Courses

Cache Level 3 Diploma in Childcare & Education

The Council for Awards in Children’s Care and Education (CACHE) Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education is a full time 2 year course offered by The Chiltern College. The Qualification is split into 3 parts, which are the Award, The Certificate and the Diploma. All Chiltern College Students will progress through all parts to complete the full Diploma qualification.

The qualification will enable you to work in a supervisory capacity in a range of settings with children from birth onwards.

Throughout the course you will study a wide range of subjects. These will include child development, caring for children, play and learning and developing professional skills within children’s education, nutrition and healthy food for children, working with children with special needs and working with babies from birth to 12 months. You will also gain practical experience in a range of settings, both in our own nurseries and in other carefully chosen nurseries and schools within the local area.

To successfully achieve the qualification you will complete a range of assignments and research projects, a short answer test paper and a wide range of practical placements.

Alongside this qualification you will also study for our own Chiltern Certificate Award.

The CACHE Diploma is accredited to a maximum of 360 UCAS points (dependent on the grades achieved) and can be used to gain entry to university for degree courses such as teaching, midwifery and paediatric nursing.

Entry Requirements

• 5 GCSEs at Grade C or above, one of which must be English Language
• Demonstrate an interest in, and empathy with, children, which should be shown through your written application, interview and references.
• Be over 16 years of age at commencement of the course.

Course Commencement dates:
The duration of the CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education is two academic years, commencing in September and completing 2 years later in July.

The Chiltern Certificate
All students who study for the Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education will also study for our own Chiltern Certificate alongside their CACHE qualification.

Cache NVQ Level 3 Children’s Care, Learning & Development (CCLD)

The Council for Awards in Children’s Care and Education (CACHE) Level 3 NVQ in Children’s Care, Learning and Development is a full time 2 year course. This qualification qualifies you to work in a supervisory role in a range of childcare and education settings. It combines an interesting balance of tutorial study and practical training. Alongside this qualification you will study for our own Chiltern Certificate Award.

Throughout the course you will study a range of subjects. These include child development, developing professional skills, caring for children, assessing children’s progress, planning children’s activities, etc. You will also gain practical experience in a range of settings both in our own nurseries and in other carefully chosen nurseries and schools within the local area.

This qualification is assessed by practical assessment and evidence-gathering, rather than by assignment or examination.

This qualification is Level 3 on the Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA) National Framework of Qualifications.

Entry Requirements

• 5 GCSEs at Grade C or above, one of which must be English Language
• Demonstrate an interest in, and empathy with, children, which should be shown through your written application, interview and references.
• Be over 16 years of age at commencement of the course.

Course Commencement dates:
The duration of the CACHE Level 3 NVQ in Children’s Care, Learning and Development is two academic years, commencing in September and completing 2 years later in July.

The Chiltern Certificate
All students who study for the Level 3 NVQ in Children’s Care, Learning and Development will also study for our own Chiltern Certificate alongside their CACHE qualification.

The Chiltern Certificate

All students who study for the CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Child Care and Education and the CACHE NVQ Level 3 in Children’s Care, Learning and Development (CCLD) will also study for The Chiltern Certificate.

This is a unique and highly valued award, which will give you a range of additional practical training, knowledge and skills over and above those required for the CACHE qualification.

The award will prepare you fully for a career in the childcare sector. A large part of this training will be within our own on-site nurseries. During the 2nd year of this award you will have the opportunity to undertake a placement of your choice. This could be with a family with a newborn baby (twins or triplets are not uncommon), working in a hospital, alongside a health visitor or midwife, or working with children with special needs. All placements are organised by the College.

You will develop your practical skills to support you in your future career including cooking for and with children, sewing and toy making in textiles or wood.

As part of this award you will develop your professional skills to an advanced level, complete additional course and practical work and demonstrate a high level of commitment to the training. You will need to show high standards of professionalism and competency as an employed childcare professional.

The Chiltern International Diploma

This course is especially designed for students who have an early years’ qualification from outside the U.K. (and who will not need a visa to study in the UK) and who wish to acquire knowledge and understanding of English childcare practice. The programme will enhance students employment horizons and enable them to develop their career path when they return home. It provides an interesting range of practical experiences gained in our extensive on-site nurseries and an opportunity to develop resources for use with children when students return to their own country. Our professional team of highly qualified staff guide students throughout their time at the College.

The programme is designed to give students:

• Experience in a variety of English childcare settings
• An understanding of English childcare and education
• The development of spoken English through living in the College environment and attending language classes.

Throughout the programme students will have the opportunity to visit a range of childcare and education settings. These visits can be tailored to meet their particular interest and relevant to the early years provision in their own country. This will enable them to make a comparative study of the types of Early Years provision in England and their home country.

This course can be tailored to students own needs and can vary in length from one term to one year, depending on individual requirements.

Entry Requirements

Candidates must:

• Have a recognised early years teaching or childcare qualification
• Demonstrate an interest and empathy with children, shown through written application, interview and references

Course Commencement dates:
Courses can commence at any point throughout the year according to student’s individual needs.