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CACHE LEVEL 2

DIPLOMA IN CHILD CARE AND

EDUCATION

COURSE HANDBOOK

2013 – 2014

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USEFUL INFORMATION

Candidate No.

College Tel. No.

Personal Tutor

First Placement

Placement Tel. No.

Family

details/dates

Special

School/dates

Hospital/dates

Other training

dates

Tutorial dates

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BOSTON COLLEGE

CACHE LEVEL 2 DIPLOMA IN CHILDCARE AND EDUCATION (DCCE)

COURSE HANDBOOK

Section 1

WELCOME

The course you have joined is recognised throughout the country and abroad. It is designed to teach you the skills you will need in your vocation. It is a vocation that offers many job opportunities world wide in a wide range of establishments from working in private sectors. Examples of job opportunities are Nursery Assistant, Pre-school Assistant, Parent's Help, au pair. You may find that when you first start your course there is a great deal of information to take in at once. In your first week you will have a full induction of Boston College through all of the important aspects of the Course and College life your tutors will be there to answer any questions you may have, but we hope this handbook will help to answer some of your questions. This booklet is to be used in conjunction with the Boston College Learner Handbook which will give you more general information about what will be available to you as a learner at Boston College. The N.N.E.B. states that one of the qualities of a good Nursery Nurse is:- "a real belief in the individual worth of each child and a determination to ensure children have the opportunity to develop their full potential. In order to do this effectively, the Nursery Nurse needs an understanding of, and a commitment to, promoting equality of opportunity". At Boston College we are also committed to Equal Opportunity and we will be offering all our learners an environment to which they can reach their full potential. You will also have the opportunity to study Equal Opportunities, as this will be an integral part of the syllabus. Dr Cliff Davis, a lecturer in Developmental Psychology at the University of Manchester sees the Nursery Nurses as having three main functions. ‘A Nursery Nurse role is threefold - Carers should not be expected to be a mother substitute. What you want is someone who will stimulate your child, give him attention and keep him safe.’

STAFF Gill Bush - Programme Area Manager Kelly Harris - Placement Officer/Tutor You will also be taught by a variety of lecturers with specialist skills. Others: Liz Purnell Jo Campbell Tracy Hill Carol Panrucker

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YOUR PERSONAL TUTOR: All full-time and some part-time learners have a Personal Tutor. Your tutor will welcome you to the College, help you to settle in and be there to give you help and information. Your tutor is usually your first point of contact with the College and your main source of help. You will meet your tutor every week, as part of a group session or for a one-to-one discussion and review of your progress. It is important that you attend your tutorials as they will support you and make sure you get the most out of College. You will meet your tutor at Induction. The Induction programme introduces you to staff, other learners, your course and the College. A more detailed description of the tutor’s role can be found in your handbook.

Section 2

QUALIFICATION AIM

The Diploma programme aims to prepare you to work in a supervised role competently, safely and effectively with children 0 – 16 years.

COURSE FRAMEWORK This is a modular course which means you will be completing units of work within an allocated time and then you will be assessed on these units. Details of the content and the order of the modules you will be studying are given, but it is essential to stress the importance of building on and linking all the knowledge as the course progresses. This is a one year full-time course.

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Modules for the CACHE Level 2 Diploma in Childcare and Education: Unit 1 An Introduction to Working with Children Unit 2 The Developing Child Unit 3 Safe, Healthy and Nurturing Environments for Children Unit 4 Children & Play Unit 5 Communication and Professional Skills Unit 6 The Practitioner in the Workplace (Practical unit) 390 hours Unit 7 Play activity for children from birth to 16 yrs. You must successfully complete to gain the Diploma: 5 assignments 1 multiple choice question paper Completed Placement Portfolio, PER’s, PERD’s and PDP’s Candidates may progress to higher level qualifications such as Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education with a B/A profile.

Teaching The teaching is carried out by qualified and experienced professionals, both in the placement and in the classroom situation. Please NOTE that a learner must have a minimum of 94% attendance in order to achieve any module. In the placements you will learn by experience whilst being supervised and supported by the staff. In the classroom the teaching is a mix of formal lessons and individual research; role plays, discussion and group work. Learners have access to workshops and the study support service and are encouraged to

work at their own pace. The responsibility for achievement rests with the learner.

PROGRESS REPORTING

Parents Evenings Parents are invited to visit the College regularly to find out more about your course, how you are progressing, options after your course has finished routes and any other details. There will be an opportunity to speak to key staff as well as your Personal Tutor.

Progress Parents are encouraged to visit the College with or without their son/daughter to discuss progress with your Personal Tutor and teaching staff.

Reports All College learners are assessed by the course team at the end of November to confirm continuation onto the full programme. If there is any doubt as to suitability to continue, learners and parents will be consulted in December.

