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Our HLTA course is the TQUK Level 4 Certificate for Higher Level Teaching Assistants (RQF), the Ofqual regulated qualification for experienced teaching assistants ready to lead classes. It costs £59.99 a month after a 7-day free trial (or £611.99 for the year), takes 9 to 12 months at 6 to 10 hours a week, and is assessed by portfolio with no exams. You study online with a named UK tutor and complete at least 50 hours in a teaching assistant role in school, where units 5 to 7 are observed or witnessed. The certificate prepares you for HLTA status, which is assessed separately through your school.
| Qualification | TQUK Level 4 Certificate for Higher Level Teaching Assistants (RQF) |
|---|---|
| Level | Level 4 |
| Awarding body | TQUK (Training Qualifications UK) |
| Qualification number | 603/1432/1 |
| Exams | Portfolio of evidence, no exams |
| Price | £59.99 a month, or £611.99 in total |
| Typical duration | 9 to 12 months |
| Age | 16 or over |
| Who it suits | Are an experienced teaching assistant ready to cover classes and lead interventions |
Two views: the NJC pay spine points schools use for HLTA grades, and what HLTAs actually earn across the UK according to the Office for National Statistics.
HLTA grades run from about SCP 12 upwards; the upper range is shown.
Actual pay across all HLTA jobs, including term-time-only.
Leads interventions and small groups. Usual step before HLTA.
| Level 3 Certificate | classroom support, 12 hours a week in school |
| Level 3 Teaching Assistant Diploma | deepen practice |
| HLTA Level 4 | lead classes, higher pay band |
| Level 5 Diploma in Teaching FE & Skills | teach post-16 |
| CAVA L3 | assessor branch |
There is no course fee to find, no finance agreement to sign and no debt to worry about. Your first 7 days are free, then you pay for the month you are in, and every payment is covered by the 14-day money back guarantee. Prefer to start now? Pay today instead of taking the trial and every payment is 15% lower for life, with the same 14-day guarantee.
You never sign a credit agreement with us, so there is no debt and nothing for anyone to chase. If you stop paying, you simply stop studying. No finance company, no loan and no letters.
Learners must complete a minimum of 50 hours work/work placement in a relevant role as part of the achievement of the qualification.
A Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) does everything a teaching assistant does, plus leading classes under a teacher's direction. Watch the short explainer, then read on for the details.
HLTA is often called a Level 4 teaching assistant: see where it sits in our teaching assistant levels 1 to 4 table.
Prefer to read? See how you are assessedHLTA sits between the Level 3 teaching assistant qualification and a teaching qualification.
36 credits from 7 mandatory units. No optional units.
The certificate is mapped to the 33 national HLTA standards, covering the knowledge standards (8 to 16) and the planning, monitoring and teaching skills (17 to 33) assessed for HLTA status.
There are no exams. This Ofqual-regulated TQUK Level 4 certificate is a portfolio from real classroom situations, with observation or witness testimony for units 5, 6 and 7, plus written assignments for knowledge. It is marked internally and quality assured by TQUK.
Portfolio of evidence from real classroom situations including observation and/or witness testimony for units 5, 6 and 7; written assignments and questions for knowledge outcomes. Internally marked, externally quality assured by TQUK.
Work through the unit online with your named UK tutor.
Observation, witness statements, work products and reflective accounts from your real workplace.
Marked in 5 to 7 working days. Pass or refer. Resubmit until every criterion is met. Your certificate comes from TQUK.
Yes. You study this Ofqual-regulated TQUK Level 4 certificate online with a named UK tutor and evidence your practice in your own school. You need at least 50 hours in a relevant teaching assistant role. Assessment is a portfolio, with no exams.
Training Qualifications UK issues the certificate. Lift College teaches the course and TQUK awards it.
TQUK's stated goal: Be number one in technical education
certificates issued since 2013
qualifications across more than 20 sectors
employers use TQUK for apprenticeship assessment
Figures from tquk.org, September 2026. TQUK, Crossgate House, Sale, Manchester. Recognised by Ofqual, the qualifications regulator for England.
TQUK approves the centre, the tutors who assess you and the way the course is delivered before a single learner is registered.
An external quality assurer from TQUK samples assessed work from Lift College learners. Your result stands because TQUK has agreed it, not just your tutor.
Your certificate is printed by TQUK with a unique number. Any employer or university can confirm it is real on TQUK's certificate verification service. TQUK certificate verification
The same UK tutor supports you from enrolment through to your certificate.
Marked in 5 to 7 working days.
Your dashboard shows what you have completed and what comes next.
