Two new CCET Intensive Campus Live Events Announced

Alongside our online study option for the Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (CCET) we are continuing to offer face-to-face events via our online classroom Campus Live for those who prefer a more intensive and interactive approach. We have recently added two new CCET Intensive Campus Live Events dates for the new academic year:

• 23-25 September, Campus Live face-to-face event
• 14-16 October, Campus Live face-to-face event

At present, all of our intensive courses are being hosted on Campus Live, our online classroom. If you prefer in-person, face-to-face learning, this format is perfect for you. This is a three-day course that will take you through the theoretical content, with only the practical work to be completed and uploaded via Campus Online.

What is Campus Live?

Campus Live is a browser-based solution that requires nothing to download, no software installation, and is optimised to deliver excellent video quality. It is as fully interactive, as if you were in the room with the facilitators, with the ability to ask questions, work in groups, and get access to all the course materials you need, live within the online classroom environment. There is also the ability to screen-share and collaborate with fellow delegates, interactive whiteboards, and a live chat feature, ensuring your experience is fully immersive.

How are the CCET Intensive Campus Live Events delivered?

To reassure, the course content is no different from our normal intensive courses and requires nothing different from you as a delegate. All you need is a computer or tablet with either Chrome, Firefox or Opera browsers installed, an internet connection, a webcam, microphone and speakers or headphones. Of course, if you do happen to encounter any technical difficulties, our IT support team will be on hand throughout the course to swiftly get you back on track.

Campus Live has been designed to accommodate all delegates through a variety of different work environments, ensuring you will always feel supported. Equally the course has been designed with you in mind too, allowing for plenty of comfort breaks to ensure the smooth running of the course for the ultimate learning experience.

Our Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (CCET) qualification

Our Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (CCET) is an open-access course, meaning to be eligible to enrol, you only need to be working in or have access to an educational setting, and have access to psychometric tests for the duration of study.

CCET allows schools to bring expertise in psychometric testing to assess children and determine their strengths and specific learning needs ‘in-school’, and in turn allows schools to work more effectively with their educational psychologist and make better use of their time.

With our CCET qualification, among other things, you will be able to identify, administer and analyse tests within an educational environment, understand how to write and interpret reports, understand the legislative and policy framework, as well as being able to identify and overcome barriers to learning.Other benefits to the school include:

• Access to a wealth of practical resources, academic research and interactive materials
•  Access to discounted educational tests and other resources
• Development of effective support for the most vulnerable children in your school
• Apply for the BPS Test User Educational qualification after successful completion of the CCET course to join the British Psychological Society’s Register of Qualifications in Test Use (BPS RQTU) – a publicly searchable database of competence that will bolster your professional reputation.

If it would be useful to be qualified to carry out access arrangements in your setting, you could enrol on the Certificate in Psychometric Testing, Assessment and Access Arrangements (CPT3A). This course combines CCET and the Access Arrangements Course (AAC) to give you the opportunity to become your educational setting’s qualified exam access arrangements assessor. You need to meet certain criteria to be eligible for the CPT3A course, and you can check our website or contact us to find out more.

If you are interested in booking on one of these dates, you can book your place here. It is ‘training as usual’ here at Real Training, so if you have any further questions, either in relation to the course or the Campus Live platform, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Eugene McFadden – NASENCO, intensive CPT3A

Eugene McFadden completed his intensive CPT3A course in 2017, and two and a half years later, joined Real Training again to begin his National Award for SEN Coordination qualification in January 2020, just as the enormity of the global pandemic was beginning to make itself clear.

Here is his story so far.
 

How did you find out about Real Training and the CPT3A course?

I became an assistant SENCO 3 or 4 years ago maybe, and I needed to do the access arrangements course because no-one else in the school was trained. I was speaking to one of the other SENCOs who said, “You’ve got to do the Real Training one – it’s a lot quicker when you do the intensive course.”

