QQI Level 6 Special Needs Assistant

Are you interested in becoming a Special Needs Assistant? This blended learning course is suited to anyone who has an interest in Special Needs Education, whether to pursue it as a career or use the knowledge for personal or family reasons. Portobello Institute’s QQI Level 6 Minor Award Special Needs Assisting is a qualification that will allow you to work as a special needs assistant in schools, hospitals and care homes. During this 3-month course you will acquire not only knowledge but empathy and understanding crucial to your future role as support to persons needing assistance in their learning. You will also be required to complete 20 hours of work experience enabling you to get practical experience to compliment your studies. These factors, together with the one to one tutorial support, offer you a course that is accessible, affordable and achievable.

Why should I study this course?

The field of Special Needs Education is one of enormous variety and ever-changing needs. Portobello Institute wish to respond to the true needs within the sector by offering a course that will equip our students not only with knowledge but with empathy and understanding crucial to their future role as support to persons needing assistance in their learning. Our research in the field has found that Special Needs Assistants require practical skills and knowledge in a wide range of behaviours and abilities. Thus, we try to encapsulate the lifelong experience of persons with Special Needs within our courses, in Level 5 and in greater detail at Level 6.

Portobello Institute’s QQI level 6 Minor Award in Special Needs Assisting gives you the opportunity to learn from a range of experts all of whom are passionate about the field of special needs education. They bring their insight, depth of experience and passion for teaching to this course. During this course, you will learn to support and understand the process by which a child with learning, physical or behavioural needs learns. This qualification will allow you to work alongside a child with special needs in a school as well as care settings.

The Special Needs Assistant Level 6 course is ideal for Learners who wish to:

• Possess a comprehensive understanding of national and local models, multi-disciplinary teams, health and safety issues and educational provisions for children and young people with special needs.
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the relevant concepts, theories and principles underpinning curriculum implementation.
• Create learning opportunities by devising and implementing Individual Education Plans (IEP’s) and individual behavior Plans (IBP’s) and introduce exercises that teach the child to look after themselves and their property which ultimately encourages independence, respect, self-esteem and responsibility.
• Assess the roles and responsibilities and skill sets required by the SNA to assist the teacher in implementing the National curriculum.

Who will recognise my qualification?

Upon completing this course, you will hold a QQI Level 6 Minor Award in Special Needs Assisting enabling you to work as an SNA.

Qualifications Frameworks in Ireland and the UK

The Irish and UK qualifications authorities have collaborated on initiatives that promote the transparency, recognition and mobility of qualifications between our respective jurisdictions. The qualifications authorities in the UK and Ireland have agreed the qualifications frameworks in operation, Brexit will not impact this agreement.