School support staff already make a vital contribution to pupils’ learning and achievement. Higher level teaching assistant (HLTA) status is aimed at reinforcing and improving staff's skills, allowing senior support staff working in the classroom to make an even more valuable contribution to improving standards in schools.
Under the programme, which is currently available in England, support staff are assessed against the HLTA standards. These have been developed to provide assurance to teachers, employers and parents of the quality of the contribution to pupils’ learning that those teaching assistants with HLTA status can be expected to make. They work closely with the teacher, complementing their role and freeing them up to have more time to develop each child to his or her potential.
Many schools have already found that deploying people with HLTA status to carry out an enhanced role within their school has helped them remodel their workforce effectively and improve work/life balance for their teaching staff.
People who achieve HLTA status receive a letter from the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) – on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education and Skills – which acts as proof of HLTA status for current and future employers.
