Arrangements for school visits

The school visit will usually be 5-9 working weeks after the final day of your preparation. It is arranged by the Regional Provider of Assessment.

Details of how, where and when to submit your tasks are explained by the tutor.

HLTA assessor’s visit

The purpose of the visit is to verify evidence to support your application for the award of Higher Level Teaching Assistant status (HLTA). Please would you also pass a copy of these arrangements to your headteacher.

During the visit the assessor will be assessing you against the HLTA Standards and will need to spend some time talking with you and looking at the documentary evidence that supports the assessment tasks that have been completed. The assessor will also need to talk with your headteacher (or their designated representative) and with a teacher, or if appropriate two teachers, who have been closely associated with your work. If you wish the assessor to see two teachers, the assessor will meet them separately. These discussions are to enable the assessor to confirm information and to explore particular aspects of your work.

The assessor will need to be in school for 3 hours for your assessment. The visit can take place in the morning or afternoon. Below is an example timetable. Start times will of course vary as arranged with the assessor.

09.00 Arrival. Candidate introduces assessor to headteacher

09.05 First meeting with candidate followed by assessor’s study time.

10.30 Meeting with one (or where appropriate two) teachers

11.00 Meeting with the headteacher (or representative)

11.15 Assessor’s study time

11.30 Second meeting with the candidate

12.00 Visit end

The assessor may take a short break during the assessment. They will notify you of this in your individual timetable.

The timings of the discussions with the teacher and headteacher can be alternated if the suggested times are not convenient, but you will understand that they cannot extend beyond the time set aside for each meeting, nor can the meetings be moved to other times during the visit.

So that meetings and document scrutiny are not interrupted, please would you arrange for the assessor to use a quiet, private space with a table or working surface during the visit.

All HLTA assessors are bound by a code of conduct. This code includes a protocol that specifies that all information about candidates and schools must remain confidential. For similar reasons, none of your supporting documents will be taken away by the assessor.

For quality assurance purposes, it is possible that the assessor may have an observer, either from Best Practice Network or from the HLTA National Assessment Partnership (HNAP). Any such observer would be bound by the same rules of confidentiality.

Because of rigorous moderation procedures, the assessor will not be able to indicate the outcome of the assessment to any of the parties on the day of the visit. Written notification will be sent once moderation is complete, which is normally six to nine weeks after the school visit.

If you have any queries relating to the visit, please contact the assessor or the RPA