HLTA (Level 4) & Special Educational Needs (Level 3) Diploma

The Higher Level Teaching Assistant Diploma (HLTA) course study modules are linked to the professional standards for HLTA status which set out for teachers, employers and parents the contribution to pupils’ learning that HLTAs can be expected to make.

The standards cover three areas:

Professional attributes (standards 1-7)

These set out the attitudes, values and commitment expected of HLTAs.

Professional knowledge and understanding (standards 8-16)

These set out the knowledge and skills needed by HLTAs to be able to work effectively with teachers as part of the professional team supporting learning.

Professional skills (standards 17-33)

These set out the expectations for planning, monitoring, managing and evaluating learning within the framework of guidance and supervision agreed with the assigned teacher and in accordance with arrangements made by the headteacher of the school.

Special Educational Needs

Unit 1: Child and young person’s development

This unit will begin to address learning outcome 1 (stated above). This learning outcome will be divided into a set of activities to guide your studies. In this unit you will explore the expected pattern of children and young people’s development from birth to 19 years and how the different areas of development can affect one another.

This unit will focus on learning outcome 2 (stated above). This unit will be divided into a set of activities to guide your studies. In this unit you will research how you as a practitioner can support disabled children or young people and those with specific needs in partnership with their parents/carers. You will also research partnership working with other agencies and professionals.

This unit will focus on learning outcome 3 (stated above). This unit will be divided into a set of activities to guide your studies. In this unit you will learn how to support children and young people to ensure that they take every possible opportunity to make the most of learning and achieve their learning potential.

This unit will focus on learning outcomes 4 and 5 (stated above). This unit will be divided into a set of activities to guide your studies. In this unit you will research how practitioners can and should work with children and young people at the centre of their practice, basing their work on the strengths of the children and young people rather than focussing on their difficulties. You will explore the way in which behaviour, social and emotional difficulties are linked with speech, language and communication development and research effective ways to support the speech, language and communication development of children and young people with behaviour, emotional and social difficulties.