NOCN Level 3 Diploma in Naming and Couples Celebrancy (RQF)
Training Information
Please read this thoroughly, it contains important information about your training course and you may wish to refer to it at a later date.
Stage 1 – Distance Learning
Communicating with us – You need to keep in contact with us!
Please understand that we are required to know that you are actively working on your distance learning, and we have to show evidence of this to the Awarding Body. We therefore contact you by email or phone at least once a month to make sure that you are ‘in learning’. If we do not do this, then we cannot prove that you are in fact studying and you will not be awarded the qualification. We are not just nagging you!
If you fail to send in your distance learning or respond to our emails or phone calls asking for an update on your progress then we will take the following steps:
- If you have not responded to us within 4 weeks, then we will email you to inform you that if we have not heard from you within a further 2 weeks then we will have no option but to suspend you from the course programme and offer your residential course place to another learner.
- If we still have not heard from you after 2 weeks following the notification in 1. above, then we will withdraw you totally from the course.
- We will request that you return all the course materials to us immediately.
Stage 2 – Residential Course
When we offer you a place on a residential course, we will hold that place for you for 2 weeks, until you have signed your enrolment forms. Our courses are usually full and booked up at least 6 months in advance so if you do not attend the residential course, you are using a valuable place that another learner would have really wanted. This is why it is so important that you attend the course that you have booked.
We appreciate that accidents, illness and emergency situations beyond your control do happen and if an emergency situation arises which means you cannot attend then we will require evidence of this. If a genuine emergency arises then we might be able to offer you a cancellation place on a future course and a £45 + vat admin fee will be payable for this. Please refer to our cancellation policy.
Note: You have one year from your original distance learning end date to complete the whole qualification before your course registration expires. In this instance, you would need to restart your distance learning from the beginning.
Assessment Information
Note: We strongly advise you to read this at the beginning of your course of study.
You have embarked on a diploma qualification at Level 3 on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF). This means that it is regulated by Ofqual as well as the Awarding Body – in this case the National Open College Network (NOCN).
Qualification Content: –
There are 13 units within this qualification; these are attached in a separate document. These tell you that for some of the outcomes you will “understand…..”; some say that you “know how to….”; and a few will say that you are able to ”use….”. These outcomes are set and cannot be changed. Essentially, they describe the method of assessment used.
Each learning outcome is further broken down in to assessment criteria, which guides the assessors in what you must do to be a “competent” celebrant. Basically this is a task analysis for the role.
Assessment Process
Civil Ceremonies Ltd is a registered centre with NOCN and as such is required to follow a common assessment and verification process of all who take up this course of study.
At the start of the residential course you will begin to complete an Evidence Portfolio. The sections will indicate where you will put a relevant piece of evidence which you will have produced. Even your working notes will be useful evidence on occasions.
Following the common assessment process means that the tutors and assessors will follow this route for assessment:
Plan: What to do, how to do it, when to be assessed, how to be assessed and who will assess. This is all covered in your Assessment Plan.
Assess: Methods of assessment used on this course include observation of your practices and activities. These are all “simulated” activities on this course due to the nature of the work. Assessment of your knowledge and understanding will be through observing what you do (if you can do it correctly and that you know why you are doing it). There will be assessment of written work that you produce on the course and assessment of your written answers during the examination and any revised oral answers.
Feedback: Feedback is continuous through your training and should be seen as a positive and constructive experience. You will receive comprehensive feedback on your Distance Learning as well as all elements of the residential training. Tutors and assessors will observe your various activities and you will meet with them to discuss what you have achieved and what you might do to improve weak areas.
At the end of the course you will hand in your completed portfolio for a final decision to be made on your success for the qualification. If there are gaps in the evidence, the assessor may discuss this with you to clarify any issues and may want to ask you some questions. These will be recorded and used as further evidence.
Achievement Grade
There are only two outcomes, pass or fail. This is normal with competency based qualifications.
