The Scottish Qualifications Authority is to offer Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) at levels two and three to new and existing classroom assistants. Students will study for SVQs at further education colleges, but work in the classroom will count towards them.
Launching the new qualification, Scottish education minister Peter Peacock said, 'Classroom assistants have been an invaluable addition to primary schools and the benefits they bring have been recognised by headteachers, classroom teachers, parents and pupils.
'Children reap the benefits because they have more contact time with adults and research has also shown that the introduction of classroom assistants has helped improve pupils' motivation and behaviour.'
Both SVQs include compulsory and optional modules. To study for an SVQ2 students must complete four compulsory units and choose three options.
Compulsory units cover helping with classroom resources and records, the care and support of pupils, supporting learning activities and support for colleagues. Optional topics include supporting literacy and numeracy activities in the classroom. For an SVQ level 3, students must follow four compulsory units and choose six options from a list which includes providing support for bilingual and multilingual pupils and supporting children with cognition and learning difficulties.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Executive said that local authority employers would cover the costs of both SVQs, which will be on offer at further education colleges from the start of the next academic year.
Michael White, professional officer for Scotland at the Professional Association of Teachers, welcomed the new qualifications, but said he believed there was 'a need to link the SVQ training ladder into the professional teacher training ladder'.
Sarah Duncan, a policy and information officer for Unison in Scotland, said, 'We welcome these SVQs. It's a sign that classroom assistants are being taken seriously.'
She added that the introduction of qualifications should pave the way for classroom assistants to progress on to a salary scale commensurate with their qualifications. 'It is part of the professionalisation of this caring sector. Previously people learned on the job, which could lead to inequality of opportunity.'
But Ms Duncan said that the introduction of SVQs did raise some questions, including how schools would provide and pay for cover to allow classroom assistants to take time off for training. Their duties vary greatly between schools and the division between responsibilities for teachers and classroom assistants is 'not as clear cut as it should be', she said.
She added, 'We think it's important that there's a unified approach and there is a level playing field for all classroom assistants. It's very important that everyone gets an equal chance to do these qualifications.'
Figures for the end of March last year showed that there were 4,227 classroom assistants employed by local authorities in Scotland. The Scottish Executive's two-year evaluation of the classroom assistant initiative, published last November, found that most teachers thought they now had more time to spend on teaching, planning and managing learning and were able to spend less time on routine tasks and preparing resources.