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ATTENDANCE Learners are required to attend ALL CLASSES, WORK PLACEMENTS and tutorials on the timetable with a minimum attendance of 94%. Make non-urgent appointments for Doctors/Dentists etc. out of college hours. Placement provision is the responsibility of the Course Tutor and Placement Officer. Attendance is monitored by registration on a session basis.

Attendance Monitoring We want you to be successful on your course and to achieve your qualifications. It is therefore important that you attend all classes as good attendance is the key to being successful. The Attendance Monitor will work with you and your Tutors to promote good attendance. What will they do?

offer support if you are having problems which affect your attendance

refer you to Learner Services who can help with a range of personal problems and barriers to learning and attendance

refer you to your Tutor who will discuss your attendance and take action where appropriate

What can you do?

Avoid unnecessary absences, for example, by making appointments outside College hours

Inform the Attendance Monitor if you are going to be absent for any reason

Telephone (01205) 365701, option 2, or e-mail absent@boston.ac.uk, or text “BCABSENT” to 88020. Texts are charged at standard network rate. This information is also on the back of your ID badge

Please remember to give your name, ID number and reason for absence

The Attendance Monitor is: Gail Bevan

REQUIREMENT Punctuality is vitally important. Learners are expected to attend classes, rehearsals and performances on time and should be appropriately dressed (see Clothing section). Learners who habitually turn up late to practical classes may be asked to sit and make notes, write them up and hand them in at the next practical class.

ABSENCE PROCEDURE If you are unable to attend College because of illness you need to telephone your tutor to let

us know before 9.15am, as you would in a job. You will also be required to fill in an Approval of Absence form which can be obtained from your tutor. Extended absences require a doctor’s certificate.

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PLAGARISM

The use of other people’s work and the submission of it as though it was your own is known as plagiarism (plagiarism means theft of other people’s ideas). Any work forming part of an assignment, project, test or other assessment must be your own and must not contain any plagiarised material. Evidence of plagiarism will result in failure of the assessment. Any new assessment arrangement will be given with a strict completion date. You will also be subject to the College’s disciplinary proceedings. If you wish to quote material from a textbook or other source then this should be referenced in your assignment. Your subject lecturer or Personal Tutor will show you how to do this.

Section 3

COLLEGE CALENDAR 2013/2014

2013 September 2nd Autumn term starts. Learner Services Induction week September 3rd Spalding Enrolment September 26th Higher Education Fair at BCUC October 3rd HE Parents’ Briefing ‘Going to University’ BCUC October 8th Spalding College in Action October 10th Boston College in Action October 16th Volunteer Fair at BCUC October 21st – 25th Half term October 29th HE Open Event October 30th & 31st Parents’ evenings November 5th School Taster day November 7th Boston College in Action November 14th Spalding College in Action November 15th Closing date for UCAS applications (internal) December 19th End of Autumn term

2014 January 6th Spring term starts January 23rd HE Open Event February 6th Boston College in Action February 11th Spalding College in Action February 17th - 21st Half term for learners March 3rd - 7th Careers week March 4th & 5th Parents’ evenings April 4th End of Spring term April 22nd Summer term starts May 5th Bank Holiday May 26th Bank Holiday June 10th Spalding Open Event (Information) June 12th Boston Open Evening (Information) June 26th Summer term ends

Note Any learner taking holidays outside of holiday periods will be considered absent from the course. Learners receiving support from the College Bursary Fund need to be aware that they will not be paid for holiday periods taken outside the academic breaks.

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EXTERNAL EXAMINATIONS - Multiple Choice paper INTERNAL EXAMINATIONS - Assignment dates as set. All work must be in on the required date.

Section 4

VISITS/WORK EXPERIENCE

Throughout your training, you may be offered visits to places of interests in order to enhance your study. These may include visits to exhibitions, multicultural establishments, children’s wards, special needs units. Educational visits are usually subsidised by Boston College, however you may be asked to make a small contribution.

PLACEMENT TRAINING During your training you will be offered practical experience in a wide variety of settings. These will include:- Nursery Schools Primary Schools Playgroups Day Nurseries Childminders You will receive your placement folder documents at the start of the Course which contains

details of all your practical training requirements. It will be your responsibility to keep your

placement folder up to date. You will be visited by the Placement Officer when you are on your placements and will receive feedback on your progress either at the Workplace or in a tutorial when you are back in College. A copy of the visit report form will be placed in your college file for future reference.

PLACEMENT DRESS

When you go into placement you may be working as part of a professional team, and you will be expected to present yourself in an appropriate way. We ask you to bear this in mind when considering your dress and attitude to work. Clothing should be practical, comfortable and modest and jewellery kept to a minimum for health and safety reasons. You will be given comprehensive guidelines on what is expected of you at placement before your first experience, so if there are any questions you want to ask remember to raise them during the induction sessions.

