OPERATIONAL DEPARTMENTS
In fulfilment of its all-age educational for all objective, the Institute has five main departments as follows:
– PRE-SCHOOL AND NURSERY EDUCATION
– SCHOOL–LEVEL AND SUPPLEMENTARY EDUCATION
– FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION
– ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL RESEARCH
– COMMUNITY DEVLOPMENT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION
1. PRE-SCHOOL AND EARLY YEARS EDUCATION
The Institute does not itself conduct learning activities for kindergarten kiddies and toddlers. But from 1995 it has provided consultancies for pre-school and Nursery units and practitioners, assisting them to carry out their practice in the best possible ways. In this connection, the Institute is especially well-placed with expertise in Early Years Education and Montessori Education, assisting staff to develop workable methods and excellent practice generally and in preparation for OFSTED inspection.
Of its own, the Institute encourages and runs creche facilities in conjunction with its provision for adult training projects in local communities.
2. SCHOOL-LEVEL AND SUPPLEMENTARY EDUCATION
The Institute, as a syndicate of lecturers and teachers, has from 1985 been hiring out expertise to mainstream schools as teachers, teaching assistants, governors, to provide inset and consultancies to management and staff and to lead assemblies and other extra-curricular activities. In this regard, it is a training ground of a kind in teachings/learning methods and for administration/management skills for school-level practitioners, within schools and LEAs.
In 2000, it began a programme of supplementary education, augmenting mainstream school education with a view to assisting pupils/students (6-16) of all ability ranges to achieve educationally to their full potential. In this area, the Institute also works in partnership with other supplementary schools, receiving their staff and providing them with consultancy and inset services. It thus became a member of the DfES-sponsored Supplementary Schools Support Service.
3. FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCAION
This department proper began in 1987 with Certificate/Diploma courses in Religious, Business and Computer Studies; including modular studies in other areas of the Arts/Hu- manities and the Sciences. It is an educational innovation at F/HE level, engaging academically and university-researched and proposed combination of teaching/learning methods as follows:
Conventional approaches Innovative approaches
Seminars Internal Practice Placements
(Career development and in-house training)
Workshops External Work-based Experience
(Insets and other training opportunities)
Lectures Consultations and Conferences
(Inter-disciplinary group work/discussions)
Tutorials Home-based learning and study
(E/Distant learning and postal tuition)
Supervised research(essays/theses...) Independent study(projects/reports)
(Media/press, audio/sound/vision collection)
Students/scholars individually discuss their interest with the Academic Dean to arrive at a decision as to which of the following programmes they may pursue internally or externally. Overseas students and Home Students follow the traditional and non-tradi- tional approaches, respectively; though they are encouraged to participate mutually.
Academic Vocational/Professional
GCE/GCSE/A LEVELS G/NVQ.........
Certificate (1 yr FT/1 1/3 yrs PT)* Counselling...
Diploma (2 yrs FT/ 2 2/3 yrs PT)* Teaching/Nursery......
Degree (3 yrs FT/ 4 yrs PT)* Ministry/Bar/Clinical/Accountancy....
Applicants for asterisked programmes should note that the duration specified in these instances are only for internally-validated qualifications. External programmes for the same qualifications may require much longer time-scales. Internal degrees are externally examined, and awarded only on the recommendation of External Examiners. Internal courses may begin in January, April or September. External courses, with a few exceptions, begin in September.
4. ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL RESEARCH
This department began in 1990 with a group of overseas doctors seeking to gain recognition and establish themselves in the UK. Supported by the research expertise of staff, the doctors carried out socio-medical researches into areas of specific benefit to their communities in England.
The Institutes welcomes collaborative endeavours in this area with its own staff and post- doctoral scholars, in furtherance of its policy of establishing working partnerships, links and networks with other institutions and agencies.
There is no limit as to the areas in which research may be undertaken, the interest of the professional inquirer being paramount in this regard. However, academic researchers are encouraged to look into aspects of immediate benefit to the community at large.
5. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND CONTINUING EDUCATION
The Institute started in 1983 with a meeting of a few lecturers of the University of London Department of Extra-Mural Studies, a couple of whom had also been involved in adult Teacher-Training at the Centre for Staff Development in Higher Education. The group went on to undertake a pilot project for single African-Caribbean teenage mothers in North London between 1984 and 1987.
Since then, it has spasmodically organised and facilitated various local community development and lifelong education programmes according to needs including the running of crash courses for visitors. Most recently, it has embarked on a Training, Counselling, Careers Guidance and Support Service scheme in West London for the unemployed.
It encourages community education and studies in community development and welcomes working partnerships in this area.
The Institute participates in the life of the community by active representation in voluntary sector networks of local authorities, and by inviting the public to its own activities and significant events, such as Open Days and End-of-Year events.
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