Education Sector

Shape the people who shape the next generation.

From the classroom to specialist SEND and wellbeing provision, education apprenticeships give your team the practical skills and recognised qualifications to support every child's learning, confidence and wellbeing.

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2Standards offered
18–24 moTypical duration
Expert partner in education

A teaching assistant working with a small group of learners

Why train with TLC

Apprenticeships that meet the realities of every classroom.

Education programmes at TLC are built around the schools and learning settings our apprentices already work in. The result is training that makes sense on a Monday morning.

Practitioner-led coaching

Our coaches have been teachers, key workers and SENCOs. They know what behaviour management looks like at 8:45 on a wet Tuesday.

Aligned to the published standard

Every programme is mapped to the live Skills England apprenticeship standard, with end-point assessment via an approved EPAO.

SEND & safeguarding

We weave the statutory frameworks, the SEND Code of Practice and KCSIE, through every module so compliance is part of the practice.

A clear progression path

From Level 3 classroom support into Level 5 specialist practice in SEND, wellbeing or curriculum provision. One provider, the whole journey.

Teaching excellence · Education

NUPAF Educators

Excellence in teaching

NUPAF Educators is our teaching-excellence company: it develops teaching assistants, teachers and educational leaders to a recognisable standard of professional capability, supported by rigorous training and demonstrated practice. Education apprentices at TLC learn inside that standard from day one, and so do the coaches who teach them.

About NUPAF Educators

Your career, mapped

From first steps to specialist roles.

Begin in classroom support and progress into the specialism that fits your setting: SEND, social and emotional wellbeing, or a specialist area of the curriculum.

L3

Teaching Assistant

Support learning in primary & secondary schools. 18 months.
L5

Specialist Teaching Assistant

Lead SEND, wellbeing or specialist curriculum provision. 24 months.

A learner’s story

What it changes.

One person, and the moment it turned.

A learner’s story · Education

Dan, the teaching assistant who became the specialist

Where it started: A Level 3 teaching assistant in a primary school, working with the children other people found hard. Good instincts, no framework, and a headteacher who could see the potential.
The turn: The Specialist Teaching Assistant apprenticeship at Level 5, with the SEND specialism, gave the instincts a language. He started to understand why what he did worked, and how to do it on purpose.
Now: Leads SEND support across two year groups, mentors the school’s new teaching assistants, and is the person the class teachers come to first.

“I always knew what to do with the kids. The apprenticeship taught me why it worked, and that is what let me teach it to other people.”

Names and details are illustrative while we gather our learners’ and employers’ own stories, in their own words.

Programmes

The standards we offer

Every TLC education apprenticeship is delivered to the published Skills England standard. Start in the classroom, specialise at Level 5.

3 Level

Standard ST0454 · 18 months · Advanced Apprenticeship

Teaching Assistant

The classroom specialist. Support teachers and learners across primary, secondary or specialist settings.

Teaching assistants work alongside teachers to support learners' progress, behaviour and wellbeing. This Level 3 programme prepares your apprentices to lead small groups, deliver targeted interventions and adapt the classroom environment for learners with additional needs.

What apprentices will learn

Supporting whole-class teaching and small group work
Promoting positive behaviour and self-regulation
Adapting learning for SEND and English-as-additional-language pupils
Delivering targeted literacy and numeracy interventions
Safeguarding and KCSIE in the classroom context
Recording, assessing and feeding back on pupil progress

Typical job titles

Teaching Assistant
Learning Support Assistant
SEN Teaching Assistant
Cover Supervisor

Entry requirements

Set by the school. Apprentices under 19 need Level 2 English and maths before end-point assessment (for adults it's at the school's discretion), and enhanced DBS clearance is mandatory for working with children.

Enquire about Level 3 View official standard

5 Level

Standard ST1414 · 24 months · Higher Apprenticeship

Specialist Teaching Assistant

The specialist. Lead provision for learners with SEND, support social and emotional wellbeing, or run a specialist area of the curriculum.

Specialist teaching assistants support provision for learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), for social and emotional wellbeing, or within a specialist area of curriculum provision such as forest schools, English as an additional language, subject-based interventions or music. This Level 5 higher apprenticeship prepares experienced support staff to plan, deliver and evaluate that provision, and to mentor colleagues in it. Apprentices choose one of three specialisms: SEND, social and emotional wellbeing, or curriculum provision.

What apprentices will learn

Planning, adapting and assessing learning for their specialism
Evidence-informed strategies for SEND, wellbeing or curriculum provision
Working with families, SENCOs and external professionals
Safeguarding, behaviour policy and creating safe, nurturing environments
Mentoring colleagues and leading on their specialist area
Reflective practice and continuing professional development

Typical job titles

SEND Teaching Assistant
Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA)
Learning Mentor / Academic Mentor
Social and Emotional Wellbeing Teaching Assistant
Specialist Learning Support Staff

Entry requirements

Set by the school or setting; typically experience in a support role. Apprentices under 19 need Level 2 English and maths before end-point assessment (for adults it's at the employer's discretion), and enhanced DBS clearance is mandatory for working with children.

Enquire about Level 5 View official standard

For employers

Ready to invest in your team?

Whether you're hiring your first apprentice or growing a whole cohort, our team will guide you through funding, recruitment, on-programme training and end-point assessment.

Get in touch How funding works