2.admissions procedure alliance 2014 15

AdmissionPolicy and Procedures

Pre-school Learning Alliance programme

Review July 2015

This policy explains the principles of learners’ admissions to the training programme and the way in which they are admitted.

Admission Policy

The Pre-school Learning Alliance aims to provide training and education to anyone who would benefit from taking part in its activities.

Three further aims are: To encourage applications from a wide

diversity of people who have a personal or vocational interest in the subject areas covered by the programme.

To ensure that each individual applicant receives a fair initial assessment of skills and experience in relation to the level and area of study. She or he will receive and clear advice and guidance based on the outcome of initial assessment.

To follow the commitments of the Alliance’sPromoting Equality, Valuing Diversity Policy.

Once a learner is enrolled, we ensure that they are given the appropriate level of academic, vocational and personal support to enable her or him to be successful.

The availability of funding to subsidize or fully fund fees is limited by the Alliance’s contract with the Skills Funding Agency and the Education Funding Agency for England. This means that there are strict eligibility rules that must be applied in relation to fees. In some areas local funding is available to subsidize or fund training.

Admissions decisions about learners’ applications for qualifications study and assessment are based on the following factors:

Any externally imposed entry requirements of the qualification.

An appropriate level of literacy to cope with the demands of the qualification and vocational role;

An appropriate level of numeracy to cope with the demands of the qualification and vocational role;

Prior or current work experience; Enthusiasm for the chosen vocation,

qualification or course; The capacity to be committed and to

show self-discipline, in study and in work.

Literacy and numeracy skills for vocational learnersGood literacy and numeracy skills are very significant for work roles in the early years and care sectors.

The Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework 2012 makes the following minimum requirement of childcare workers:

“Providers must ensure that staff have sufficient understanding and use of English to ensure the well-being of children in their care. For example, settings must be in a position to keep records in English, to liaise with other agencies in English, to summon emergency help, and to understand instructions such as those for the safety of medicines or food hygiene.”

Revision to the Early Years Foundation Stage in 2014 introduces the requirement for holders of the Level 3 Early Years Educator qualification to hold GCSE English and Mathematics Grade A*-C in order to be counted within the adult:child ratios in a setting, and in order to be able to take out a student loan or receive any other public funding towards tuition.

Review July 2015

Procedure

People enquiring about training opportunities with the Alliance are given, or directed to, written information about the programme.

Where face-to-face training is planned information events provide the opportunity for face-to-face advice and guidance. Learners take part in initial assessment of literacy and numeracy, and experience.

Applicants for workbased training, will be given initial advice and a telephone interview with a subject specialist. Initial assessment will take place at the enrolment visit.

Procedures for implementing initial assessment are provided. It is vital that these are followed. This will make sure that the outcomes reflect the current abilities of applicants, and allow staff to give accurate advice and guidance to learners before enrolment.

Literacy initial and diagnostic assessmentSee procedureReading skills are assessed using the booklet test. Writing skills are assessed using a sample of the learner’s writing that provides sufficient evidence of her or his writing ability. For example an applicant could be asked to write about their past experiences, about their current work and about their future expectations. They must be made aware that a judgement will be made on their writing skills from this sample, including spelling, punctuation and grammar. Applicants may use a dictionary to check their writing.

The initial assessment of reading score indicates the broad level of a learner’s

literacy. See “Literacy Levels on entry” document. The writing diagnostic assessment

score indicates whether a learner has emerging, consolidating or established writing skills at a particular level. This score will moderate the reading initial assessment score / level up or down. See checklists at Entry 3, Level 1 and Level 2

Numeracy initial assessmentNumeracy skills are assessed using the booklet test. The score indicates the level of a learner’s numeracy skills. Numeracy skills are not as significant as literacy for vocational care sector qualifications. However, where both literacy and numeracy scores are low this may indicate that the applicant has greater learning needs.

InterviewEach learner should be interviewed to discuss their ambitions and past experience, the outcome of initial assessment, their learning needs. Where relevant, their confidence with using IT, arrangements for work or placement, DBS arrangements, and funding eligibility and fees must also be discussed. A record of the interview must be made.

All initial assessment and interview records must be sent to the Training Centre. These will be reviewed and final advice provided.

Where the proposed course is not appropriate for a learner, she or he should be guided to suitable alternatives provided by the Alliance or other local providers.

Each applicant will be sent a letter making clear the offer being made. Applicants aged 24 and over, wishing to enrol for Level 3 or 4

Review July 2015

Certificate and Diploma programmes and eligible for funding via 24+ loans will receive a

formal offer letter as required by the loans scheme.

Appendix

Initial/Diagnostic Assessment Procedures

Initial Assessment

1. The Initial Assessment must be carried out in a supervised environment. 2. The assessments must be carried out independently by the students, as these provide an

objective measure of their literacy and numeracy skills.3. Students may not have a reader or a dictionary for any part of the literacy assessments, as

reading and comprehension are the skills which are being measured (even if they have dyslexia, specific learning difficulties or English as a second language)

4. Students should complete the assessments in a manner where they are not able to copy or communicate with others for answers.