Because work is very busy and I have kids, I thought I’d rather have one, intensive hit. It was a really, really good course. It just worked really well. It was really professionally done, really well tailored to what was realistic and what we needed to do.

You’re now studying NASENCO with us. Tell us about why you chose Real Training for this qualification.

I was looking around at other NASENCO courses, which looked mind-numbing, and then I saw Real Training’s course. For one, it was cheaper than local council’s one, and the fact that it’s all online and flexible. Some [school] weeks are 60 hours, so fitting things in is a bit of a nightmare, but with a course like this, I can think “oh, I have an hour to myself, I’m just going to hit it hard and do something.” The access to the big database is really helpful as well. I really like the bar at the top*. It’s actually really, really positive when you’re really busy.

How has your experience with the online NASENCO course been versus your expectations, and versus your intensive experience with CPT3A?

The intensive works really well with CCET as you’re learning to do one specific skill in testing, so you really want that intensity. This (NASENCO) is a bigger-picture thing. You need to step back and digest more. I have a two-year old who doesn’t sleep through the night yet, so I’d find myself rocking her to sleep at 2am reading things I’d downloaded. It gives you a chance to just think, make the notes and everything. A lot of the bigger articles I ended up printing out, to put in a folder where I can take it home and read it at my leisure.

What parts of the NASENCO course have you found particularly interesting so far?

There’s the wider reading; you’ve got the Lamb report, you can see how one thing informs another, which is actually really important. It’s interesting to have a timeline of when things happened and why. We’re kids of the 80s and things were very different back then. It’s good to have that time to just think and take it apart.

Have you been able to put anything in particular into practice already?

Well, ironically, I’ve been interviewing people for HLTA jobs through Google Meets. It’s been interesting to be having discussions with them, and having interviewed successfully, I’ve got someone to train up. I thought about how my training on the NASENCO course has informed me  and have been giving them reading to do from that course, which is quite helpful. So yeah, it’s definitely been having an impact. It’s interesting because I’ve been reading about outreach work into primary schools, because we’re quite a big MAT, and we’re going to have some primary schools placed in our secondary school for a few weeks for summer term 2. I want to incorporate that as my primary placement.

How has the current lockdown situation influenced your studies?

It’s actually given me more time to do it! It’s difficult, because the first few weeks were just trying to set things up, and I’ve been into school a fair bit as well running things on certain days, especially for some of our higher-needs kids. But the days when I’m home… the first few weeks were difficult, trying to get my head-space around being at home and working while at home with kids running around.

Once I got the hang of it, I thought I’d set aside a day here and there, turn the emails off, and crack on with the NASENCO course. There’s always someone knocking on the door with a problem [when you’re in school]. My quality of life has actually improved – I’m not working 60 hours a week and have time to spend with the kids.

What are your hopes and expectations for the rest of the course?

Definitely to get it done – that’s the first thing! Definitely start to use what I’m learning to move forward. I’ve already kind of moved forward. I’ve been on a journey with my TAs (I’ve got TAs and HLTAs), and I’ve been on a journey with everyone’s practice board [a reflective practice of how staff are working with SEN pupils], tweaking that practice, fine-tuning it more and more. It’s good, because a lot of the things I’ve come across I already believed or knew or learned about already, so it’s nice to have those things reinforced.

My focus has been on wave 1 teaching, and I’ve brought the SEN team so far, and now it’s all about raising all teaching and learning – the best input for an SEN kid is going to be in the classroom, the teacher teaching them right – it’s now given me that confidence to start addressing the bigger picture. It’s like “that’s gone all right, now we need to start doing this…” A rising tide raises all ships!
 

* Campus Online holds a comprehensive online library containing all of the reading necessary for completing the courses. Additionally, access to EBSCO online journal databases allows for further reading to expand knowledge and understanding of the course material.

You spoke, we listened.

With the current COVID-19 situation and how this is affecting schools, we have heard from many educational professionals who were not able to get enrolled on our May cohort for the National Award for SEN Coordination (NASENCO) or the National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) that they would like to get started before the next scheduled cohort in September. We fully understand that September might involve more work than usual after such disruption, and therefore starting your studies ahead of the new academic year could provide benefits for some.

