Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) fast-tracking higher-level teaching assistants to become teachers and (b) introducing teaching apprenticeships.

Teaching assistants (TAs) play a vital role in children’s education. They are crucial to ensuring we give children the best possible life chances.

The ‘use of teaching assistants in schools’ departmental survey from 2023 found that 23% of TAs with a higher level teaching assistant (HLTA) qualification were ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ interested in undertaking training to become a teacher.

TAs who are interested in gaining qualified teacher status (QTS) can do so through a range of existing routes.

TAs can gain QTS through both fee-funded and salaried Initial Teacher Training (ITT). Salaried routes allow TAs to continue to earn an income and may provide the opportunity to remain employed by their current school.

Salaried ITT includes School Direct (salaried) routes and the Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship (PGTA) for TAs with an undergraduate degree, and the Teacher Degree Apprenticeship (TDA) for those without an undergraduate degree.

Teaching apprenticeships already exist and expand opportunities for people to become excellent teachers and allow successful candidates to earn and learn whilst obtaining QTS. In spring 2024, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education approved the new TDA standard. Candidate recruitment to the TDA began in autumn 2024 and training will commence in autumn 2025. The PGTA will continue to be available in the 2025/26 academic year.

Some TAs with an undergraduate degree and significant teaching experience may be eligible for the assessment only route to QTS. This route allows experienced teachers to gain QTS without undertaking additional training. To be eligible, currently, candidates must be able to demonstrate that they meet the Teachers' Standards without further training and have evidence of teaching experience (i) in at least two schools (ii) for at least two years.