Education has always been and always will be a political hot potato. It is the one subject that is sure to ignite fierce debate and the recent findings by the Labour Party indicating that over half a million of children in schools across England are being taught by unqualified teaching staff is sure to provide a basis for yet more argument and discussion.

What’s the Problem?
To some, the difference between a qualified member of teaching staff and an unqualified one is simply a piece of paper. For a teacher or a qualified teaching assistant, it simply shows that they have the knowledge, the skills and ability to work with children, young people and adult students too. Some would say that the real qualification depends on the subject and that there are many people who have a lot to offer within education but that a teaching qualification isn’t a necessity.

There are others that argue that it is a necessity. A teaching qualification allows standards in education not only to be maintained but driven forward. But why are unqualified teachers and other people making it into the classroom?

Again, the answers say some, lay in the political landscape. One of the biggest changes to hit education in England was academies and free schools. These were institutions that were set up and run by people that were not necessarily first and foremost teachers or headteachers. Under David Cameron, the Tories removed the need for anyone teaching in these schools to be qualified.

Thus, argue some, the floodgates were open with Labour announcing that 613,000 in state-funded are regularly being taught by people with no formal teaching qualification. Their experience in education may not be lacking, their intention may be good, they may the students at the forefront of every activity but it is a state of affairs that will set the education system back, say some.

Getting Qualified – The Obstacles
There is an abundance of teaching courses, or so it seems, and for a long time, securing a place on a teaching course was difficult. But there are obstacles and factors that put people off including;

With university fees and costs now an issue, many more people find accessing education and professional qualifications financially impossible. Not only do course fees have to be paid, many teaching qualifications are taught full-time and are college based, necessitating someone to give up their full-time job. For mature students with rent and mortgages to pay, this is difficult.

Some teaching qualifications may only take an additional year, but it is an intense and all-consuming year of education. For students with families and other commitments, this is a difficult commitment to manage.

Pre-requisites in terms of qualifications set the bar high and whilst this has a steady impact on students entering the profession, it also rules out some people. As a result, some people feel that some teaching courses are not accessible to them. Online teaching courses can be a great way to introduce new skills and stay updated with the profession.

As a profession, education across all sectors from primary to secondary, further and higher education along with special education provision is painted as a high-stress and high-challenge working environment. Long hours, coupled with an ever-changing curriculum and policies has left many teachers and teaching assistants drained. These are just some of the reasons why teachers are leaving the profession and why some people are not entering it.

Working in education, whether that is as a headteacher or teaching assistant, will see you plunged into a rewarding career. Days are busy and there is a lot to do. Every child and student you work with is unique, with their own stories and issues that they will look to you to help them with.

There are moments of euphoria as there are moments of tension. And it is important to be qualified. A professional teaching qualification, from a PGCE or diplomas from other teaching courses, empower you with the skills, the abilities and the attitude needed to help students grow, learn and flourish.

It helps you to learn the basics of behaviour management within a classroom or educational setting. It also helps you to understand some of the many emotional, social and behavioural difficulties that children and young people deal with alongside trying to learn and grow. It helps you understand what safe practice is when working with children, young people and vulnerable adults, and how to keep you safe within education.

Teaching courses and qualifications are valuable and important and with teaching courses online, you escape some of the limits and boundaries other courses present. So why not become a qualified teaching assistant with an online course, studied in your own time and at your pace?

Teaching assistants are a valuable asset in the classroom. They bring much-needed skills and expertise to challenge ‘more able and talented’ students, as well as work closely with those students with additional learning needs and, it has to be said, a class as a whole.

They are an invaluable colleague in the teaching team, and an asset when working with all students in primary and secondary education. TAs are also become welcomed colleagues in college settings too.

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Teaching assistants are a valuable asset in the classroom.

Become a qualified TA
There is a lot involved in becoming a proficient teaching assistant, one of the reasons why teaching assistant courses online are fast becoming popular. Like many professions, the need for an all-round, comprehensive qualification to underpin practice is essential.

NCC Home Learning TA courses cover major aspects of working in a classroom, and working with children and young people, some of whom will be vulnerable. Understanding best practice when it comes to appropriate interactions and forming relationships, for example, is imperative, especially in the modern age in which TAs and teaching colleagues are at the forefront of spotting child abuse and so on.