Pass: If the assessor tells you that you have passed the course then your portfolio will move on to the Internal Verification (Quality Assurance) process. At Civil Ceremonies this is undertaken by an external consultant. The process ensures that your evidence meets the criteria; there is sufficient evidence; that it has been produced within the timescale; that the evidence is yours alone (see assessment plan) and that the assessment process has been followed. The Internal Verifier will, if they agree with the assessment decision, inform the awarding body that the certificates can be awarded. Should they not agree with the assessor, then they might discuss this and you might be asked to provide further evidence. The Internal Verifier also advises Civil Ceremonies on various aspects of training and development. Part of this role means that they may observe some of the assessment activities. They are not there to assess you as the learner.
Fail: This means that you have not met the required standard for the qualification or that you have not given the required answers to questions. The assessor will tell you where this has occurred and may invite you for reassessment. Following this you will be given further feedback. The Internal Verifier may ask to see your portfolio to agree this decision. They might be asked to give advice and guidance to the assessor on the next stage in the process.
As the awarding bodies undertake checks on the centre, a Quality Reviewer attends some sessions to ensure compliance with the above and they sample portfolios as they see fit.
Civil Ceremonies Ltd is committed to providing you with information, advice, guidance and assistance in becoming a successful celebrant conducting services to meet the needs and wishes of families and couples to the very best of your ability.
Appeals Procedure
As with all decisions there may be an occasion where there is disagreement, or the decision is questioned.
This procedure sets out the steps that need to be taken in this event.
- Initially the learner discusses the matter with the assessor making that decision and by explanation the assessor will be able to demonstrate how they came to the conclusion. This is informal and will not necessarily be documented.
- If the learner is not then satisfied with this decision they should place their concern in writing within 7 working days to the Course Director, Civil Ceremonies Ltd, who will investigate and respond within a further 7 working days with an explanation of how the decision was reached and will either uphold the appeal or not agree.
- In the event that this decision is not agreed with, then the learner may raise the concern within 7 working days with the internal verifier, who will consider how the decision was reached and ensure that correct procedures were followed. This may include interviewing the assessor and course director. The internal verifier will respond within 21 working days.
- Should this process not be to the satisfaction of the learner then they should put their concern in writing to the NOCN External Verifier, who will respond following interviews and an examination of the course material and assessments made. The decision of NOCN is final.
All correspondence must be addressed to the Managing Director, Civil Ceremonies Ltd.
Cancellation Policy
At this stage you will have already confirmed your place on the residential training course but please do consider your residential course dates carefully as cancellation fees apply.
If you are unable to attend the residential training course that you have booked please let us know as soon as possible. Cancellation fees are payable as follows:
For residential course bookings cancelled two or more weeks before the residential course is due to start, 50% of residential course fees will be required.
Due to the planning required with the venue, no refund can be made for bookings cancelled less than two weeks before the residential course. No refund will be made for non-attendance on the residential course.
It is not usually possible to alter the dates of the residential course that is booked. If it is possible then a £45+ vat administrative fee will be charged.
Equity and Diversity Statement
We understand that ‘Equality’ means each individual or group of people is given the same resources or opportunities. ‘Equity’ recognises that each person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.
Civil Ceremonies Ltd is committed to ensuring that all learners, tutors, assessors and other staff members are treated with equity and fairly. We do this by ensuring that anyone presenting with any one or more of the nine areas covered by the Equality Act 2010 are assured that they will be afforded the same opportunities as anyone else, and not be discriminated against.
These nine areas are: Age, Disability, Gender reassignment, Marriage and Civil Partnership, Pregnancy and maternity, Race, Religion or belief, Sex (gender) and Sexual Orientation.
We will also ensure equity by recognising individual needs and resources to meet those individual needs. Anyone who considers that they have been subjected to discrimination should report this immediately to the Managing Director of Civil Ceremonies Ltd.
Signed:
Anne Barber
Managing Director
Health and Safety Statement
Civil Ceremonies Ltd takes the issue of trainee’s health and safety seriously.
We do this by ensuring:
That venues used for training have been risk assessed and are suitable for this purpose.
That external training venues are covered by their own Public Liability Insurance.
By undertaking regular and at least annual reviews of external premises to ensure that they remain suitable.
Making all trainees aware of the need to report immediately any health and safety issues to the Course Director / Managing Director.
