps them navigate transitions successfully.

Investigate the developmental and educational value of play, leisure and extra-curricular engagement for children and young people. The unit examines the teaching assistant's responsibilities during these activities, and considers how to balance the challenge and enrichment that purposeful play provides with appropriate risk management and duty of care.