The Level 3 Teaching Assistant Diploma also covers child development, as well as working individually with students with disabilities and so on.

Become a specialist
Many TAs find themselves working in specialist environments or working with students displaying specialist needs and behaviours.

For example, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a syndrome many children are diagnosed with. Typically, they exhibit a range of behaviours that can make teaching and learning difficult and challenging for the student, their peers, and the teaching team.

A TA with specialist knowledge, as well as skills and abilities is invaluable in such a situation. Understanding behavioural signals and triggers, along with other learning needs, can make a skilled and qualified TA an asset to any classroom and school as a whole.

There are many additional teaching assistant courses online that can be completed, and not just in behavioural issues. Being qualified in working with children with autism or speech and language difficulties are all valuable additional, specialist skills a TA can have.

Career opportunities
The opportunities for progression for TAs has opened even wider in recent years, especially since more and more educational establishments are realising the value of highly qualified TAs in a classroom setting.

Education is a fast-paced world, one where changes are common place. What remains steadfast is the desire to keep students at the centre of learning. There is the increasing emphasis on making learning accessible to all, and that learning is lifelong, not one that ends when a student leaves school.Can-I-get-Teaching-Assistant-Qualifications-Online2

As a result, TAs are becoming commonplace in education, and not just in a primary school setting where, traditionally, TAs have been in abundance. TAs are commonplace in secondary schools, as well as in college settings.

There are also opportunities in specialist education settings, such as pupil referral units (PRUs) where those exhibiting challenging behaviour continue their education, as well as additional learning needs of students in specialist schools and units. Many TAs go on to managerial roles in some of these settings too, and is not the ‘dead-end’ profession that many people think it is.

Why study from home?
Taking up a new course for a new career or expanding on your current role can seem like a distant dream because giving up your work to attend college on a daily basis is financially impossible.

With work and family commitments, it can be difficult to commit to attending class on a certain day at a certain time each week, and for months on end. By choosing to study at home, you negate all these problems.

You study at a time that suits you and at your own pace. Home courses, either studied in paper format or via online, are cheaper too. But this does not mean the quality is any less; in fact, the quality and value of TA course online are on a par with those taught in a classroom setting.

How to apply
Applying for any course with NCC Home Learning is simple. If you want a new career as a TA or want to expand your current skills set, log on to their website and browse the 20+ courses relating to TA qualifications and specialist skills.

When you find the course you want, simply enrol online either by paying a small deposit and paying monthly, or in one lump sum. You can start studying straightaway and with a great tutor support package too, when you have questions or concerns, there is always help at hand.

Not sure which course is the right one? Just give out Student Support team a call, and they will happily talk through the online courses with qualifications with you.

TAs are invaluable in the classroom – and you could be too!

The teaching assistant (TA) is an integral part of the learning process in any classroom. As a TA, you will fulfil all kinds of functions, from working on specific projects with low-attaining pupils, to stretching the minds and knowledge of more able and talented students, to reducing the workload and stress that teaching colleagues can face.

They can also free the time of the teaching staff to work with specific groups, such as those mentioned above. And they are a member of staff that is increasing in importance, with the numbers of TAs leaping from 70,000 or so at the turn of the century, to some 250,000 today.

But a TA needs to be trained and with over twenty TA courses, NCC Home Learning are fast becoming a leading online provider of such courses.

TA courses can be categorised into three broad categories;

#1 The role of TA
There are many people who are engaged in the role of TA with no formal training – and in some cases, they are never trained in the role of TA which is detrimental to both the person and the support they offer in the classroom.

Understanding this wide, varied role in the context of education in Scotland, England and Wales is important. Schools and educational establishments operate differently between the three countries, as well as the difference at county and local level.

Thus, the Level 3 Teaching Assistant Diploma is an excellent course to understand how and why a TA will operate as they do, along with other courses such as the QCF Level 3 Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools Diploma.TA

#2 Awareness courses
Today, we are more aware of what can and does impact on learning. Children can live in a variety of situations, showing a range of complex behaviours and reactions to the settings that they find themselves in.

