Teaching assistants: expectations at different levels

There are no set expectations

There's no national guidance on teaching assistant (TA) expectations at different levels and there are no qualifications required to progress. 

Below you'll find details on what you might expect at different levels, based on the typical duties and responsibilities set out in guidance and job descriptions. 

NJC guidance on expectations at levels 1 to 4 

The National Joint Council (NJC) for local government services, a negotiating body for local government employees, published guidance on the use of support staff that includes job profiles for different levels of TA.

Although the document was published in 2003, a representative from the DfE confirmed that schools can still use it for reference.

Below, we summarise the expectations of TAs at each level, as outlined on pages 8 to 20 of the