Financial Assistance

If you have financial difficulties you can apply for help from the College Bursary Fund, 19+ Learner Support Fund or 24+ Advanced Learning Loans Bursary Fund. This may help to meet the costs of:

1 Travel 2 Books and equipment (16-18, 19+ only) 3 Food (16-18, 19+ only) 4 Specialist clothing required for your course (16-18, 19+ only) 5 Childcare costs whilst at College (19+ and 24+ only) 6 Exams/tuition costs (19+ only)

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Some learners aged 16-18 are guaranteed help from the Bursary Fund – this includes:

learners living in care

recent care leavers

learners receiving Income Support or Universal Credit in their own right

learners receiving Employment Support Allowance and Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment in their own right.

For further details please check with Learner Services staff

Childcare If you are under 20, you may qualify for Care to Learn payments for childcare costs. Please go to Learner Services for more information, or contact Care to Learn on 0845 600 7979 or visit the website at www.gov.uk/caretolearn

Section 5

SUPPORT SERVICES The College Mission Statement The College Mission Statement describes the type of College we provide for all our learners and staff.

‘to be a brilliant college that transforms people’s lives and makes an

outstanding contribution to the economic, social and cultural life of

Lincolnshire’.

All learners at the College attend voluntarily so there is not a set of ‘College Rules’. We do however have a range of policies which describe the standards we expect and what we offer in return. To access all the learner related policies and procedures please look on Moodle, or ask your Personal Tutor for details.

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Section 6

POLICIES

At the College we have a range of policies detailing what the College will offer you and how we ensure high standards are maintained. To access the policies click on the links below. If this is not possible please ask your Tutor to provide you with a copy. Admissions Assessment and Examinations Assessment Malpractice Bullying and Harassment Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance Car Parking for Residential Learners Compliments & Complaints Procedure Computer Services Unit: Code of Conduct and Practice and Equality Impact Assessment Coursework / Self Study Drugs and Alcohol Financial Support for Learners Functional Skills Hall of Residence Disciplinary / Sanctions Higher Education Admissions Induction Code of Practice Information, Guidance and Support International Student Late Enrolment Learner Attendance Learner Disciplinary Policy and Procedure for Further Education Learners Mobile Electronic Equipment Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Safeguarding Learners Skills for Life and Learning Support Tutorial – Full Time Learners – Appendix 1 Weapons and Search Work Experience Equality and Diversity – see our page on Moodle Examination Policy Students Copy Important Exams Information for Candidates Access arrangements – General Access arrangements – International Students Examination Clashes Conduct of Exams Internal Appeals Procedure – Students Copy Appeals Procedure – Externally Marked Exams

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CODES OF PRACTICE HEALTH AND SAFETY CODES Conform to College Smoking and Car Parking restrictions. Health and Safety and COSHH regulations will be given to you at induction. For your safety and the safety of others you must follow these rules at all times.

At all times you will respect and maintain the confidentiality of all client information.

BOOK LIST Penny Tassoni 6 – 16 years Child Development (Heinemann) Penny Tassoni CACHE L2 Childcare and Education 3rd edition (Heinemann) Penny Tassoni Practical EYFS Handbook (Heinemann) Sheila Riddall-Leech How to observe children (Heinemann) 2nd edition Carolyn Meggitt Child Development Birth to 16 years DVD edition (Heinemann) Tina Bruce Learning through play (Hodder Arnold)

SAFEGUARDING STATEMENT

Boston College places a high priority on the safety and wellbeing of our learners. We are

committed to creating and maintaining a friendly, welcoming and safe working environment

for all young people and vulnerable adults, whether learning is taking place on or off College

premises. We have a duty to safeguard all learners, and we will respond immediately if

there is a concern that a learner might be the victim of bullying, harassment, abuse or

neglect. All staff are trained in safeguarding and there is a designated specialist Safeguarding Team to help with any concerns you might have about your own or someone else’s safety. If you need to contact the Safeguarding Team please go to:-

Main reception

Learner Services

The ‘Stay Safe’ button on Moodle

E-mail staysafe@boston.ac.uk If you need to contact someone out of College hours about safeguarding contact:-

Children’s Social Care on 01522 782333

In an emergency situation dial 999 and call the police

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An important part of safeguarding is making sure only authorised people are on our College premises. Please help us with this by carrying your ID badge at all times and showing it if asked by a member of College staff.

At Boston College we respect everyone within the College community. We also emphasise

respect for personal property and for the facilities of the College. We therefore, expect

learners to work with us to create an environment where everyone feels safe and valued

and can work to achieve their full potential.

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Boston College

Skirbeck Road

Boston

Lincs PE21 6JF

Telephone: 01205 365701