Higher Level Teaching Assistant Status

HNAP webHLTA (Higher Level Teaching Assistant) status is awarded by the HLTA National Assessment Partnership (HNAP) to TAs who have been externally assessed against the HLTA Professional Standards and have successfully provided sufficient evidence to meet each standard. Assessments are managed by three Regional Providers (RPAs) on behalf of HNAP: HLTA North is based in the North of England and covers the following areas: NW and NE England, Yorkshire & Humber, North and NE Lincs, Staffordshire & Stoke -on-Trent.

Qualifications needed: Level 2 qualifications  in Maths and English or equivalent. If you do not hold the necessary qualifications, access tests are available. Please contact HLTA North Admin for details.

Employment status: You must be employed full or part-time in a school or educational setting, working with children or young people between the ages of three and nineteen.

Experience: You must work with individuals and small groups and take whole classes (without a teacher present). You must be fully supported by your school when applying for this programme whether you are school or self-funded.

handbook

HLTA Standards

The Preparation for Assessment Handbook is an essential guide to the process and the standards

HLTA Preparation and Assessment

To achieve Higher Level Teaching Assistant Status there are four stages:
1. Find a course and apply for a place.  
Courses are provided by PoPs (Providers of Preparation). PoPs will ask you to:
  • ensure you have funding
  • ensure you have sufficient experience to demonstrate the standards
  • obtain support and provide verification from your school that you are working at the expected level for this status
  • provide evidence of level 2 (or equivalent) qualifications in maths/numeracy and English/literacy
2. Prepare for the Assessment by attending an approved course
 Different course formats are available [See Courses] – online, face to face or a blended learning approach. All courses will:
  • introduce you to the assessment requirements and processes, including registration for assessment with HLTA North
  • help you understand the standards and how to demonstrate them through your practice
  • provide guidance and support when drafting and presenting task and documentary evidence
  • prepare you for the assessment
3. The assessment.
This takes place online. It is carried out by an experienced HLTA Assessor, allocated to you by HLTA North and involves a series of interviews with you and nominated staff (there is no observation). As par of the assessment process, the assessor will scrutinise your documentary evidence .
Following the assessment, the relevant paperwork (tasks, records from interviews) with a recommendation from the assessor regarding the outcome is forwarded to HLTA North; the assessor does not give any indication of their recommendation to you or anyone in school.
All our assessors have excellent experience of working in educational settings and have been trained and quality assured by HLTA North to carry out assessments.
4. Moderation
Moderation of files is carried out every month by HLTA North and the moderators determine the outcome for all files submitted. Results letters, certificates and badges are issued by HLTA North on behalf of HNAP.  Possible outcomes:

outcomes

  • Standards Met All standards are judged as met.
  • Partial Reassessment Occasionally, moderators will ask for a partial re-assessment (PR) of one, two or three standards as the evidence they have is insufficient. This is carried out by a Senior Assessor  via a telephone interview. The additional information from the PR is submitted for moderation.
  • Standards Not Met More than three standards have been judged as not met and the status is not awarded. A Senior Assessor will contact the candidate to discuss any issues and provide advice about the next step.

Am I ready?

PoPs may ask you to complete a Self Review or Needs Analysis to include with your application. A self review of your practice against the standards can give an indication of any areas where you need further development or more opportunities to demonstrate your skills and knowledge. Often this can be carried out in school as part of your everyday practice or through in-school training.

Some PoPs offer additional training days or longer route training options and many will provide bespoke courses for schools/ academies and MATs.

FAQs

Answers to the most Frequently Asked Questions HLTA-FAQs-24

Additional FAQs are available on the HNAP website.

Fees

The cost of each preparation course is set by individual PoPs. The assessment fee is set by HNAP and is currently £450 per person.

Course details and contact information for PoPs in our area are available here

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