STONEBRIDGE ASSOCIATED COLLEGES Stonebridge House, Ocean View Road, Bude, Cornwall, EX23 8ST, England Dear Student, NCFE SUPPORTING TEACHING AND LEARNING IN SCHOOLS QCF QUALIFICATION 501/0403/2 On behalf of everyone at Stonebridge Associated College s Learning Community I would like to extend a very warm welcome to you, and thank you for choosing Stonebridge Associated Colleges as your partner in Distance Education. I would like to take this opportunity to provide you with brief guidance on how the Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools Level 3 Programme operates. Please read these notes carefully before commencing your studies. You will receive one core text. This text is all the learning materials you require in order to successfully complete this course and gain the Level 3 certificate; hence if you are paying by instalments we would greatly appreciate it if you could ensure that the college has received all the necessary payment information and instructions. The core text contains all the learning materials that are required in order to successfully complete the Programme. The units you are completing as part of your Award are: Unit 1: Schools as Organisations (TDA 3.2 Page 13) Unit 2: Understand Child and Young Person Development (CYP3.1 Page 149) Unit 3: Communication and Professional Relationships with Children, Young People and Adults (TDA 3.1 Page 1) Unit 4: Understand How to Safeguard the Wellbeing of Children and Young People (CYP3.3 Page 169) Unit 5: Engage in Personal Development in Young People s Settings (SFCD SHC 32 Page 115) Unit 6: Support Children and Young People s Health and Safety (CYP 3.4 Page 133) Unit 7: Promote Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Work with Children and Young People (TDA 3.6 Page 89)
Unit 8: Support Learning Activities (TDA 3.3 Page 33) Unit 9: Promote Children and Young People s Positive Behaviour (TDA 3.4 Page 57) Unit 10: Support Assessment for Learning (TDA 3.7 Page 103) Unit 11: Developing Professional Relationships with Children, Young People and Adults (TDA 3.5 Page 73) Please ignore pages viii, ix, x and the unit material for the optional units listed on page vii (these start from page 187 in the course book) as this information does not relate to this course of study. PRACTICAL WORK PLACEMENT This course is designed in line with the national standards and to meet the requirements of these national standards. Students are required to undertake practical work experience to compliment their studies and demonstrate their skill and competency in a teaching/classroom environment. The NCFE level 3 Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools is a fully listed qualification designed to meet the requirements of Teaching Assistants, Classroom Assistants and Learning Support Assistants. All students must have a work placement arranged and will need the support of a member of school staff for the duration of the placement. The placement can be paid or unpaid, and the learner must complete the required minimum 50 hours of placement experience. This is necessary, along with successful completion of all unit assignments, in order to achieve certification. The attendance sheet enclosed with your course material will need to be filled in and signed each time you attend the placement; this will then be submitted to your tutor when the minimum required hours have been completed. Work experience is defined by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) as a placement on an employer s premises in which a student carries out a particular task or duty, or a range of tasks or duties, more or less as would an employee, but with the emphasis on the learning aspects of the experience (Work Experience A guide for Employers, 2002). Further guidance on work placement is provided in the DFES booklet Work Placements A Guide for Employers. A copy of this document will be included in your course material.
ROLE OF WORK PLACEMENT SUPERVISOR The placement supervisor will take overall responsibility for the student during the placement and specifically should ensure the following: Agreeing a timetable for the placement and agree learning objectives Arranging an induction and introduction to the school Arranging any statutory checks which may be required Compliance with school Health and Safety policies and procedures Issue of any personal protective equipment Identifying opportunities to take part in the range of activities covering the assessment criteria for the qualification s learning objectives Monitoring the overall progress of the student in school and provide opportunities to review progress Confirmation, by signing witness statements, of the successful completion of practical tasks required by the National Occupational Standards The supervisor should read these points and then confirm that they will provide a placement which fulfils this role. The enclosed form Placement Supervision Agreement needs to be signed and returned to the college, along with verification of the supervisors qualification. DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) CHECK In order to work with children, students on a work placement MUST undertake a DBS check and your school will usually request this. A DBS must have occurred before commencing any placement. Please note that Stonebridge Colleges is unable to arrange this check and students must take full responsibility for ensuring this has been done before the placement starts. USE OF PLACEMENT MATERIAL The issue of confidentiality needs to be clearly discussed with your work place, and the student needs to be clear on this matter, particularly regarding the use of information in their portfolio work.
Where material from the work place organisation is used, it must be done so in a sensitive and appropriate manner and in full accordance with the work placement s policies and procedures. No personal details of individuals should be disclosed, and no materials submitted that may in any way identify an individual or family member. No photographs of children should ever be submitted. If in any doubt about confidentiality of information, this matter must be discussed with the placement supervisor. ASSIGNMENTS AND PORTFOLIO ACTIVITES As well as completing written assignments, each assignment will include one or more portfolio activities that will need to be completed at the placement. This will help to demonstrate the student s knowledge, understanding and skill. The following methods will be used to record portfolio activities: Work Placement Attendance Diary Placement Supervision Agreement Session Record and Reflective Journal The required method will be stated alongside the detail of the activity on the question paper. Hard copies of the required forms have been included with the course material and will need to be photocopied as required by the student. All evidence to support the completion of portfolio activities needs to be submitted once you have completed all of the written assignments. This will form the contents of the final assignment. On successful completion of the assignments and portfolio activities, and subject to moderation by the awarding body, you will be eligible for the award of the qualification.
SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS At the end of each unit there will be an assignment question paper. The question paper needs to be sent in along with the completed assignment, and all answers need to be numbered clearly. Your evidence to support completion of portfolio activities must be submitted at the end of your course only. Included with your core text and first pack of materials will be: Welcome Letter Information for Students Guide DFES Work Experience Guide for Employers Placement Supervision Agreement this needs to be signed by the placement supervisor and returned to the college Work Placement Attendance Diary Session Record and Reflective Journal Question Paper 1 (please note: once you have studied the first unit and returned the first question paper, your personal tutor will mark it and return it to you, along with question paper two. The process will continue like this until you have completed all eleven units). Please Note: It is your responsibility to make copies of any work submitted to the College. The College will not be held responsible if submitted work is lost in the post and no copies have been made. Please be aware, the College cannot issue replacement books. It is the student s responsibility to ensure all their course material is kept safe at all times. I hope this information helps. Good luck with your studies. Kind Regards, Stonebridge Enrolments Introductory Information