Childcare students support the wider community

Our Childcare and Education Higher Education students have been busy supporting vulnerable children and families by continuing to work during the COVID-19 outbreak.

With our Childcare and Teacher Training courses available to study part-time, almost a quarter of students are still working alongside their studies.

Laura Wilson, who is studying a Supporting Learning and Additional Needs Foundation Degree, works at Trinity Croft Church of England Primary Academy, and said: “I’m currently working on a rota basis and work one day per week. I am completing online training at home whilst continuing to update the online learning platforms which enables and supports the children to study remotely.”

Dara Jones, also a Supporting Learning and Additional Needs student, working at Greenfield Primary School added: “I am also working to a rota, monitoring Facebook and ensuring I keep in regular contact with parents.”

Ian Palmer, Pathway Leader at Barnsley College Higher Education, said: “Our Childcare and Education students have been continuing to provide support during the current pandemic by continually checking-in with families and providing them with reassurance, as well as working in schools and settings looking after the children of key workers.

“Some of our students have volunteered to work in hospital ‘red zones’, where patients testing positive for the virus are being treated. They have experienced, first-hand, the importance of PPE and strict safety measures in the workplace. Alongside this, they have continued with their studies under unprecedented circumstances. We are all immensely proud of how they have stepped up and gone above and beyond to continue to provide care and support.”

A range of Childcare and Teacher Training courses are available to study including full and part-time vocational courses, Apprenticeships, Access to Higher Education and university-level courses.
Those studying with us will have the opportunity to gain a variety of higher-level qualifications including a Level 5 Diploma, Foundation Degree and BA (Hons) Degree.

To find out more about our Childcare and Education Professions courses, and to apply to study one this September, visit our Higher Education home page.