Level 3 
Supporting Teaching & Learning 

Curriculum

NCFE CACHE Level 3 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning is a regulated qualification

Course Name /Qual Aim / Course code:  

​

Course aim and rationale

The NCFE CACHE Level 3 Certificate in Supporting Teaching and Learning

This qualification provides learners with an understanding of the knowledge needed when working directly with children and young people in a school or college environment. It will enable learners to gain an understanding of elements including children and young people’s development, safeguarding their welfare, and communication and professional relationships.

It is aimed at learners working in support roles within schools and colleges.

The STL L3 is a course in child care providing opportunity for progression and future employment in Schools and Colleges and other areas of the education sector. The programme directly addresses the needs of a sector where well documented labour market intelligence indicates a high level of unfilled posts and an urgent demand for trained staff throughout the country.

 

The NCFE CACHE qualifications are linked to the National Occupational Qualifications for Child Development and Well-Being.

They

• Prepare Learners for employment in a specific occupational area

• To progress to a qualification in the same sector or a related area at a higher level

 

In addition to introducing learners to the knowledge base necessary to work in the education sector the L3 programme support’s the development of the wider behaviours and attitudes necessary for higher level study or to employment.  In addition to the Level 3 STL programme, a course in employability skills is completed by all learners. Further the student enrichment programme supports the development of good personal, social and wider citizenship skills. Most learners will engage in supported work place experience.

Total Qualification Time (hours) - 350

Age ranges covered by the qualification is - from five years of age with some knowledge of development in the early years is included in the specification to enhance learners’ understanding.

Real work environment (RWE) requirement / recommendation - Learners need to show competence in both skills and knowledge, they need to be working or be on a practical placement during the taught programme of study in a learning environment (school or college). NCFE CACHE recommends that the learner undertakes 100 hours of placement in a real work environment.

The hours above are recommendations, not mandatory minimum placement hours.

Rules of combination - all units are mandatory.

Progression including job roles (where applicable) - Learners can progress onto the Level 3 Diploma in Supporting Teaching and Learning or into the workforce.

Learners may progress directly from achieving a Certificate to completing additional 3 top up units to a Diploma qualification. Some may on successfully completing the programme to courses in other vocational areas if they wish.

​

Units to be delivered within the qualification and rationale for selection

 

In order to complete the course, learners will need to complete the following Mandatory units:

 

• STL3C1: Schools and colleges as organisations

• STL3C2: Support health and safety in a learning environment

• STL3C3: Understand how to safeguard children and young people 

• STL3C4: Develop professional relationships with children, young people and adults 

• STL3C5: Understand how children and young people develop 

• STL3C6: Support positive behaviour in children and young people

• STL3C7: Support children and young people during learning activities

• STL3C8: Support English and maths skills

• STL3C9: Support the use of ICT in the learning environment 

• STL3C10: Support assessment for learning

• STL3C11: Engage in personal and professional development

 

The units selected cover essential vocational knowledge and skills but also allow for the development of the wider behaviours and attitudes necessary for progression.

 

The following Top up units can be achieved at Diploma Level 3.

• STL3D12: Support children and young people’s speech, language and communication

• STL3D13: Understand how to support bilingual learners 

• STL3D14: Understand how to support learning of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities

• STL3D15:  Support children and young people during transitions

• STL3D16:  Support the role of play, leisure and extra-curricular activities for children and young people

 

This will allow teachers to customise the teaching learning and assessment programme according to learner needs and specifically to stretch the more able learners.

​

The course will be delivered Online for  Knowledge/skills/behaviours to be gained from each unit, module or stage

 

The range of teaching and learning strategies across all units will include

• Practical child care skills

• Group presentations

• Role play

• Vocationally related research projects

• Preparation for work experience in the college simulated nursery

• Creative and other practical activities

• Written work for formative and summative assessment

• Work placement experience

• Development of employability skills through work placement, the NCFE CACHE  units and the enrichment programme.

Staff through the teaching learning and assessment strategies will ensure that learners see the connections between the assessed units and other learning activities and that their programme as a whole supports the knowledge, behaviours and attributes necessary for progression.