5. Although the current assessment is not timed, staff should stop the tests after 40 minutes and make a note of this on the paperwork.

Diagnostic Assessment

1. Diagnostic Assessments are carried out for literacy only with the exception of Apprenticeship students who may also be asked to complete a diagnostic for numeracy.

2. Assessments must be carried out in a supervised environment3. Assessments must be completed independently by the student, as this is an objective

measure of ability to write at the level required to successfully pass the course.4. Students should produce a sufficient amount of written work to ensure a judgement can be

made, but students should be stopped after 30 minutes or before if they feel unable to produce any more text.

5. Assessments should be marked by tutors using the appropriate free-writing checklist

The results both from Initial and Diagnostic assessments should be used to make an informed decision regarding the learner’s suitability for the course.

They should also inform: schemes of work, individual learning plans and lesson planning.

In most circumstances, the individual learner’s skills should not be more than one level below the level of the course.

For all Employability courses which are structured around the production of a range of literacy based tasks, a minimum of Entry Level 3 must be achieved.

Review July 2015

All learners must receive feedback about the outcome once the assessments have been marked.

Literacy and numeracy needs must be included on Individual Learning Plans.

Entry Level 3 checklist

Name: Date:

Elements of writing

Checklist for Entry Level 3: Free Writing

Established

Tick if there are no errors and the skill is well developed

Wt/E3.1 Plan and draft writing

Wt/E3.2 Organise writing in short paragraphs

Wt/E3.3 Sequence chronological writing

Wt/E3.4 Proof-read and correct writing for grammar and spelling

Ws/E3.1 Write in complete sentences

Ws/E3.2 Use correct basic grammar

Ww/E3.3 Use punctuation correctly (e.g. capital letters, full stops, question marks, exclamation marks)

Ww/E3.1 Spell correctly common words and relevant key words for work and special interest

Ww/E3.2 Use their developing knowledge of sound-symbol relationships and phonological patterns to help spell a greater range of words and longer words

Ww/E3.3 Produce legible text

Score: (circle learner’s skill level)

Emerging 0 - 3

Consolidating 4 - 8

Established 9 - 10

Total score/number of ticks.

Review July 2015

Level 1 checklist

Name Date

Elements of writing

Checklist for Level 1: Free Writing

Established


Judge how much to write and the level of detail to include

Presented information and ideas in a logical sequence using paragraphs

where appropriate

Use language suitable for purpose and audience

Use format and structure for different purposes

Proof-read and revise writing for accuracy and meaning

Write in complete sentences

Use correct grammar

Punctuate sentences correctly and use punctuation accurately (e.g. capital letters, full stops, question marks, exclamation marks and commas, etc)

Spell correctly words used most often in work, studies and daily life.

Produce legible text


Emerging 0 - 6

Consolidating 6 - 8

Established 9 - 10

Total score

Review July 2015

Level 2 checklist

Name Date

Elements of writing

Checklist for Level 2: Free Writing

Established


Judge how much to write and the level of detail to include

Presented information and ideas in a logical or persuasive sequence using paragraphs where appropriate

Use format and structure to organise writing for different purposes

Use formal and informal language appropriate to purpose and audience

Proof-read and revise writing for accuracy and meaning

Construct complex sentences

Use correct grammar

Punctuate sentences correctly and use punctuation accurately (e.g.capital letters, full-stops, commas, apostrophes, inverted commas)

Spell correctly words used most often in work, studies and daily life, including vocationally relevant vocabulary.

Produce legible text


Emerging 0 - 6

Total score

Review July 2015

Consolidating 6 - 8

Established 9 - 10

Outcomes of initial assessment of literacy Guidance on level of support needed

Literacy level on enrolment Literacy Entry Level 2

IA Lit scores 5-12IA Num scores 9-13

Literacy Entry Level 3


Literacy Level 1


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Level 1

In need of significant support including separate literacy tuition.


Likely to be Ok

Level 2 In need of significant support including separate literacy tuition.


Support needed- ILP should include

Literacy targets.- Learning needs

could be met by embedded Literacy learning on course.

Level 3 Unlikely to achieve at this level

Unlikely to achieve at this level




Level 4 Unlikely to achieve at this level

Unlikely to achieve at this level




Notes

1. Literacy level Entry 1 - Learners are unlikely to achieve until they have accessed literacy support.

2. Literacy Level 2 - If learners are already operating at level 2 they should be able to succeed on all courses and programmes (including Level 4)

3. What Initial Assessment can tell us and what it does not - Initial Assessment only assesses reading skills and the ability to identify spelling, grammar and punctuation errors so tutors will need to make a judgment about written skills.

Review July 2015