At one time, these children would have been labelled as a nuisance or delinquents. In the modern age, our understanding is such that we can adapt the learning environment so that they too can learn in a way that suits them.

Awareness raising courses are important because they provide the information a TA not only to work with specific pupils, but also to advocate on their behalf in the learning environment. Awareness courses include working with students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), speech difficulties, behavioural issues and mental health disorders that impact on learning and socialising.

#3 Specialist courses
TAs work in all kinds of education settings, which is why we have over 20 courses for teaching assistants. And this number looks set to rise as TAs become the support staff to hold specialist knowledge and skills.

There are certain behaviours and syndromes that will affect how a student is able to learn. Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism, depending on their severity, can often result in a student presenting difficult to manage behaviours. With this is mind, TAs can now complete a variety of specialist courses, such as a HLTA level 4 certificate to become a higher level teaching assistant.

Likewise, TAs no longer work just in the primary sector but in secondary and in colleges too. This is why we also run a popular course for TAs working with students aged 16+.

Self-directed study
Teaching assistant courses online can be the perfect option for anyone working in this field to acquire a qualification without being absent from the class. Studying online or from home means that you can study at a pace that suits you.

You can also learn at a time that suits you best too and with support from your NCC Home Learning tutor, you too can become qualified and a specialist in your chosen field.

With TAs performing an increasingly demanding role in the classroom, being skilled, qualified and experienced is no longer optional, but simply essential in the modern education system.

Enrolling on one of our courses for teaching assistants is simple and easy;

And that’s it! You could start studying one of our online courses with qualifications for teaching assistants within minutes. What’s stopping you? Learn more about how to become a teaching assistant.

Teaching assistants are valued in the classroom. They help to stretch and challenge ‘more able and talented’ pupils, as well as working in small groups or an individual basis with those students with additional learning needs.

They provide support to the teacher, as well as helping with discipline in the classroom. It can be a challenging but fulfilling role.

Many schools, both primary and secondary, will look to have a reliable group of teachings assistants or TAs, who can work with different classes and students. However, in recent years, the role of the teaching assistant has been changed.

No longer are they seen as people who clean up once class has finished; they are expected to be interactive during the lesson and as a result, they are expected to have a level of education themselves, as well as a high level of literacy and numeracy. In other words, the modern teaching assistant is expected to have qualifications appropriate to their role.

This means an understanding of their role and their impact in the classroom, as well as holding specialist qualifications or ‘awareness’ training in certain topics, such as dealing with autism, diabetes and other specialisms.

This is why many teaching assistants or potential TAs are turning to teaching assistant courses online – and why they are turning to NCC Home Learning.

Choosing the right course
Choosing the right course from many teaching assistant courses online is essential. If you have no qualifications in this area, we suggest starting with a basic, cover-all qualification that covers the basics of being a teaching assistant in the modern classroom.

This kind of qualification will ensure you understand the role of TA and what you will bring to the education and learning experience of children, both in the primary and secondary setting. Some colleges also employ TAs to work with specific students, supporting them in all kinds of learning environments.

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Many schools, both primary and secondary, will look to have a reliable group of teachings assistants or TAs.

Specialist courses can also see you cement this knowledge and make you invaluable to schools and colleges in supporting children or students with specific needs. For example, some children and students can present emotional and behavioural challenges in the classroom; being able to deal with situations in a positive way is important both for the student and their peers.

Why choose to study online?
The advent of the internet has revolutionised all kinds of facets in life, from how and where we shop to how we access learning.

At one time, the only option to learn and seek new qualifications was to attend college or university once you have completed school. This is now no longer the case, with leading online learning suppliers such as NCC Home Learning offering all kinds of study opportunities to a large cross section of potential learners – including you!

There are all kinds of benefits to studying online which makes it suitable for you:

Enrol today – it is so simple!
Enrolling with NCC Home Learning is quick and simple. With a variety of different teaching assistant courses, you will be spoilt for choice but, when you have decided which course is for you, add it to your basket and then follow this really simple enrolment process:

Want to know more about what it takes to become a teaching assistant. Follow out step by step guide.