These statements are in units that describe competence at activity or task level. They cover the key activities of a jobholder in various circumstances.
National occupational standards describe the different tasks someone may carry out in an occupational area. The standards relate to what you do in your role, not the specific area you work in. For example, a teaching assistant can demonstrate that they meet the standards relating to supporting pupils’ learning through evidence of their work, regardless of their subject specialism.
National occupational standards support national vocational qualifications (NVQs) and can be used to develop other qualifications. You do not have to meet all the standards to achieve an NVQ based on them – just those that apply to your role plus the mandatory units. The career development framework provides general information on NOS. The NOS cover England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales to ensure qualifications based on them are transferable across the UK.
National occupational standards have many uses; they can help you:
- define the coverage and focus of your role
- assess how well you are performing
- identify your training and development needs
- select qualifications that match your role
- make the links between your role and the school’s overall aims and objectives.
Occupational standards are developed and maintained by sector skills councils (SSCs) and sector bodies (SBs). We are the sector body for the school workforce in England but some school support staff roles, such as administrative staff, are the responsibility of other SSCs or SBs. These organisations develop the standards for such roles and we work with them to ensure schools’ needs are met.
To identify which SSC covers your role, visit the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) website. You can also check the UK NOS directory to find the standards that apply to your role. We are a member of the Children’s Workforce Network (CWN), which is developing an integrated qualifications framework for everyone working with children and young people.
We are responsible for the NOS in supporting teaching and learning in schools, which replaced the NOS for teaching/classroom assistants. We develop and review the professional standards for higher level teacher assistants (HLTA).
The support work in schools (SWiS) qualifications include units from a range of occupational standards. This means people can tailor their qualification to their circumstances. People working in more than one role or whose responsibilities don’t allow them to provide enough evidence to achieve a full NVQ will find this useful.