That all staff, tutors, assessors and visiting speakers are aware of the need to be vigilant over health and safety issues and to report immediately any issues to the Course Director / Managing Director.
Requesting that any trainee with special requirements make this known to the Course Director / Managing Director before attending training.
Informing all trainees of any pending issues that may affect health and safety.
Signed:
Anne Barber
Managing Director
Assessment Plan
Name of Final Assessor: Anne Barber
Name of Internal Verifier: Sophie Easton
For unit titles and learning outcomes – Click here
During the training programme your performance, knowledge and skill will be assessed against the units for this qualification.
Throughout this programme, which consists of distance learning work followed by attending the 5-day residential training, you will be expected to be courteous and mindful of other’s beliefs and observances.
It is expected that you will be computer literate to a required standard where you can formulate documents and send and receive e-mails recognising normal business protocols.
As the participant you will be required to:
Complete the distance learning worksheets to the required standard within the time frame
- Attend all training sessions on the residential course and participate fully in them
- Provide knowledge evidence through your written and verbal answers
- Simulate two interviews with clients
- Write four ceremonies in a suitable format, two of which will be based on the above interviews
- Deliver naming and couples ceremonies to the required standard
- Provide a portfolio of evidence following the guidance notes provided
Assessment methods will be:
- Assessment of distance learning submissions
- Observation of your practice using simulated activities of interviewing and delivering ceremonies
- Assessment of the ceremonies you produce on the course
- Observations of your discussions with your peers
- Written test papers undertaken during the residential training
- Testimonies and observations by other course tutors/assessors and presenters
If, after the assessment of your distance learning worksheets and submissions, I do not consider that you have achieved the required standard I may suggest that you do not undertake the residential course.
Please note that there is a 90-day period, following the last day of the residential course, in which areas that are not at the required standard can be reassessed.
Feedback
During and at the end of the residential training, feedback will be given and areas for improvement will be identified.
After the residential course, I will give you a final decision on the outcome with feedback which will outline your success or further work required.
GDPR and Privacy Policies
These policies covers the brands, websites, products and services within Civil Ceremonies Ltd, including:
www.civilceremonies.co.uk
www.civilceremonies.net
www.celebrantsupplies.co.uk
www.ccltraininghub.co.uk
www.ourceremony.co.uk
www.naming.ourceremony.co.uk
The products and services covered include:
Training courses, ceremony related products, ceremonies with and without a celebrant.
This policy lays out what data we will ask you for, why we need it and how long we will keep it.
Privacy & Data Protection
We are committed to protecting your privacy and promise only to use information collected about you to provide you with the goods and services that you have requested from us.
We will never collect sensitive information about you without your explicit consent. At no time will any information gained about you be passed on to any third-party without your explicit consent in writing. The only exception to this is when required by law.
From time to time we would like to send you details of special offers and new products and services that we feel may be of interest to you.
GDPR Special categories of personal data
Some of the information that we are required to obtain from learners who train with us is required by the ESFA, a government department, the Student Loan Company, and the NOCN (awarding organisation). All are not for profit organisations. It is their requirement that we ask you for information about your gender, age, ethnicity, employment, any learning difficulties and home address. GDPR Article 9 lists the conditions for processing such special category data and (d) Not-for-profit bodies is one of these categories and this allows us to ask you for this information on their behalf.
We provide all learners with the ESFA privacy notice issued by the Education and Skills Funding Agency.
Anonymous Data Collection
We use technology to collect anonymous information about the use of our website. For example, our web server automatically logs which pages of our website our visitors view, their IP address/es and which web browsers our visitors use. This technology does not identify you personally, it simply enables us to compile statistics about our visitors and their use of our website.
Our website contains hyperlinks to other pages on our website. We may use technology to track how often these links are used and which pages on our website our visitors choose to view. Again, this technology does not identify you personally – it simply enables us to compile statistics about the use of these hyperlinks. We do track your purchasing habits, or any part of the purchasing process.
The website does issue ‘cookies’ (these are small files of information which websites use to identify its users), however, these do not contain personal information. Civil Ceremonies does not share this data with third parties. You can disable cookies by altering the settings of your browser and the website will still function. We hold Cyber Essentials Certification which is assessed and renewed annually.