As a result, we are delighted to announce we will be running July cohorts for NASENCO and NPQ 2020 courses. Both cohorts will start on 15 July. (NASENCO July start date subject to approval with Middlesex University). This will allow those delegates who feel they have the capacity in the current climate to get started on the course material before the new school year begins in September. With the uncertainty surrounding how universities and other face-to-face training providers will be able to deliver courses, many educational professionals are choosing Real Training to deliver their courses flexibly, online, just as it was designed to be.

“I took the course to deepen my own knowledge and to have a more structured approach to headship and you have met those needs head on and in an enjoyable but informative manner.” – Liam Bellamy, NPQH

“I feel the course has not only provided me with an exceptionally secure foundation but also a deepened knowledge and understanding of the role of a SENCO in order to successfully take the school in the direction that is required.” Danielle Brunton, NASENCO

This extra cohort is in no way a replacement for the scheduled September cohort. If you feel September works better for you, and you would rather use the summer break for a well-deserved rest, then we encourage you to enrol onto the September cohort. However, if you feel July would enable you to get ahead before the new school year commences, that option is open to you. If you have already booked onto the NASENCO or NPQ September cohorts, but would actually prefer to start in July, please contact us and we will be able to help in moving your start date. If you or your staff are interested in booking onto our July or September NASENCO or NPQ programmes, you can book your place here. If you have any questions with regards to anything relating to any of our courses, please do not hesitate to get in touch here.

One of the things we hear from school SENCOs consistently is the desire to have a greater number of qualified access arrangements assessors available at their schools.

As valuable as it is to have someone in your educational setting with these skills, at exam time it can be of great benefit to have multiple members of staff to help with the workload associated with assessing and writing up Form 8s for what can be many pupils. Now is the perfect time to prepare your educational setting by ensuring you have the necessary skills and capacity to deal with what can be a very busy period in schools.
 

If you have an undergraduate degree, and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or Qualified Teacher and Learning Skills (QTLS) status, you are one step away from having the complete Certificate in Psychometric Testing, Assessment and Access Arrangements (CPT3A).
 

Qualify as an access arrangements assessor

Our CPT3A course starts with our Certificate of Competence in Educational Testing (CCET) module, which will give you the fundamental principles upon which the various psychometric tests are based, and teach you how to choose appropriate tests and administer them effectively.

This will lay the groundwork for progression onto the Access Arrangements Course (AAC), which focuses on applying these tests in exam access arrangements and how to complete the relevant forms for this process. The combination of these two courses results in the CPT3A, giving you the benefits detailed below:
 

Professional benefits of the CPT3A course

• Meet the requirements of the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) and the access arrangements’ regulations.
• Know and apply the principles of access arrangements.
• Understand the essence and implications of the relevant legislation.
• Write suitable and appropriate assessment reports for submission to examination boards where required.

Not only does the completion of this course allow you to bring assessment and access arrangements in-school to save money and increase the professional capacity of your institution, but it will also allow you to better understand the needs of your vulnerable children and develop effective support for them. You will also get access to educational tests at a discounted rate through our own online shop, Dyslexia Action Shop.
 

CPT3A Testimonials

Learn what delegates think about our CPT3A course here.
 

Choose the study route that suits you

Understanding the demands on educational staff, Real Training has always been about flexible learning. This is why we have developed different study options to best fit your circumstances.

Online – The CCET and AAC online courses are delivered through our proprietary platform Campus Online. With this route, you can complete the content of the course in your own time, wherever you have an internet connection. This is the most flexible option, and you can start at any time.

Intensive – At present, all of our intensive courses are being hosted on Campus Live, our online classroom. If you prefer in-person, face-to-face learning, our intensive route is for you. CCET is a three-day course that will take you through the theoretical content, with only the practical work to be completed and uploaded via Campus Online. Following successful completion of CCET, AAC can be completed as an intensive one day course.
 

