NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Supporting Teaching and Learning

• Understand the structure of education from early years to post-compulsory education
• Understand how schools and colleges are organised in terms of roles and responsibilities
• Understand teamwork in schools and colleges
• Understand educational ethos, mission, aims and values
• Understand the purpose of policies and procedures in education

• Understand how to plan and provide environments that support children and young people’s health and safety
• Understand how to recognise and manage risks to health, safety and security in a learning environment or during off-site visits
• Understand how to support children and young people to assess and manage risk for themselves
• Understand appropriate responses to accidents, incidents, emergencies and illness in the learning environment and during off-site visits
• Understand own role in assisting in the administration of medication

• Understand legislation, guidelines, policies and procedures for safeguarding children and young people
• Understand how to work in partnership with other organisations to safeguard children and young people
• Understand the need to ensure children and young people’s safety and protection in the learning environment
• Understand how to respond to evidence or concerns that a child or young person has been abused or harmed
• Understand how to work with children and young people to support their wellbeing

• Understand the principles of developing positive relationships with children, young people and adults
• Understand legislation, policies and procedures for confidentiality and sharing information, including data protection
• Be able to develop professional relationships with children and young people
• Be able to communicate with children and young people
• Be able to develop professional relationships with adults
• Be able to support children and young people in developing relationships
• Be able to support inclusion and inclusive practices in work with children and young people

• Understand the expected pattern of development for children and young people from birth to 19 years
• Understand the factors that influence children and young people’s development and how these affect practice
• Understand how to monitor children and young people’s development and interventions that should take place if this is not following the expected pattern

• Understand policies and procedures for promoting children and young people’s positive behaviour in a learning environment
• Be able to promote positive behaviour
• Be able to manage behaviour that challenges in a learning environment

• Be able to contribute to planning learning activities
• Be able to prepare for learning activities
• Be able to support learning activities
• Be able to observe and report on learner participation and progress
• Be able to contribute to the evaluation of learning activities

• Be able to identify learner needs for English and maths support
• Be able to provide English support to help learners access teaching and learning
• Be able to provide maths support to help learners access teaching and learning

• Understand the policy and procedures for the use of ICT for teaching and learning
• Understand how to prepare ICT resources for use in teaching and learning
• Be able to support the use of ICT for teaching and learning

• Understand the purpose and characteristics of assessment for learning
• Be able to use assessment strategies to promote learning
• Be able to support learners in reviewing their learning strategies and achievements
• Be able to contribute to reviewing assessment for learning
• Be able to maintain learner records

• Understand what is required for competence in own work role
• Be able to reflect on organisational practice
• Be able to evaluate own performance
• Be able to agree a personal development plan
• Be able to use learning opportunities and reflective practice to contribute to personal development

• Understand the importance of speech, language and communication for children and young people’s overall development
• Understand the role of support staff when supporting speech, language and communication development in the learning environment
• Be able to provide support for the speech, language and communication development of children and young people in the learning environment
• Be able to contribute to maintaining a positive environment that supports speech, language and communication

• Understand how to contribute to the assessment of bilingual learners
• Understand how to support bilingual learners to access the curriculum

• Understand the principles of inclusive practice and the rights of disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs
• Understand how to obtain information about individual needs, capabilities and interests of disabled children and young people, and those with special educational needs
• Understand the special educational needs of children and young people with cognition and learning needs
• Understand the special educational needs of children and young people with emotional, behavioural and social development needs
• Understand the special educational needs of learners with sensory and/or physical needs
• Understand the kinds of strategies needed to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities

• Understand the range and impact of transitions that children and young people may experience
• Be able to recognise and respond to transitions in children and young people’s lives
• Be able to support children and young people to manage transitions in their lives

• Understand the nature and importance of play and leisure
• Understand own role in relation to the requirements of play and leisure activities
• Understand how to balance risk and challenge with the benefits of the play and leisure opportunity

Once enrolled, you have up to 18 months to complete your course. The course will take approximately 530 hours to complete. You will receive a full year to complete the course, which is a lot more time than you will need. This allows you to work at your own pace, without the pressure of tight deadlines.

You will study this course by distance learning, which will enable you to take control of your studies. You can study at your own pace from a place that suits you. All your learning materials will be posted or emailed to you online, depending on the learning method you choose. You will also receive our tutor support by email, so help is only ever a click away.

Approximately 530 hours.

All units are internally assessed. Assessment enables the learner’s workplace practice to provide evidence for individual units as well as the whole qualification. This course requires an assessment of your practical skills within your working environment. It is essential that you secure a placement in key stage one (KS1) or above that can provide you with a suitably qualified teacher (to act as your workplace assessor) who can observe you, comment on your skills and sign the workplace evidence that you submit for your assessments. Direct observations are mandatory and will be used as evidence towards your qualification. Methods of assessment could include:

• Direct observation of practice
• Recorded professional discussions
• Reflection on own practice in real work situations
• Written assignments
• Question and answer sessions

Students will be required to be working or on placement within a school or college environment (KS1 or above) to enable them to provide the evidence required to complete the qualification. It is recommended that learners complete 200 placement hours.

On successful completion of the course and assessments, you will receive your NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Supporting Teaching and Learning. A certificate will be provided to you as recognition of your achievement.

With this teaching assistant diploma, you can achieve 32 UCAS points based on the grade you achieve. You can find out more about UCAS points here.

Once you have enrolled on your NCFE CACHE course, you will have access to the NCFE CACHE Alumni membership for two years. NCFE CACHE Alumni is a professional membership network for those who work in the care, health, and education industries, providing valuable resources and advice for your studies when working towards/with a NCFE CACHE qualification.

Once you have successfully completed this course, you can apply for a position as a teaching assistant, learning support assistant, or special educational needs assistant.

You may also progress onto the Higher Level Teaching Assistant.