The new senior level of NVQ award is being tackled with enthusiasm by its first students. Judith Napier met them
Five months into the new NVQ Level 4 in Early Years Care and Education, Lynn Cardrick says, 'It's nice to be in on something at the ground floor and be one of the first to complete.'
She and her 15 classmates at Chiltern Training comprise part of the first intake of practitioners on the new course, launched last September in response to a gap in training created by the rapid expansion and growing professionalism of the early years sector.
Jackie Richards, product manager at City & Guilds, one of the awarding bodies, says, 'The sector very much wanted a qualification on this level. It is a recognition of professionalism and also that the whole early years sector, while predominantly made up of small organisations, is becoming more complex, with more specialised practitioners.'
Level 4 is a senior award, and students going further with study could be looking towards a BA degree or more generic management qualification. The Level 4 award will count as a credit into higher level study so it provides a route to teaching, social work, health and care.
Chiltern's director of studies Karen Fox believes that some of the students have embarked on the course as much to see their professionalism acknowledged as to have their skills and expertise developed. 'They want acknow- ledgement of the role they're undertaking,' she says.
Clare Pope, a deputy nursery manager on the course, says, 'I see it as a way to further my career, not only in nursery management but to get jobs such as a lecturer later on.'
Who is it aimed at?
Level 4 is appropriate for people working at a senior level with children or their families, such as managers in early years and playwork, family support workers, special needs education and development workers, workers carrying out quality assurance, and workers providing classroom support.
All of the Chiltern students are from the private sector, with nine holding deputy managers or managers posts and the remainder in positions as room leaders or similar. NVQ4, however, is emphatically not a way to move into management - you must hold a management post already, to undertake the sorts of procedures and demonstrate the standards of competence required for the award.
Alison Mitchell, of CACHE, also an awarding body, says, 'You cannot do it if you have just completed Level 3 and are working in, say, a day nursery at that level and have not progressed into management. I think people perceived it initially as a stepping stone, but you cannot do it like that. Actual standards are very detailed and demanding, and there is a lot of theoretical knowledge and in-depth information. You need to be pretty experienced.'
Course content
Candidates must complete a total of ten units from three sections. The first section consists of three compulsory units, including a major study of around 7,500 words, which is marked externally. These are:
- Access, review and update your own knowledge of significant and emerging theory and practice
- Develop your own resources
- Provide information to support decision-making.
The second section has three strands - advanced practice, management and quality control - and candidates must cover four units from their chosen strand.
The third section is made up of a number of units, of which candidates must choose three. The topics cover a wide sweep, from supporting abused children to looking at special educational needs, managing finances, evaluating communication techniques, and facilitating meetings. Students are assessed on their portfolio of evidence, assembled over the year and on their externally assessed study.
Students at Chiltern Training are enthusiastic about the content. Clare says, 'The management side is really relevant to what I am doing in everyday life, in the nursery setting.' They are currently considering topics for their dissertation, which again reflects the spread of interests - early learning goals, special needs and so on. Lynn hopes to focus on the proliferation of legislation affecting early years. 'There is not very much information out there for people in nurseries, and if I'm going to do it, I want to do something that is going to be useful,' she says. Clare is considering how to support SEN children in a private nursery or how to set up your own nursery.
Students are not tied into particular deadlines but, in practice, college timetables and funding mean they aim to complete within a set period.
Karen believes the current 14 months allowed should be extended. 'We had to structure this into a year of knowledge. It is going very well, but I think, given the quality of this, it's not long enough. You get 18 months for NVQ3, so why should this be less?'
But students like Clare are happy to work hard to complete within the year. 'You have to accept that it will eat into your social time but at the end of it, you have a good qualification.'
Study experiences
NVQ4 students may already hold level 3, so the course structure will seem recognisable. Those who do not hold NVQs, or have been out of formal education for a long time, may find it harder to understand how units slot together within the syllabus. Clare says, 'I did the NNEB rather than NVQ3, so the other students helped me to see exactly how, for example, the cross-referencing works. And as it was a new qualification it took a while to be issued with the NVQ4 book.'
Karen feels it is important that students get to grips with critical analysis - 'a very important part of NVQ4'. She says, 'The students initially found it difficult, but after it had been explained to them, they understood why and how to do it.'
The Chiltern students believe that anyone considering joining the course needs to be dedicated, focused and prepared for the quick pace of work - expect to study in evenings and weekends, as well as within your work environment.
Candidates should also ensure that their present position will enable them to carry out the coursework expected of them. Clare's tip is to compile a library of relevant information and evidence from the outset, so that by the time a unit comes round, you have a good basis to start from.
Lynn concludes, 'I would certainly tell others thinking about it to go for it - it would not be time wasted.'
Further information
- Around 30 colleges currently offer NVQ4 courses, among them Chiltern Training Ltd, which specialises in NVQs in childcare and education and is considering offering a distance learning option (0118 9566995, or email
Chiltrain@btconnect.com) - Early Years NTO advises on all training and qualifications, (01727 738300, or visit website www.early-years-nto.org.uk).
- NVQs are regulated by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. Scotland's SQA currently offers SVQs in Early Years Care and Education at levels 2 and 3 only.
- City & Guilds Affinity (020 7294 2800, website www.city-and-guilds.co.uk>www.city-and-guilds.co.uk).
- CACHE (01727 847636, website www.cache.org.uk)