Department Newsletter
wakefield.ac.uk
Welcome
Greetings from Wakefield College’s Childcare, Early Years & Childhood Studies, and Health, Social Care & Wellbeing departments.
My name is Carla Cantrell and I am thrilled to welcome you to read our departmental newsletter. This newsletter gives you a taste of the exciting college life at Wakefield College as well as a glimpse into the dynamic and supportive environment of the department.
In this newsletter, you can find out what our current students have been up to over the past year, from hosting community events to going on enrichment trips and learning vital skills to prepare them for employment.
As the head of the department, I am continually proud of our students, their hard work and commitment to both their studies and work placements. The department is full of friendly faces who all have something in common – a passion for caring for others.
I hope you enjoy reading through the newsletter and finding out about all the exciting things we have been up to lately.
Carla Cantrell Head of Childcare, Early Years & Childhood Studies and Health, Social Care & Wellbeing
CHILDCARE, EARLY YEARS & CHILDHOOD STUDIES
HEALTH, SOCIAL CARE & WELLBEING
The Care & Early Years department host Storytelling event for children
As part of its efforts to enrich the learning experiences of local children, Wakefield College’s Care & Early Years Department welcomed over 50 children and their parents to a storytelling event at the College during half-term.
Hosted by its Childcare students and tutors, children aged four to seven and their families attended the event where they enjoyed a morning of fun activities, storytelling and dressing-up - all to enrich children’s learning experiences.
From space to animals, science, traditional tales, under the sea and more, each classroom had a theme and was decorated to immerse the children into the stories.
Besides the storytelling sessions, the morning was full of varied activities such as arts and crafts, biscuit decorating, sandpit play and face painting, meaning there was something for everyone.
Claire Deering, Lecturer in Care & Early Years and lead organiser of the event told us: “This initiative has been instrumental in fostering collaboration and employability skills within the education and early years sector. As part of this project, students have
honed their digital media skills by creating an advertising campaign, planned activities for young children with careful consideration of their developmental needs, and nurtured a love for stories. They have also undertaken critical tasks such as writing risk assessments, budgeting for resources, effectively communicating with staff, families and young children, and leading various activities. This initiative not only provided valuable learning opportunities for our students but also emphasised the significance of community involvement.”
“It was a pleasure to welcome so many children and their parents to the College to celebrate the world of storytelling and reading. I am incredibly proud of the Care & Early Years students for leading the event, organising the activities and engaging the children in the sessions. We hope to do it again soon.”
Carla Cantrell - Head of Childcare, Early Years & Childhood Studies and Health, Social Care & Wellbeing at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group
Hear from our Students
Childcare & Early Years
Emily
T Level Education & Childcare Destination: Sheffield Hallam University
“After leaving College, I am going on to study Primary Education at Sheffield Hallam University. I really liked how hands-on my classes were, for example, we learnt in the College’s nursery classroom where we created lesson resources and planned activities for children’s learning. My teaching placement has also given me the skills for behaviour management and working with children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities which is beneficial as I want to be a primary school teacher with a focus on SEND.”
Health & Social Care
Chloe
Level 3 Health & Social Care
“I chose to study this course because I want to go to a university in London to study a nursing degree so I can become a paediatric nurse in the future. My favourite part of the course so far is doing a work placement in a nursery because all the staff were friendly and I gained experience working with children.”
T Level Education & Early Years Enrichment Trips
T Level Education & Early Years students have enjoyed days out at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Leeds City Museum, MathsCity and Leeds Christmas Market.
Yorkshire Ambulance also recently visited the College to give students an insight into what it’s like working in the healthcare field and the day-to-day role of ambulance drivers.
Taking to the outdoors, the learners also hosted their own teddy bear picnic which modelled activities that would be delivered to early years children, including games, making friendship bracelets and face painting.
Next generation of healthcare professionals begin T Level placements at Mid Yorkshire
Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust is supporting the development of future healthcare professionals by welcoming T Level students from the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group
The first cohort of students have started their placements and will gain hands-on experience working on the wards at Pinderfields Hospital and Dewsbury and District Hospital. All 16 students are studying the T Level in Health, specialising in Supporting the Adult Nursing Team.