If a unit is referred, you resubmit at no extra cost until every criterion is met.
One price for the full course, with every fee included. Try it free for 7 days, or start now and every payment is 15% lower for life.
Full access for 7 days. Your first payment is on day 8, and you can cancel any time before then from your account.
£59.99/month from day 8
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“English is my second language and I was nervous about the exams. My Lift College tutor adjusted the study plan to focus on the writing components I found hardest. I passed both subjects and I've now been accepted onto an…”
FatimaFunctional Skills English and Maths Level 2“I was working in a nursery without any formal qualifications and my manager kept pushing me to get a level 3. I was nervous about going back to studying but the online format meant I could do it around my shifts. The tut…”
JadeLevel 3 Early Years Educator“I am a mature learner in my late 40s and was genuinely worried the online study would not suit me. I could not have been more wrong. The course materials were clear, the tutor marked my assignments quickly, and the whole…”
MarcusLevel 3 Teaching Assistant DiplomaAn HLTA leads classes under teacher direction, plans with teachers and supports individual learners and groups. This Ofqual-regulated TQUK Level 4 certificate sits between the Level 3 teaching assistant qualification and a teaching qualification. HLTA is not a teaching qualification.
Yes. You study this Ofqual-regulated TQUK Level 4 certificate online with a named UK tutor and evidence your practice in your own school. You need at least 50 hours in a relevant teaching assistant role. Assessment is a portfolio of evidence, with no exams.
Yes. You must be working or volunteering in a school as a teaching assistant, with at least 50 hours in a relevant role. Units 5, 6 and 7 need observation or witness testimony. This Ofqual-regulated TQUK certificate is studied online, and you evidence your practice in your own school.
No. Portfolio of evidence from real classroom situations including observation and/or witness testimony for units 5, 6 and 7; written assignments and questions for knowledge outcomes. Internally marked, externally quality assured by TQUK. Grading is Pass only, no grading.
One price covers the full course with every fee included: a named UK tutor, marking in 5 to 7 working days, AI Study Support, and your TQUK certificate. There is nothing extra to pay.
You need to be 16 or over. Level 2 literacy and numeracy or equivalent recommended. Working or volunteering in a school as a teaching assistant. Your setting may require you to be 18 for an enhanced DBS check or lone working.
The next step on this page is the Level 5 Diploma in Teaching. HLTA sits between the Level 3 teaching assistant qualification and a teaching qualification.
Training Qualifications UK (TQUK) issues the certificate. Lift College is a TQUK recognised centre.
£59.99 a month after a 7-day free trial, or £611.99 for the year, with tutor, TQUK registration and certificate included. No contract, no credit check, and a 14-day money back guarantee on every payment. Our guide to the best online HLTA courses compares this with four other providers.
There is no fixed deadline. Most learners finish in 9 to 12 months. You pay monthly for as long as you study, and you can pause or cancel from your account at any time.
Yes. The TQUK Level 4 Certificate for Higher Level Teaching Assistants is an Ofqual-regulated TQUK qualification, on the Ofqual register at Level 4. The qualification number is 603/1432/1. Training Qualifications UK issues the certificate, and Lift College is a TQUK recognised centre.
See 'What an HLTA is paid' on this page: the NJC pay points schools use for senior TA and HLTA grades, and the ONS median for HLTA jobs. Pay is set locally by each school or trust, and most posts are term-time only.
This is the TQUK Level 4 Certificate for Higher Level Teaching Assistants. It covers the HLTA professional standards. If a post asks for HLTA status, that is assessed separately by the HLTA National Assessment Partnership's regional providers.
9 to 12 months at 6 to 10 hours a week
The default is a free 7-day trial with your first payment on day 8. If you would rather start now, you pay today instead and every payment is 15% lower for as long as you study. Your 14-day money-back guarantee still applies: change your mind for any reason within 14 days and we refund the full payment.
An enhanced DBS check is normally arranged by the school. Your setting may require you to be 18 for an enhanced DBS check or lone working.
Yes. Annual billing saves 15%: £611.99 for the year instead of £59.99 a month. The 7-day free trial and 14-day money back apply either way.
No. This is the TQUK Level 4 Certificate for Higher Level Teaching Assistants, a regulated qualification built on the 33 HLTA standards. HLTA status is a separate professional status, assessed against the same standards by the HLTA National Assessment Partnership's regional providers.
No. There are no formal entry qualifications: you need to be 16 or over, working or volunteering as a teaching assistant, with Level 2 English and maths recommended. Most learners arrive with a Level 3 qualification and classroom experience, which is also what schools expect before putting someone forward for HLTA status.
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