In addition, we will not send you emails that you have not agreed to receive. If you are a member of our mailing list, you may be contacted with announcements, news, portfolio additions, and new products or services. With each email sent, you have the option of ‘unsubscribing’ at any time, thereby disabling any further such email communication.
How long do we keep your data?
If you have purchased a product or service from us, we will keep your data for 7 years as per usual business accounting requirements. After this time your data will be securely destroyed unless you respond to us positively that you wish to remain in contact with us.
If you have made an enquiry about a product or service, we will keep your data for 1 year as this is deemed a reasonable time for you to further your interest in our products or services. After this time your data will be securely destroyed. However, you have the right to ask us to remove all your data immediately if you prefer.
How do we keep your data?
Civil Ceremonies uses all reasonable precautions to keep the information disclosed to us secure. Only the organisation’s staff will normally have access to client data. All staff are made aware of the appropriate policies and their obligation not to disclose personal data to anyone who is not supposed to have it. Information supplied is kept in a secure filing, paper and electronic system and is only accessed by those individuals involved in the delivery of the service. This personal information is dealt with properly and securely however it is collected, recorded and used, whether on paper, in a computer, or recorded on other material.
Erasure and rectification
You have the right to have inaccurate personal data rectified, or completed if it is incomplete. You can make a request for rectification verbally or in writing and we will action this within one month of the request. You also have a right to have your personal data erased. The right to erasure is also known as ‘the right to be forgotten’. You can make a request for erasure verbally or in writing and we will carry out the erasure within one month of a request.
How data is obtained
Data is collected over the phone and using other methods such as e-mail and websites. An ‘opt in’ option is included in all contact from the company CRM system, which is in itself fully GDPR compliant.
We take your data seriously
Civil Ceremonies Ltd regards the lawful and correct treatment of personal information as very important to the successful and efficient performance of its functions, and to maintain confidence between those with whom it deals. To this end Civil Ceremonies Ltd fully endorses and adheres to the Principles of Data Protection, as set out in the Data Protection Act 1998 and the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The Data Protection Act 1998 regulates the processing of information relating to living and identifiable individuals (data subjects). To do this Civil Ceremonies Ltd follows the eight Data Protection Principles outlined in the Data Protection Act 1998, which are summarised below:
Personal data will be processed fairly and lawfully
Data will only be collected and used for specified purposesData will be adequate, relevant and not excessiveData will be accurate and up to dateData will not be held any longer than necessaryData subject’s rights will be respectedData will be kept safe from unauthorised access, accidental loss or damageData will not be transferred to a country outside the European Economic Area, unless that country has equivalent levels of protection for personal data.
The principles apply to “personal data” which is information held on computer or in manual filing systems from which they are identifiable. Our employees who process or use any personal information in the course of their duties will ensure that these principles are followed at all times. Civil Ceremonies Ltd is a DATA CONTROLLER under the Act, and the Managing Director is ultimately responsible for the policy’s implementation.
Personal data will not be passed on to anyone outside the organisation without explicit consent from the data owner unless there is a legal duty of disclosure under other legislation, in which case the Managing Director will discuss and agree disclosure.
If you are unhappy with how Civil Ceremonies Ltd has used your personal data, you can complin to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at:
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF. You can also call their helpline on 0303 123 113 or visit https://www.ico.org.uk
Department for Education – Privacy Notice
How the Department for Education (DFE) uses your personal data:
We are required to pass the information you supply to the DFE, a ministerial government department responsible for children’s services and education, including early years, schools, higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and wider skills in England.
The information is used for the exercise of functions of these government departments and to meet statutory responsibilities, including under the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009, and to create and maintain a unique learner number (ULN) and a Personal Learning Record (PLR). The information you provide may be shared with other organisations for education, training, employment and well-being related purposes.
Further information about use of and access to your personal data with the ESFA, please visit the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/privacy-information-key-stage-4-and-5-and-adult-education
Your information will also be passed to NOCN, who accredit your qualification. These are registered under the Data Protection Act 1998. At no time will your personal information be passed to organisations for marketing or sales purposes.