Use the Growth and Skills Levy as a CPD budget to upskill your teaching and support staff
Apprenticeships offer a perfect way to take advantage of high quality, fully funded training for your team, without requiring too much time out of school.
All of our programmes involve completing practical projects and our experienced tutors focus on directly improving learners’ day-to-day practice and confidence.
Specialists in the school and nursery apprenticeship sector
Unlike other apprenticeship providers, we specialise in apprenticeships for the education sector. Our programmes are designed and delivered by former teachers and school SLT, our provision is rated Ofsted outstanding and we have worked with every variety of educational setting.
Our growing apprenticeship offer reflects the new opportunities being created for schools, colleges, nurseries and MATs.
How can I make use of the Levy?
The Growth and Skills Levy is a government fund designed to support staff training and development through apprenticeships.
Schools or nurseries who have an annual wage bill of more than £3 million (or who are part of a larger organisation that does) can utilise these to cover apprenticeship training costs for current employees and/or new hires.
Find out more about how the Levy works on our dedicated information page.
Looking to hire an apprentice instead?
Our free of charge apprenticeship hiring service takes care of job advertising, candidate screening and many aspects of apprenticeship onboarding.
Part of a MAT or local authority?
Take advantage of our bespoke service:
- Tailored content
- Account manager
- Dedicated cohorts
- Communication packages to your schools
- Progress dashboard
Explore apprenticeship programmes for your setting
- Schools
- Nurseries
NEW HIRE / UPSKILL
Level 3 Teaching Assistant with a SEND Focus
Suitable for both new and existing TAs, this programme covers both theory of childhood development and practical skills to support teachers. Provides foundational knowledge of how to support children with SEND.
NEW HIRE / UPSKILL
Level 3 Teaching Assistant with a PE, Health & Wellbeing Focus
Develops knowledge and understanding of how to plan, differentiate and deliver high-quality PE lessons, as well as the skills and knowledge required to be an effective “all-round” teaching assistant.
NEW HIRE / UPSKILL
Level 2 Community Activator (Working in a School)
A Community Activator supports the PE team to promote, deliver, and inspire children with fun, inclusive activities. You’ll help nurture a positive environment and engage pupils in sporting initiatives, such as the Daily Mile, after-school clubs and more.
UPSKILL / NEW HIRE
Level 4 Sports Coach (Working in a School)
A programme designed to enhance the skillset of existing PE specialists to enable them to become a more impactful, and strategically-minded sports coach, building independence within a school setting.
UPSKILL
Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant: SEND
A new progression pathway for experienced teaching assistants to improve outcomes and advance their careers. Gain advanced skills to help children with special educational needs and gain HLTA status (optional).
UPSKILL
Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant: Language and Literacy
Gain the skills to provide whole-class, group or individual support for pupils with literacy challenges or speech, language and communication needs, under supervision of a speech and language therapist.
UPSKILL
Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant: Literacy
Help every child learn to read. Learners will enhance their planning, preparation and assessment skills, and become more confident in to support individual, small group and whole class literacy learning.
UPSKILL
Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant: Social and Emotional Wellbeing
Learn how to support pupils’ SEMH needs. Train to become an ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistants). These are sought-after practitioners who are trained by Educational Psychologists to deliver targeted mental health support.
UPSKILL
Assistant SENCO Programme
Comprehensive training designed to help learners step into the assistant SENCo role, or enhance skills and knowledge if they are already in this position. Available exclusively through ESF Apprenticeships and Real Training.
UPSKILL
Level 5 Speech, Language and Communications Leadership Programme
Enables teachers and TAs to lead communication interventions across their setting, drive strategic change, and provide a vital link with specialist services. Includes the Higher Level Communications Practitioner award.
UPSKILL / NEW HIRE
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A programme designed to enhance the skillset of existing PE specialists to enable them to become a more impactful, and strategically-minded sports coach, building independence within a school setting.
UPSKILL
Level 7 Advanced SEND Leader Programme
Build your strategic leadership skills and feel more confident and better equipped to lead SEND provision in your school. You will receive leadership coaching, learn about managing SEND finances and keep abreast of SEND policy updates.
NEW HIRE / UPSKILL
Level 2 Early Years Practitioner
A practical, effective, way to start a fulfilling career in early years education, with a comprehensive introduction to working with children from birth to five years old.
NEW HIRE / UPSKILL
Level 3 Early Years Educator
Ensure a safe, secure and inclusive environment for children’s learning. Deepen your knowledge and skills around observations, assessment and the planning cycle for toddlers, babies, pre-schoolers or reception classes.
Why choose ESF as your apprenticeship provider?
Ofsted outstanding
Year-on-year data shows less than 10% of apprenticeship providers gain an outstanding rating when inspected.
Additional qualifications
From Elklan to ELSA we’re always on the lookout for value-added qualifications, while keeping things as flexible as possible.
SEND expertise
Our successful acquisition by Real Group, means we can now draw on the knowledge of EPs, SENCOs and other experts from our parent company.
Curriculum leads are experienced teachers
Our directors, tutors and curriculum leads are all qualified teachers who have had successful school careers.
SEND Masterclasses
Exclusive invitations to interactive sessions led by an expert in SEND and inclusion.
Benefit from high-impact sessions for schools and nurseries. You’ll be brought up to date in various aspects of SEND and mental health by leading speech and language therapists, dyslexia assessors, educational psychologists, autism specialists and a range of other experts.
- Held every six weeks during term time (attendance optional)
- 2-3 hours presentation and interaction
- Your chance to ask the expert!
- Downloadable resources
- Recordings available on-demand