Whether you, as a school or manager, have recommended a candidate for HTLA status or they have approached the school themselves they will need the support of the headteacher and their school to obtain funding and throughout the assessment process.
Leading up to and during their assessment a candidate needs the continuing support of the school to ensure they have sufficient opportunities to meet the HLTA standards. Therefore line managers should be aware of what the standards require and, importantly, provide opportunities and experiences to enable the candidate to provide evidence of meeting them.
Crucially this must include the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to take responsibility for whole classes without a teacher being present. As part of the assessment process, the school will be asked to confirm that the candidate has been able to do this.
To ensure candidates receive the right support and guidance leading up to their assessment, we recommend schools appoint a mentor for each of their HLTA status candidates. Ideally, a mentor should be someone who has a professional relationship with them and is available to offer advice and support during the training and assessment process. A mentor should have knowledge of the standards and of the HLTA process.
