An introduction to the Level 5 Diploma in Teaching (DiT) Podcast

Any learner embarking on the Level 5 Diploma in Teaching (DiT) must meet the following requirements before enrolling onto the programme: 

It is an essential requirement for all trainee teachers upon enrolment to have a minimum of Level 2 in English and Maths qualifications. This is important as any teacher must demonstrate the ability to support learners with their functional skills when delivering their own subject specialism. As part of the level 5 DIT’s initial assessment process, the new learner will attend a remote welcome meeting alongside their mentor and must provide copies of their minimum core certificates. If a learner does not have access to their certificates, they can make contact with the awarding body or former school/college to request evidence of these.  

·         GCSE Grade 4 or above in English & Maths. 

·         GCSE Grade C or above in English & Maths.  

·         Functional Skills Level 2 qualification in English & Maths.

3. What are the Guided Learning Hours & the total qualification time for this qualification? 

 

The total qualification time of this qualification is 1200, this factors in everything such as assignment writing time to producing lesson plans. This is the time spent from when you embark upon the qualification with the initial welcome meeting to achieving your certificate from Train Aid. 

 

This framework recommends a minimum of 360 guided learning hours- this means the hours spent within the classroom delivering your teaching hours. 

 

 

Before enrolling onto the Level 5 Diploma in Teaching (DiT). The learner must have agreed teaching hours and must be working either part or full time within a mainstream or private post-16 teaching organisation. Many candidates for the Level 5 DiT will work within FE colleges (whether general or specialist), independent training providers (ITPs), Adult Community Learning (ACL) providers or offender learning. It is important to highlight that the level 5 DiT candidate must be teaching to learners aged 16 and above. 

If the candidate is working within an alternative or SEND provision, the learners may be aged between 14-16 years old. 

More information can be found on the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education. If a candidate has any questions regarding their eligibility, it is important to speak to Train Aid prior to enrolment onto the course.  

 

 

Trainee teachers must experience placements in at least two different locations to gain exposure to diverse teaching environments and ensure a breath of teaching practice experiences. 

A minimum of 20 non-teaching hours should be dedicated to activities in the second location. 

 

These hours are not specified as teaching hours, allowing flexibility in incorporating various non-teaching activities such as: (team meetings, planning time, interviewing of learners, attending assessment meetings, observing colleagues, attending CPD events). 

 

Ideally, the second location should be at a different provider. However, for larger educational establishments it is acceptable for the second placement to be in a different subject area and/or department within the same provider.

 

The placement should be at least 250 hours in duration. At least 150 hours of this should be teaching practice. Of the 150 teaching hours, at least 100 hours must be in the trainee’s subject area. So 150 hours of teaching must be logged, with the other 100 hours considered to be the activities which go on around teaching itself. These non-practice 100 teaching hours could be used for: attending meetings, planning lessons and interviewing new learners. 

The teaching hours must be logged within the level 5 DiT learner’s teaching diary but must be regularly reviewed by the candidate’s mentors. 

 

There are no recommended class sizes for the Level 5 DIT, however it would not be acceptable to complete the qualification teaching solely 1-1 sessions. 

The level 5 candidate’s teaching organisation should ideally give trainees experience of practice in a range of classroom settings and environments, with experience of different group sizes. By teaching to a variety of class sizes and classroom settings, this will support the trainee teacher with their own professional development and confidence. 

In the majority of observations as part of the DiT, the trainee teacher should teach a group of at least 10 learners. We strongly recommend that the teaching hours and class sizes are arranged fully prior to commencement of the level 5 programme. 

 

Trainee teachers undertaking the level 5 DIT need to log 100 non-teaching practice hours. These hours are to be logged within the trainee teacher’s non-teaching hours placement log. Non-teaching hours are deemed as the day-day responsibilities that teachers undertake away from the classroom or teaching environment. The non-teaching hours practice log is to be reviewed on a regular basis by the trainee teacher’s mentors and training provider. 

 

 9. What activities can count as the non-teaching practice hours?

There are a number of professional practice activities the trainee teacher can use to log their non-teaching practice hours. These activities could include: 

·         Attending team meetings or briefings.

·         Planning their lessons.

·         Interviewing new learners.

·         Attending assessment or standardisation meetings.

·         Visiting partner or feeder schools/colleges.  

·         Observing fellow colleagues. 

·         Attending INSET days or attending continuing professional development (CPD) events. 

Trainee teachers should complete a minimum of 20 hours of remote delivery. This could be teaching to their learners on remote platforms such as zoom or teams.  This must be live delivery and not pre-recorded.

 

In teaching settings where remote delivery is not possible, the trainee teacher could engage in this aspect of their practice within their non-teaching activities. For example, a teacher could attend meetings on zoom/teams or host/attend team/standardisation meetings on teams. The trainee teacher could even attend CPD courses to improve their remote teaching practice. 

 

In exceptional circumstances where remote delivery may not be feasible, alternatives such as remote delivery to colleagues or shadowing others may be pursued. Centres are encouraged to discuss any exceptional circumstances with the awarding body TQUK  and the training provider (Train Aid) prior to delivery. 

 

Remote delivery may also not apply to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) area as learners may not benefit from such an approach. In such cases, trainees would need to complete the 150 hours of teaching practice as usual. However, it is desirable that such trainees still gain access to some remote delivery experience. It is recommended that the SEND trainee teacher approaches the training provider to discuss remote teaching hours delivery prior to delivery. 

 

 11.How many mentors should support the Level 5 DiT trainee teacher with the qualification & what teaching qualifications should they hold? 

All trainee teachers should have the guidance of two staff members within their organisation to support them with their level 5 DIT qualification. 

