The roles and responsibilities of many support staff in schools have recently undergone or are currently undergoing development and change, as part of the Workforce Reform, New Professionalism and Extended Schools Agendas. Research findings indicate that access to high quality training enables school support staff to meet the demands of their roles and to be more effective in helping to raise standards. In order to help schools to deploy their support staff effectively and meet their training needs, Wakefield Local Authority is committed to providing a range of new and established training programmes. In addition to the courses and meetings listed in the brochure, additional courses will be offered throughout the year as the needs of schools change and new opportunities to meet them arise. A wide range of nationally recognised professional development opportunities is available for classroom based, administration and other school support staff, including the following award bearing programmes, which are all partly or fully funded:-

• Vocational qualifications at level 2 and 3, including the generic Support Work in Schools VQ
• Skills for Life Training at level 1 and 2 in Maths, English and ICT
• Higher Level Teaching Assistant preparation & assessment only and a range of training routes leading to HLTA Status
• Certificate of Higher Education and Foundation Degree Courses  for classroom support staff, learning mentors, early years practitioners and administration staff
• NCSL Bursar Training leading to the Certificate or Diploma of School Business Management
• Management Training, including the level 2 Certificate in Team Leading, Level 3 Certificate in First Line Management, Skills for Middle Leaders and NCSL’s Leading From the Middle Programme

The annual support staff awards and conference programme will take place during the summer term 2009.

A programme of fully funded local Authority training for reviewers of support staff Performance Management is now offered for teachers and senior support staff.

For information on support staff training and career development or to arrange bespoke training, please contact:-

Keith Worrall (School Improvement Adviser – Developing People to Support Professional learning) kworrall@wakefield.gov.uk

Frances Taylor (Training and Development Manager for Support and Associate Staff)
ftaylor@wakefield.gov.uk

Sarah Ward (Project Co-ordinator – Leading the New Professionalism)
slward@wakefield.gov.uk
 
Wakefield CPD Centre, Woolley Hall, New Rd, Wakefield WF4 2JR
Tel. 01226 392434 (870 2434)