NOCN is a market-leading independent End Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) who have been successfully delivering End Point Assessments since 2017. NOCN is at the forefront of apprenticeship reforms including the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in the UK, working in partnership with employers, Further Education colleges, Training Providers and skills experts to develop a range of standards and assessments for new apprenticeships.

NOCN is also an established Ofqual regulated Awarding Organisation, bringing this level of quality assurance to its End Point Assessment provision.

Teaching Assistants work in Primary, Special and Secondary education across all age ranges encompassing special educational needs and emotional vulnerabilities. The primary role of the Teaching Assistant is to support the class teacher to enhance pupils’ learning either in groups or individually, ensuring pupils understand the work set, know their learning objectives and stay on task in order to make progress. Promoting self-belief, social inclusion and a high self-esteem play an integral part to pupils’ well-being; ensuring pupils thrive in a positive, nurturing, safe environment. It is an active role supporting the learner to access the curriculum.

They are good role models, act with honesty and integrity, take part in team meetings; contribute to planning and class activities. Promoting Fundamental British Values through spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and positive behaviours are crucial in contributing to improved pupil progress and development.

NOCN works in partnership with employers and Training Providers to provide a quality-first End Point Assessment (EPA). End Point Assessment is the final stage of the apprenticeship where the apprentice demonstrates the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours gained on-programme to an independent End Point Assessor.

The required Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours of the Teaching Assistant apprenticeship standard will be fully communicated to the apprentice at the start of their apprenticeship, in preparation for End Point Assessment. End Point Assessment is carried out independently by qualified NOCN End Point Assessors to ensure a quality robust End Point Assessment you can trust.

The required Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours of the Teaching Assistant apprenticeship standard that the apprentice will be required to learn during the on-programme phase of the apprenticeship, are found on the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education website. Click the link below to see the apprenticeship standard and assessment plan in further detail:

https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/teaching-assistant-v1-0

The apprentice will be supported by their employer and the Training Provider throughout the on-Programme phase of the apprenticeship. As a leading Ofqual regulated Awarding Organisation, NOCN offers a number of qualifications to support the apprentice, including:

• NOCN Functional Skills maths and English

The employer must formally sign-off that the apprentice has met the minimum requirements in regards to knowledge, skills and behaviours within the standard and confirm they are ready to move on to the end-point assessment. This will happen during a meeting involving the apprentice, and their line manager. The employer may wish to take guidance from their apprentice’s training provider(s). The EPA should only start once the employer is satisfied that the apprentice is consistently working at or above the level set out in the standard, the pre-requisite gateway requirements for EPA have been met and that they can be evidenced to an EPA organisation.

Gateway requirements:

• Apprentices without English or maths at Level 2 must achieve this prior to taking their EPA. For those with an Education, Health and Care Plan or a legacy statement, the apprenticeships English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3 and a British Sign Language qualification is an alternative to English qualifications for whom this is their primary language.
• Completion of a portfolio of evidence to support the professional discussion.

The end-point assessment must take place within 3 months of completing the gateway process and be conducted by an organisation approved to offer services against this standard, as selected by the employer, from the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s (ESFA’s) Register of End-Point Assessment Organisations (RoEPAO).

Practical Observation

NOCN will appoint an independent End Point Assessor to conduct the 2-hour observation within the employment of the apprentice. NOCN will expect that the practical will be conducted on to one basis with the assessor. This all allows for the apprentice to complete a diverse approach to the K,S,Bs within the apprenticeship standard. Each session will be one hour in length and have two instances, separated by a short break depending on the employers' requirements
At the end of the practical, the NOCN End Point Assessor will conduct the Q&A with the apprentice to ensure full coverage has been attained from the practical assessment. These questions will be pre-formatted to ensure full coverage of the K,S,B from the Assessment plan and apprenticeship standard.

Professional Discussion

This element will be delivered using NOCN’s Microsoft Teams application with the review of the portfolio undertaken in advance of the End Point Assessment taking place.

The professional discussion must last for 90 minutes. The NOCN End Point Assessor has the discretion to increase the time of the professional discussion by up to 10% to allow the apprentice to complete their last answer. The professional discussion will be underpinned by the portfolio completed by the apprentice during the on-programme phase of the apprenticeship. This is a two-way discussion, and the NOCN Assessor will seek to gain assurance of the apprentice’s competency by questioning.

NOCN organises the EPA at a suitable time for the employer, training provider and apprentice. We then book the independent expert assessor who will deliver the EPA.

Because arranging a quality EPA involves a number of people and organisations, NOCN requires a minimum of three months to ensure all elements of EPA are in place including, contracting, invoicing and scheduling.

When the Gateway stage is reached, NOCN will expect the employer or the Training Provider to inform NOCN and to make the final booking for the End Point Assessment. The End Point Assessment for the apprenticeship standard will take place after the apprentice has completed a minimum of 20% off-the-job training, and achieved all required mandatory elements of the apprenticeship.

NOCN will provide the employer and Training Provider guidance on the pre-requisite requirements needed to be submitted to NOCN and how the End Point Assessment will be undertaken.

When the Gateway stage is reached, NOCN will expect the employer or their Training Provider to inform NOCN and to make the final booking for the End Point Assessment. The End Point Assessment management system allows the apprentice/s data to be added to the system, and this data will match the ESFA database. All pre-requisites for the apprentice will be added to the system before the End Point Assessment booking

NOCN has a range of useful EPA resources available and our friendly team is available to offer expert advice and support for both Employers and training providers.

On successful completion, NOCN will issue an EPA grade notification and apply to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to produce the final apprenticeship certificate.

NOCN EPA services are priced fairly and competitively. As a leading non-profit organisation we ensure our charges are below the maximum 20% of the total apprenticeship. A pre EPA fee is charged at the contracting phase to secure support materials and assessment booking. The remaining balance for the EPA is charged upon Gateway entry and EPA booking. NOCN applies a flexible approach to pricing based upon cohort size and delivery model.

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• Acedemic Professional
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