There are four teachers in the department; Mrs Jean Bartrick is Head of Child Development with Mrs Janet Evans, Mrs Catrin Cooke and Ms Valerie Kerr.

The department has two dedicated teaching rooms and a well stocked separate resource library. The department is well equipped; each room has an interactive whiteboard.  There are a range of resources to support students in their study, including two Real Care Babies, laptops and DVDs.

Students in KS4 are given opportunities to experience the Real Care Babies. Students can arrange to take the Babies home over night or for a weekend.

The Curriculum

GCSE Child Development

This is a popular course with male and female students. You will learn independent study skills; how to carry out primary and secondary research; development of your ICT presentation skills and communication skills. The course supports subjects such as Biology, Sociology and Psychology.

Some of the topics covered:

The Family
Planning a Family
Reproduction
Pre-conceptual Care
Pregnancy
Preparations for the Birth and the Birth
New-born Baby
Post-Natal Care of the Mother and Baby
Feeding and Nutrition
Hygiene
Child Care Provision
Medical Needs and Childhood Illness
Development of the child
Play and Toys
Special Children

 Diploma in Child Care and Education level 3
A sixth form course that is growing in popularity.

This is a two year full time course. Three days per week is spent in college and the other two days in a nursery or school placement. The course provides experience of working with children of a variety of ages. This qualification could lead to many job roles working with children including nursery supervisor, pre-school leader and special educational needs support worker. This qualification carries UCAS tariff points, graded up to a maximum of 360 points, equivalent to 3 grade A’s at A-level. It is accepted as an entry qualification at many universities for a variety of courses including nursing, social work and teaching.

 

Some of the topics covered:

An introduction to working with children
Development from conception to age 16 years
Supporting children
Keeping children safe
The principles underpinning the role of the practitioner working with children
Promoting a healthy environment for children
Play and learning in children’s education
Caring for children.

 

 

Child Development CAREERS

Any career in Education, Medicine or Social care will value a qualification in Child Development.

Teaching- The GCSE is applicable for any teaching career whether you wish to teach Early Years, Primary, Secondary education or Special Needs Education.

The level 3 Diploma - is ideal for those wishing to teach Early Years, Primary or Special Needs. You will learn all the theories of how children learn; you will learn to use the National Curriculums for Early Years and Primary. Learn to create schemes of work and lesson plans; you will deliver lessons and receive hands on training in placements two days per week throughout the course. You will learn how to provide for all children’s individual needs and will learn behaviour management techniques.

Medical – Whether you wish to be a doctor, nurse, midwife, paramedic or therapist a GCSE in Child Development would be of value.

The level 3 Diploma- is suitable for nursing, midwifery or play therapy.
     
Social Care-The GCSE and Diploma are applicable for any careers in social work, whether you want to be a Social worker or a Family Support worker. 

  

 Other Jobs to consider:

Nanny
Taking care of a family’s children in their own home. The role of the Nanny has grown to be highly regarded, with many families preferring to have a nanny to provide personal care for their children rather than sending them to a Day Nursery. Some Nannies have the opportunity to travel abroad with the family, to provide care for the children while the parent deals with work commitments or holiday pursuits.

Family Support Worker
A family Support Worker assists a Social Worker in providing the much needed support to families when they are going through a difficult time. They will often work with the family in their own home. It may involve taking over some of the care of the child when the family need a break or advising and guiding parents in caring for their child.
Working under the guidance of an Area Special Educational Needs Coordinator, a SEN support worker will support nurseries and pre-schools in providing specialist care for individual children.

Learning Support Assistant
An LSA works in a school to provide group or individual support to children with Special Educational needs.

Teaching Assistant
Teaching assistants can work in primary or secondary school. Their role is to assist the teacher in supporting all the students in the classroom. Teaching assistant

 

Play Specialist
Play has a special function in the hospital environment, and hospital/registered play specialists lead playful activities and use play as therapeutic tool. They are neither play therapist nor play leaders. Play specialists work closely as part of the multi-disciplinary team, and: organise daily play and art activities in the playroom or at the bedside provide play to achieve developmental goals; help children master and cope with anxieties and feelings; use play to prepare children for hospital procedures; support families and siblings  contribute to clinical judgements through their play-based observations. 

Learning disabilities nursing
People with learning disabilities often have a wide range of physical and mental health conditions. Learning disability nurses work in partnership with them and family carers, to provide specialist healthcare. Their main aim is to support the well-being and social inclusion of people with a learning disability by improving or maintaining their physical and mental health; by reducing barriers; and supporting the person to pursue a fulfilling life. For example, teaching someone the skills to find work can be significant in helping them to lead a more independent, healthy life where they can relate to others on equal terms.


Websites:
www.cache.org.uk
www.tda.gov.uk

www.nurseryworld.co.uk
www.cwdcouncil.org.uk
www.child-development-guide.com/child-development-stages.html

http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/childdevtheory.htm