Upcoming CCET intensive dates are as follows:

• 24-26 June, Campus Live (Online face-to-face event)
• 22-24 July, Campus Live (Online face-to-face event)

Upcoming AAC intensive dates are as follows:

• 21 August, Campus Live (Online face-to-face event)
•  9 October, Campus Live (Online face-to-face event

Classic (blended) – This is a combination of intensive and online learning, whereby you will complete CCET through the intensive route, and then AAC online.
 

What is Campus Live?

Campus Live is a browser-based solution that requires nothing to download, no software installation, and is optimized to deliver excellent video quality. It is as fully interactive, as if you were in the room with the tutors, with the ability to ask questions, work in groups, and get access to all the course materials you need, live within the online classroom environment. There is also the ability to screen-share and collaborate with fellow delegates, interactive whiteboards, and a live chat feature, ensuring your experience is fully immersive.
 

Temporary changes to assessment due to school closures

Due to the current situation with schools being closed, or partly closed, and therefore access to students is limited, we have made temporary changes to how the course is assessed. This applies to the test administration task and allows delegates to demonstrate the necessary skills and competencies required to complete the course, without necessitating in-person access to pupils. These changes will be in effect until such time as administering tests face-to-face becomes possible again.

Your journey can start today! Visit our website to book your place or for more information and to check your eligibility for the course, contact us or call us on +44 (0) 1273 35 80 80.

Vicky Bradley – CPT3A

Vicky Bradley studied the Certificate in Psychometric Testing, Assessment, and Access Arrangements. Read on to find out how she found her time with us!

What made you choose the Real Training course(s) over other options?

Real Training was recommended to be by a SENDCO forum that I am part of (on Facebook). I enquired into how other SENDCOs had qualified to submit access arrangements and a few members of the group had said that they trained with Real Training and that it was a really useful course.

It was really easy to enrol on the course and it provided me with not only the qualification that I needed but a much more detailed understanding of psychometric testing, which I did not learn about on my NASENCO award the previous year.

What was your experience of learning with Real Training?

CCET – The course was really well thought out and made some quite complex concepts understandable to me. The face to face session were brilliant with a small group of us going through the three days together, we were able to discuss with others and ask questions that you rarely get to ask when you are in school.

The online tasks were clear and well supported with good resources. It was easy to follow instructions and the tasks made sense in terms of the work that we had done in the face to face sessions previously. The examples of best practice/work submitted were particularly helpful.

My tutor has been amazing, she responds so quickly to any questions that I have and any work that I submit. Comments are always clear and helpful; I have learnt a lot from doing this course and from my tutor.

I would recommend real training to anyone looking for similar courses, the online platform is easy to use, clear and provides all of the support materials needed. The tutors are excellent and very quick to respond to questions and mark the work submitted. I feel that I have learnt a lot and have a great understanding of psychometric testing now.

AAC – I would recommend Real Training to anyone 100%. Information is so clear and guidance is easy to follow. Tasks are set out clearly and success criteria is understandable. All resources that I needed were there for me. Everything is easy to find and easy to use.

Tutors are excellent, always available to answer questions or provide guidance and very quick to mark any work submitted. Sophia was so helpful, always available to answer questions and so quick with replies and marking submissions. She was very knowledgeable and gave me useful and constructive feedback.

Excellent resources, I particularly found the examples of good work helpful.

Thank you to everyone in the Real Training team, I have had an excellent experience and enjoyed the course.

How has the course(s) helped make an impact at school?

CCET – I now have a greater understanding of how to deliver tests, interpret the results of tests, and feedback to parents in written and verbal form. I know how these can be used for exam arrangements as well as to inform good practice within the school. This course has really changed my understanding of reports that I receive from Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists and other external agencies.

AAC – This course has enabled me to give students specific feedback about areas of strength and further development.

