CACHE Diploma: Child Care and Education Level 3

 

To study this course you should be interested in working with children as you will be working in an early years setting, alternate weeks throughout the two year course.  You will enjoy practical work and assignment based work and you will build up a portfolio of evidence from your early years experience based on observations and activities with children.  You will use the skills of problem solving, decision making and be able to present and communicate information, work as part of a team and gain valuable life skills particularly those of self-confidence, time management and organisational skills.   You will work in at least 4 different placements during the course.

 

This two year course cannot be studied alongside other subjects (although GCSE re-sits may be possible) as it is a full time course equivalent to 3 A Levels; 360 UCAS points.  It is possible to study this as a one year course in Year 12 or 13 where you would gain the equivalent of two A’ Levels. 

 

Year 12 units

Unit 1

An Introduction to Working with Children.  This unit prepares you for work experience in a range of child care settings.  

 

Unit 2

Development from conception to age 16 years.  You will learn how to assess children through observations at different stages of their development.

 

Unit 3

Supporting children.  This unit includes work on child protection and equal opportunities.

 

Unit 4

Keeping children safe.  This unit includes extra qualifications in First Aid and Foundation Food Hygiene.

 

Unit 5

The principles underpinning the role of the practitioner.  This unit includes current research on child education.

 

Unit 6

Promoting a healthy environment for children. 

Year 13 units

Unit 7

Play and learning in children’s education.  This unit looks at theoretical approaches and current research in the field of play and education.

 

Unit 8

Caring for children. This unit includes thinking about the diverse needs of individual children and working in multi-professional teams.

 

Unit 9

Development of professional skills. This unit runs throughout the course to include 125 placement days in total. 

 

Unit 12

Nutrition and healthy food for children

 

Unit 14

Working with children with special needs

 

Unit 18

Working with babies from birth to 12 months

 

Assessment details

 

In Year 12 units 1 – 6 are each assessed through a structured assignment task of 3500 words. 

There is also a 1 hour exam in May based on a case study.

Assessment details

 

In Year 13 each unit is assessed through a structured assignment task of 3500 words.

There is also an externally assessed research assignment of 5000 words.

 

Progression

On completion of the course you will be qualified to work as an Early Years Practitioner in a school, nursery, children’s centre, in a hospital on a children’s ward or as an assistant to a Health Visitor or as a children’s holiday rep.  The qualification is nationally and internationally recognised.

 

You could move on to study at a university for a degree in various subjects such as Teacher Training, Nursing, Social Work or Early Childhood Studies.

 

Exam board

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