Teaching Practising Certificate

To apply you will need to supply:

Please see below for guidance on requirements for new applications, renewals and joint certificates. Please also see the attached Schedule of Fees - Summary of TPC / APC evidence requirements document.

TPC New Application Requirements

Applicants must be full or associate members of Patoss. The validity of the certificate is conditional upon membership being maintained throughout the TPC period.

Members are asked to confirm their commitment to ethical practice and continuing professional development (CPD).

Current Specialist Teaching Practice

All applicants must demonstrate that they are current, practising teachers who have conducted a minimum 20 hours of direct specialist SpLD related tuition in the 12 months prior to application. A declaration to confirm teaching hours should be made on the application form.

"Direct specialist SpLD related teaching"includes:

It does not include mainstream teaching work where adjustments are made to support curriculum access or learning support work where another professional guides the teaching objectives and activities.

Specialist Teaching Experience

All applicants must demonstrate a minimum of 1 year in a professional SpLD teaching role.

Please complete the application form showing your current and previous teaching experience. This form asks applicants to highlight and briefly describe those roles which have involved specialist teaching practice, either working directly with individuals with SpLD or professional mentoring or teacher training activity within the field.

Testimonials

Two testimonials should be attached to the TPC application. The contact details of those providing the testimonials should also be supplied. They may be contacted as part of the Patoss audit process.

One testimonial should be from a current employer or a professional colleague, who can confirm the validity of the most recent aspects of the employment history, and can knowledgeably comment on the quality of teaching practice.

For those applicants working independently - a professional colleague does not necessarily have to be a person with whom they work directly, but someone who is aware of their practice; for example, a fellow member of the local Patoss group, a school teacher with whom they collaborate to support a child or a human resources professional with whom they coordinate in providing workplace support.

The second testimonial should provide further evidence of the quality of your teaching practice. This could be:

For a renewal TPC application

Full or associate membership of Patoss must be held and a commitment given to ethical practice and continuing professional development.

On renewal of the TPC all applicants must also supply:

For a joint APC and TPC application

If you wish to apply for both an Assessment Practising Certificate (APC) and a Teaching Practising Certificate (TPC) you are welcome to do so. There are a number of routes to the Assessment Practising Certificate so these must be considered alongside the requirements of the TPC. Patoss has endeavoured to create as much overlap as possible between the two schemes to ensure minimal additional application requirements for members. Please see the attached Schedule of Fees - Summary of Evidence Requirements table or contact the Patoss office for further guidance.

Costs

The Teaching Practising Certificate aims to offer a low annual cost for members - at a total of £60 this represents a £20 per year cost for the three year validity period of the TPC.

There is a reduced fee for those applying jointly for their APC and TPC to reflect the fact that some evaluation of the CPD log is already included in the existing APC fee. If members wish to apply for both certificates the renewal dates of their APC and TPC will be harmonised. Those whose APC renewal dates are less than 1 year to renewal will only by charged £20 for their first TPC. If the APC renewal date is one year or more away the £40 fee will apply.

For full detail of our fees and the costs of joint certificate applications please see the attached Schedule of Fees - Summary of Evidence Requirements document.

Please Note: The Patoss Board periodically reviews requirements and fees. Please ensure you use the current guidance schedule on application.