When I trained to be a SENDCO, I had very little understanding of access arrangements, the rules surrounding them and how to apply for them. The AAC course enabled me to ensure that students have the correct access arrangements in place, that I can clearly explain these to students and their parents so that I am making sure that my students have a fair chance at success.

How has the course(s) helped develop you as an educational professional and what do you hope to achieve with the new knowledge/skills in the future?

CCET – The course has enabled me to better understand the strengths and areas for development of my students and in turn what we can best do to support them in their learning. I am able to understand and interpret results in Educational Psychology reports much more easily, which in turn lead to the students in my school receiving the right support provision. I hope to continue to develop my knowledge and understanding in order to continually provide the best support possible for my students.

AAC – I now have a really clear understanding of access arrangements, how to apply for them and the rules surrounding them. I am looking forward to seeing what impact this will have on the students that I work with and their exam grades.

Are you looking to become a qualified access arrangement like Vicky Bradley? If you would like to learn more about psychometric tests and how to apply the results for access arrangements, you can visit our CPT3A online course page here. 

Philip Helme – CPT3A 

Philip Helme studied the Certificate in Psychometric Testing, Assessment, and Access Arrangements.

Read on to find out how he found his time with us!

What made you choose the Real Training course(s) over other options?

Having researched available courses, I chose the Real Training online course.

Firstly, it allowed me to work at the pace I wanted and secondly, the information on the website was concise and easy to follow.

Also, I contacted Real Training and spoke to Dana who provided me with lots of information and alleviated any concerns.

What was your experience of learning with Real Training?

CCET – The assessments and tasks whilst challenging focused my thinking and structured my learning. I enjoyed all tasks, especially the essays, which I had not done for a number of years. Yes, do it. The whole process was smooth and informative. This is probably the best course model I have ever used. Whenever I contact any of the different departments, they dealt with issues swiftly and in a professional manner.

AAC – Louise, was and is the ultimate professional providing clear and critical advice. She is a real asset to the assessment team with her knowledge and understanding. I was pleased she was my tutor. The tasks were relevant and appropriate with the requirement to know of the latest developments of access arrangements, Equalities Act and JCQ regulation. I found the library and other resources invaluable and would have struggled without them.

I have thoroughly enjoyed coming back to studying and will look to continue in the future. Go ahead and do it, I have found it quite invigorating especially through the academic challenge it sets. Admin and finance were exceptional, technical was not need so by default were very efficient.

How has the course(s) helped make an impact at school?

CCET – A more focused approach to supporting students, with clear and measurable interventions specific to their needs. We have developed a reading fluency group that will work on improving reading for students who have been identified as needing support.

AAC – The ability to put in place interventions and support at an earlier stage so that normal ways of working or adjustments can be made at the earliest possible time. We have moved to test identify students as early a possible (start of year 10) and provide vital information to teachers, parents, SENCO etc.

How has the course(s) helped develop you as an educational professional and what do you hope to achieve with the new knowledge/skills in the future?

CCET – Awareness of testing and how the results can be utilised.

AAC – Ability to undertake tests and identify the needs of students.

Like Philip Helme, learn to become a qualified access arrangements assessor at Level 7 by enrolling in our CPT3A course. More information about the course can be found here. Alternatively, feel free to call one of our Admissions Advisors on + 44 (0)1273 358080.  
 

Navjot Sandhu – NASENCO, Speech, Language & Communication Needs

Navjot Sandhu has completed the National Award in SEN Coordination and the Speech, Language and Communication Needs postgraduate certificate.

Find out more about her time studying with us!

What made you choose the Real Training course(s) over other options?

I discovered Real Training in 2013 when I was looking to complete a Postgraduate qualification in Speech, Language and Communication Needs. I needed to gain this qualification as part of my promotion to Head of Resource Base at my setting.

The structure of the course, linking it to workplace practice and being able to work through the strands at my own pace were very appealing to me and suited both my work and home situations. I successfully completed this qualification in 2016 and then came back to Real Training when asked by my Headteacher to complete the NASENCO.

What was your experience of learning with Real Training?

