How is the Welsh Government encouraging and supporting the professional development of school support staff?
We are committed to continuing to enable teaching assistants to improve their skills and help them to engage with professional learning. The Teaching Assistants Learning Pathway is designed to support the professional learning of all teaching assistants throughout each stage of their career. The current programmes are:
- Induction for Newly appointed Teaching Assistants;
- Practising Teaching Assistant Programme and
- Aspiring Higher Level Teaching Assistant.
To help further develop the professional learning offer for teaching assistants, the Welsh Government has established a Teaching Assistants Professional Learning Steering Group which continues to consider issues of equality of access to high quality and consistent professional learning for our teaching assistants. A key aim for the Steering Group is to map the current professional learning offer for teaching assistants and identify any gaps in provision.
In addition, our published guidance, Creating time and space for professional learning, sets out how schools should use INSET days and the professional learning grant to ensure all practitioners can engage in professional learning, in line with the National Professional Learning Entitlement. The guidance includes advice and expectations around providing opportunities for teaching assistants to engage with career long professional learning to ensure their continued professional development.