The Trust’s Professional Development and Education Unit (PDEU) has a history of working collaboratively with the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, successfully running apprenticeship programmes for support workers. These new T Level placements build on that legacy and reinforce the Trust’s commitment to supporting the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Emma Gregory, Clinical Lead for the Non-Registered Workforce at the Trust, shared her enthusiasm: “We’re really excited to welcome our first T Level students! They’ll get a great opportunity to learn and gain hands-on experience with us here at the Trust and in the NHS. Partnering with our local colleges is such an important way to give students real-world experiences while inspiring the next generation of healthcare workers and showing them all the great things about a career at Mid Yorks.”
The Health and Social Care Department offers a variety of placement opportunities that allow students to gain valuable experience while contributing to the community.
We currently have fantastic placement opportunities within care homes for residents with learning difficulties where students can engage in day-to-day activities with the residents such as a game of bingo, daily visits to the local cafes and even helping them bake cakes and preparing parties for special events such as Valentine’s Day and birthdays.
Students can carry out placement with various home care services where they get to travel around the local area visiting residents in their home and providing them with support and care they require.
We also offer some excellent placement opportunities within childcare settings such as SEN schools, nurseries and primary schools where students are able to engage with children within an education environment, supporting them to thrive and progress with their learning development.
At Wakefield College, we also work closely with a group of Family Hubs. This is where students can sit in on support groups aimed at supporting domestic abuse survivors and young parent support groups. Students can even sit in on meetings with outside agencies such as social workers to give them insight into this important area of the sector.
+ Care homes
+ Home care services
+ SEN schools
+ Nurseries
+ Primary schools
+ Family Hubs
Childcare & Early Years Work Placements
The Care & Early Years Department offers a variety of placement opportunities that allow students to gain hands-on experience while making a positive impact on young children’s lives. Work placements are a chance for students to see what it is like to work within Childcare settings and gain real-life experiences.
Students observe and shadow staff members to gain knowledge and understanding of how to support children’s learning and development within these settings. Students will support staff with the daily routine, build relationships with colleagues and children as well as implement exciting new activities which could support a child’s learning and development and build their own experience and confidence. An example of an activity could be making mathematical resources at College and then carrying the activity out at placement with a small group of children.
Some more examples of what a student’s job role may entail in a Childcare work placement include:
+ Supporting with phonics, story time, carpet time and leading small group work
+ Being involved in school assemblies, school performances and trips
+ Supporting with care routines
Each day can vary in Childcare – it can be unpredictable but is a very rewarding job!
College launches brand new hospital simulation ward in the Health & Social Care Department Health & Social Care Work Placements
To mark National T Levels Week 2024, Wakefield College opened the doors to its hospital simulation teaching ward.
Helping to train the next-generation of healthcare professionals, the state-of-the-art suite enables T Level Health students to be immersed in real-life scenarios and simulations which they would experience when working in a healthcare setting.
With a full-sized mannequin at their disposal, students can test their clinical skills by taking blood samples, removing catheter tubes from the bladder, treating wounds, inserting feeding tubes and much more.
+ Registered childminders
+ Day nurseries
+ Local schools
+ Breakfast & after-school clubs
Carla Cantrell, Head of Childcare, Early Years & Childhood Studies and Health, Social Care & Wellbeing at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, said: “The simulation ward provides the students with a risk-free environment where they can apply what they are learning in the classroom and refine their skills, which will help them seamlessly transition into their industry placements and their chosen careers further down the line. In addition to providing innovative learning spaces for our students, we are committed to further enhancing their learning through additional enrichment activities, including external visits, trips and guest talks.”
OPEN EVENTS
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A LEVELS* FOUNDATION LEARNING
* Wakefield College only
* Wakefield College only
A LEVELS* | T LEVELS | VOCATIONAL COURSES | APPRENTICESHIPS FOUNDATION LEARNING | UNIVERSITY CENTRE | ADULT LEARNING EVENTS 2024 EVENTS 2025
WEDNESDAY 15th OCTOBER 5pm-7pm WEDNESDAY 11th FEBRUARY 5pm-7pm SATURDAY 15th NOVEMBER 10am-12pm SATURDAY 13th JUNE 10am-12pm EVENTS 2025 EVENTS 2026
WEDNESDAY 16th OCTOBER 5pm-7pm WEDNESDAY 12th FEBRUARY 5pm-7pm SATURDAY 23rd NOVEMBER 10am-12pm SATURDAY 14th JUNE 10am-12pm
All events will take place at Wakefield College and Castleford College
Events taking place at both Wakefield College and Castleford College
