ED3PCS: Providing Children's Services

Module code: ED3PCS

Module provider: Institute of Education

Credits: 20

ECTS credits: 10

Level: 6

When you’ll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Ms Jo Elsey, email: j.h.elsey@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2026/7

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 25 March 2026

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module provides students with a broader understanding of the political and legislative context within which various forms of education has developed.  It explores the shifting ideologies underpinning attempts to reform children and young people’s services over recent times and interrogates the notion of an integrated ‘children and young people’s workforce’ with common skills and knowledge.

The module aims to develop student’s knowledge and understanding of:

• Contemporary reform and conceptualisation’ of provision of education, health and social care services for children and young people
• The political context of multi-agency services
• The changing nature of work with children and young people. As demonstrated through attempts to ‘professionalise’ parts of the workforce and the changing relationships of professionals with parents, children, young people, and each other
• The political context of approaches to the measurement of quality

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Critically evaluate contemporary research on the nature of disability to develop an enhanced understanding of the research around best practice in working with students with additional learning needs
2. Illustrate the legacy of attempts by recent governments to reform children and young people’s services
3. Analyse their own role in relation to conceptualisations of the modern professional in children’s services.

Module content

Online materials will support a combination of lectures, seminars, group discussions, peer presentations, case studies, simulations and independent research. Complementary work-based tasks, independent activities and directed tasks will contribute to the achievement of the intended learning outcomes.

Learning opportunities will focus on key themes within multi agency working that could include:

• Children’s services education policy development in England from 1997 and implications
• The legacy of Every Child Matters, new government policy and multi-professional working
• Parents/carers as partners in professional work

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Online materials will support a combination of lectures, seminars, group discussions, case studies and independent research. Complementary work-based tasks, independent activities and directed tasks will contribute to the achievement of the intended learning outcomes.

Study hours

At least 20 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• where the piece of work is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in you Individual Learning Plan), the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to an extension granted through the Assessment Adjustments policy and process (self-certified or otherwise), it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e., considered to be more than three calendar days late). This will also apply when such an extension is used in conjunction with a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

A formative essay of 800 words that supports the summative assessment will be provided.

Reassessment

Additional costs