The first is the subject specialist. They will be competent and teach within the trainee’s subject area. This enables subject specific support. This staff member will have time to support the trainee for the recommended 30 minutes per trainee per week. Additionally, they will also assist with the lesson observations of the trainee. The subject specialist could be a fellow colleague within the same department or a line manager/Head of Department. When selecting the subject specialist, it is important to identify a fully qualified and experienced teacher. Upon enrolment to the level 5 DiT course, the trainee teacher must provide Train Aid with copies of the mentor’s certificates to check eligibility that they are suitable to be a subject specific mentor. 

 

The supporter is a pastoral support mentor. This staff member should be available for more general areas of advice and support and may support more than one trainee in the placement. This mentor will have time to support the trainee for the recommended 30 minutes per trainee per week. This staff member could be from a different department and can still observe the trainee teacher within their lessons. This mentor is expected to liaise with the training provider regarding ongoing progress reports.

 

The purpose of observations is to provide developmental feedback to the trainee teacher and assess whether they meet expected teaching standards. Observations should be spaced throughout the qualification with a minimum of 10 working days between observations, considering the trainee's progress.

 

10 lesson observations are required to complete the level 5 DIT teaching qualification. The lesson observations must be observed by a qualified teacher who has a minimum of a level 5 teaching qualification or above.  The observations can be carried out by either mentor, a fellow teacher within the organisation or even by a member of the training provider (Train Aid).  

 

The 10 lesson observations do not have to be conducted by one single teacher; they can be split between a number of different teaching colleagues.  

 

It is important that the trainee teacher provides the training provider with the teaching certificate of the nominated observer to check before carrying out the lesson observation. This is to ensure that the observer’s teaching qualification is suitable for the observation and the certificate is fit for purpose. Once the teaching certificate has been approved by Train Aid, the observer can carry out the lesson observation on the trainee teacher. 

 

·         Level 5 Diploma in Teaching (DIT) 

·         Level 5 DTLLS/Level 5 DET (Diploma in Education & Training) 

·         PGCE (Secondary or Further Education) 

·         Master’s degree in education. 

·         PgCert or PgDip. 

 

 

·         Leadership or management qualifications. 

·         PGCE (Primary). 

·         Any assessing or IQA qualifications. 

 

 13. What is the minimum length of each lesson observation?

 

45 minutes is the minimum length of each lesson observation. The trainee teacher may decide to be observed for an hour- or even longer. However, this would be for the trainee teacher and observer to decide. 

 

A maximum of 2 observations may be of live remote delivery. One observation can be observed remotely by the assessor, provided arrangements are made for prompt feedback and discussion with the learner after the session.

 

There are 5 core units which are outlined on the Department for Education’s (Dfe) qualification framework website.

Unit 1: Teaching my subject (15 credits).

Unit 2: Learners and learning (15 Credits) has two parts.

Unit 3: Teachers and teaching (15 Credits) has 2 parts.

Unit 4: Professional Practice (30 credits) has 3 parts.

Unit 5: Effective digital and online pedagogies (15 credits).

The 5 core units outlined by the Department for Education have been further broken down into 11 manageable course units by the awarding body Teaching Qualifications UK (TQUK). More information on the units can be found in the Train Aid Blog: Breaking down the units of the new Level 5 Diploma in Teaching

 

 

This is part of the final assessment process and is hosted between the trainee teacher, the trainee’s mentors and a representative of Train Aid. 

The professional discussion can be on any aspect of professional practice. For example, the trainee could wish to reflect on their current teaching practice- looking at their current strengths, areas for development and highlighting opportunities to improve their teaching practice. Another conversation topic could be on teachers planning lessons, discussing CPD opportunities. The professional discussion should be conducted towards the end of their qualification before the level 5 certificate has been applied for. 

 

The Professional Practice modules require the candidate to:

·         Complete and show evidence of all their practice hours alongside their ten teaching observations.

·         Complete a portfolio of evidence relating to the placements and submit it to the module assessors.

·         Participate in a final assessment involving a 30-minute oral discussion relating to any aspect of professional practice.

The portfolio will demonstrate when and how the candidate has met the occupational standard in their professional practice, counter signed by their course tutor.

The professional discussion should be conducted in person by two people who hold a full FE teacher qualification.

 

The average learner takes one year if studying full time or two years if studying part time. The learner will balance their teaching responsibilities and their course work/teaching portfolio. Once learners are enrolled onto the course they can take as long as they need to complete the qualification as it is an online/self-paced course. 

 

The qualification is designed to enable teaching in the further education and skills sector, such as: colleges, sixth form schools, adult education, prison education and the private training industry. We recommend exploring teaching careers websites such as TES jobs,  Reed Education or Gov.uk/teaching vacancies for the latest available teaching posts once achieving the level 5 DIT. 

 

 20. What are the progression areas after the Level 5 DIT? 

 
The Level 5 DiT enables learners to complete QTLS which is a period of professional formation, this can be completed with SET and is outlined within the QTLS podcast  with Berta Miguez-Lorenzo from the Society for Education & Training (SET). Achieving QTLS is optional and the level 5 DiT teacher can enroll onto the pathway anytime after they have achieved the qualification.   

Some professionals progress further onto Advanced Teacher Status (ATS) after achieving their QTLS status.  

 21. Where is the Diploma in Teaching (DiT) recognised?
 
The DiT is specifically regulated in England. If you are looking to teach overseas we strongly advise that you make contact with the School/College or Teaching establishment within the country, you are applying to in order to check if the DiT would be suitable for application for a teaching position. 

There are no UCAS points associated with the level 5 DiT qualification