​

Content 

The teaching, learning and assessment strategies used throughout the programme will be designed to ensure that the needs of individual learners are met and that the learning is securely embedded in their long term memory.

 

Learning activities will be sequenced moving from the simple ideas, activities and skills to the more complex. Teaching programmes will build on learners’ prior knowledge and experience and will always be vocationally related. Assessment activities will check knowledge and understanding across the whole group and provide opportunities to apply learning in realistic work settings.

 

Learning will therefore be

• Appropriately sequenced

• Applied to work in schools and colleges settings

• Enable learners to progress to employment or higher levels of programme.

​

Structure

(How knowledge will be deeply understood; skill demonstrated and performed to industry standard; drawing on each learners’ existing knowledge skills and behaviours)

A wide range of strategies will be used to check learning and ensure that the industry standards required for practice in the Education sector are fully embedded will include evidence from

• Written work completed in lessons or at home

• Cache assignment tasks

• Targeted questions in lesson

• Group discussion and presentations

• 1:1 discussion as appropriate

• Reports from work placement providers and internal assessors of professional practice

• Formative assessment and feedback.

​

Sequencing

The programmes will be personalised to support appropriate progression from learners’ starting points building on their previous learning, knowledge and experience. All learners are required to have at least Level 2 Mathematics and English or working towards obtaining their level 3.

 

The teaching programmes are designed incrementally to ensure that knowledge and understanding grows and develops. The wide ranges of formative and summative assessment methods outlined are used to check and monitor learning and progress.

 

Knowledge-based learning outcomes:

• Begin with ‘Know’, ‘Understand’ or ‘Know how to’. 

• ​

For your convenience, knowledge-only units are indicated by a lightbulb in both the Unit Achievement Log and at the top of the units.

If a unit is not marked with a lightbulb, it is a skills unit or contains a mix of knowledge and skills.

​

​

Assessment

(How will formative and summative assessment be carried out and when)

A wide range of formative and summative assessment methods will be used to check and confirm learning and understanding. Summative assessment is directly linked to the NCFE CACHE standards which themselves are drawn from the National Occupational Qualifications for Child Development and Well-Being.

Recommended assessment methods

All units will be internally assessed using a range of methods which could include:

direct observation by a tutor / teacher / assessor* within the workplace

written assignments and professional discussion in line with the assessment of learning provided for each unit.

Additional assessment requirements

All units must be assessed in line with our assessment principles.

The specification have referenced the wording ‘Learning Environment’, which refers to the different types of schools and colleges.

Grading system - The qualification will be graded Achieved or Not Yet Achieved, and all the assessment criteria must be achieved in order to obtain the certificate.

The Certificate can usually be completed in one year.

 

The qualification is graded Achieved or Not Yet Achieved, and all the assessment criteria must be achieved in order to obtain the Certificate/Diploma.

These will include the

• Written work completed in lessons or at home

• Assignment tasks

• Reports from work placement providers and internal assessors of professional practice

• Targeted questions in lesson

• Group discussion and presentations

• 1:1 support as appropriate

Timetable and schedules for the issue of assignments, the hand in date and the date for the return will be issued and monitored. Progress and achievement will be recorded electronically.

​

​

Innovation of teaching, learning and assessment

The wide range of teaching and learning strategies as outlined are chosen according to the individual needs of learners.

 

Additional learning and learner support is incorporated into the teaching, learning and assessment strategies according to learner needs.

​

Staff Expertise and Skills set

Staff, are extensively experience in a wide range of care and early years’ settings with CPD opportunities to ensure knowledge and experience of current practice.

​

Entry Criteria

What potential Learners must already need to know or be able to do; (prior attainments, previous experience, holistic baseline assessment of each learner’s starting point covering the knowledge skills and behaviours to successfully complete the course /subject.

​

Expectations and standards requirement of the Course/Subject

The Level 3 qualification is approved by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulations (Ofqual).

 

All summative assessment briefs for the programme and all assessment decisions are monitored through Internal Quality Assurance and External Quality Assurance processes and systems to ensure that they meet the qualification requirements and to the level required. Learners who successfully complete the programme should be ready for progression to further study either in full time study or whilst in employment.

 

Learners who successfully complete the Level 3 programme will be supported as appropriate to progress to higher level awards.

​