ED3PCS: Providing Children's Services

Module code: ED3PCS

Module provider: Institute of Education

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Ms Jo Elsey, email: j.h.elsey@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 17 June 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module uses a mix of in-person and remotes modes of teaching and provides students with a broader understanding of the political and legislative context within which various forms of education and childcare have developed.  It explores the shifting ideologies underpinning attempts to reform children’s services over recent times and interrogates the notion of an integrated ‘children’s workforce’ with common  skills and knowledge.

The module aims to develop student’s  knowledge and understanding of:

• Contemporary reform and conceptualisation’ of provision of education, health and social care services for children
• The political context of multi-agency services
• The changing nature of work with children. As demonstrated through attempts to ‘professionalise’ parts of the workforce and the changing relationships of professionals with parents, children and each other
• The political context of approaches to the measurement of quality

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Identify the impact of recent changes nationally, regionally or within the workplace and compare and contrast a range of educational and childcare settings
2. Illustrate the legacy of attempts by recent governments to reform children’s services
3. Discuss the challenges and benefits of seeking evaluative feedback from children
4. Analyse their own role in relation to conceptualisations of the modern professional in children’s services

Module content

Students will be introduced to the module in semester one with the module being taught over semester one. All  inputs in semester one will include the module expectations and  the required tasks relating to the assessments e.g. a group wiki and an individual essay.

Online materials will support a combination of lectures, seminars, group discussions, peer presentations, case studies, simulations and independent research. Complementary work-based tasks, independent activities and directed tasks will contribute to the achievement of the intended learning outcomes.

Learning opportunities will focus on key themes within multi agency working including:

• Early years and children’s services policy development in England from 1997 and implications
• The legacy of Every Child Matters, new government policy and multi-professional working
• The ‘voice of the child’ and democratic participation
• The movement towards a graduate led early years workforce and the relationship with other relevant graduate led workforces e.g. teaching, health and social care
• Parents as partners in professional work

Within the first  semester students will complete a group wiki and a 2,500 words (20 credit) essay.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Online materials will support a combination of lectures, seminars, group discussions, case studies and  independent research. Complementary work-based tasks, independent activities and directed tasks will contribute to the achievement of the intended learning outcomes.

Study hours

At least 45 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

A formative essay of 800 words on the following topic.

Reflect on the model of multi-agency working within the local authority that your setting/school is located in and what the advantages and challenges of the model are.

Reassessment

Additional costs