As previously, my experience with Real Training has been fantastic.  

Campus Online and all the tools available within this (EBSCO, discussion boards, Assignment Libraries….) were really beneficial and useful.  The flexibility to complete strands and tasks at my own pace and order was convenient and allowed me to spend extra time on the strands and areas that I needed to focus on and develop further.  The variety pf tasks that needed to be completed were interesting and thought-provoking.  The learning logs and applied practice tasks were the most useful for me. However, completing the MA assignments were challenging at times but really interesting.

The support I received from my Tutor – Helene- was fantastic! She always provided me with really helpful and useful feedback. I am really grateful for the extra support she gave me when I was really struggling with one of my assignments. The support and reassurance she has provided throughout the course has been invaluable. Thank you so much, Helene!!!!

To anyone unsure about completing courses online with Real Training – Don’t hesitate – do it. I have now completed 2 courses with Real Training and have found both of them absolutely great!

How has the course(s) helped make an impact at school?

I am more critical and analytical of the provision and support in place for students to ensure they have the best learning outcomes.

I have led staff training linked to my project and am able to more confidently support staff across the setting in ensuring that students needs are being catered for and met, as well as ensuring staff are meeting the requirements of SEND legislation and policy. 

How has the course(s) helped develop you as an educational professional and what do you hope to achieve with the new knowledge/skills in the future?

Completing this qualification has been challenging, stimulating and inspiring.  Each strand and each assignment has developed my knowledge, understanding, practical application and confidence in the multi-faceted role of a SENCo I have developed a secure understanding of SEND and the role of a SENCo, and how it is always changing, shifting, developing – something which I know I will need to keep abreast of and ensure is implemented at ground level, when I take on the role of Acting SENCo at my setting.

To learn more about the modules Navjot Sandhu completed, please visit the links below:

• Speech-Language and Communication Needs – Skills & Knowledge module
• Speech-Language and Communication Needs – Application & Reflection module
• National Award in SEN Coordination (NASENCO)  

Laura Phillips – NASENCO

Laura Phillips studied the National Award for SEN Coordination with us at Real Training.

Read on to find out more about her study experience with us!

What made you choose the Real Training course(s) over other options?

The Real Training NASENCO course was recommended to me by colleagues who had already completed the course.

It also appealed to me as I didn’t have to have any days off of work to attend university lectures.

What was your experience of learning with Real Training?

Anne has been fantastic. She has answered all my questions in a really clear and concise way. The feedback given to all the work submitted has been exceptionally prompt meaning that I can work on the improvements immediately and haven’t had to wait weeks to hear. The improvements suggested have been really helpful. Thank you very much.

An amazing course. I loved how accessible it was. I could work in the evenings/ weekends/ holidays etc. It fitted around my workload easily as there are no formal deadlines apart from the one a year on from when you start. As everyone’s workloads are different this is ideal. There were no university visits so no time off of work. The website was easy to use and navigate around. My Tutor was fantastic, and always available for support. I would really recommend booking a course with Real Training.

Really good tasks and assignments meaning everyone can relate them to their own setting and role that they are currently undertaking. This meant they were really accessible. All tasks and assignments helped me to gain a greater knowledge of the Role and Responsibilities of a SENCO.

How has the course(s) helped make an impact at school?

I have formed a greater understanding for the SEN Code of Practice and how it is implemented in our school. With specific child centred focus – with an Assess/Plan/Do/Review approach to all decisions made.

Sharing knowledge and Skills through leading CPD sessions.

Implementing change for collection of data.

How has the course(s) helped develop you as an educational professional and what do you hope to achieve with the new knowledge/skills in the future?

A greater understanding of the bigger picture of SEND. A greater understanding of how our school supports SEND pupils I am currently not the SENCO so was able to work with her to form a greater understanding of a SENCO role at our school.

I have learnt about me and my personality to help me in this role.

I have learnt more about the structure of our school and how the SEND department operates.

I have been able to collaborate with other schools.