Letter to Schools

Dear Colleague

HLTA PREPARATION FOR ASSESSMENT: Academic Year 2020 – 2021

I am delighted to advise you that in response to requests from schools, HLTACSW will continue to offer HLTA Preparation for Assessment courses during the next academic year.  We have scheduled a programme for all three terms so that schools can plan ahead.  This is particularly important for those TAs who do not have Level 2 qualifications in maths and English available and may need to apply to their local centre to take Functional Skills tests.  If you are thinking of putting someone forward for HLTA preparation and assessment please establish if they have the appropriate certificates available as a matter of priority.

The Regional Providers of Assessment have successfully formed their partnership and undertaken to continue with the assessment of HLTAs.  The HLTA National Assessment Partnership have together enabled over 40,000 TAs to gain the status and their research (reported in the TES, April 2012) and the DISS project show the potential that HLTAs, as trained and experienced teaching assistants, have for positively impacting on teaching and learning. We are pleased to be working with our colleagues at Best Practice Network, who manage HLTA assessments in the South West region, to enable your school to support suitable TAs in gaining the HLTA status.

Your TAs will notice little change in the process of preparation and assessment in the future compared with the experience of their colleagues who have gained the status in recent years.  However, since the withdrawal of the TDA and funding, members of the National Assessment Partnership charge £450 to cover the cost of processing task sheets, a half day visit to schools and moderation.

HLTA Community South West will continue to offer the 3 day Preparation for HLTA Assessment programme at a cost of £325 per person.  The school will be invoiced for the full amount.  If the applicant is paying the fee or part of it, the school will need to arrange to collect payment from the individual.

TAs applying to attend Preparation for Assessment must be confident that they already meet all the HLTA standards and are able to complete their training and assessment.

Dorset

Autumn / Spring

Spring / Summer

Devon

Autumn / Spring

Spring / Summer

Please note that if there are insufficient numbers to make a cohort viable the candidate will be offered a place on an alternative cohort from the above list or, if a venue is oversubscribed, we may add additional venues and dates.

Maths and English Qualifications (Standard 11) please note that those applying for a place on one of the cohorts above will need to provide a photocopy of the certificate with their application form for both subjects. Places can only be offered to those who have, or will soon have, evidence that they have gained the relevant qualifications.

Candidates will have to present their original certificates to the trainer on Day 1 of the course and also bring a photocopy for the trainer. For those who have lost or mislaid their certificates, a letter of confirmation can be obtained from the relevant awarding body, but this is at a cost and does take up to 28 days to arrive. Level 2 Functional Skills test in maths and English can be taken at your local centre.

Information about relevant Level 2 qualifications and how to obtain a letter of confirmation is to be found in: Guidance on meeting standard 11 of the professional standards for HLTA status.  It can be downloaded from http://www.hlta.org.uk/resources

It is very important that you and your candidates read the information in the application form carefully before submitting (paying particular attention to the notes relating to maths and English qualifications).  Completed applications with copies of certificates should be sent to HLTA Administration at the contact address as soon as possible, and definitely by the closing dates for each term. If your TA colleague is soon to gain e.g. their Functional Skills certificate(s) then please send in the application form with a note to say when they hope to achieve this qualification.  We look forward to welcoming your TAs to the programme.

Yours sincerely

Sheila Smith

Application Form