AAT
ASSOCIATION OF
ACCOUNTING TECHNICIANS
PART TIME
FOUNDATION COURSE
STUDENT HANDBOOK
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Association of Accounting Technicians
(A.A.T.) Intermediate Course.
To reach this level most of you
will be used to further education and ‘NVQ’ courses. For the benefit of those not conversant with
‘NVQ’ qualifications, I have produced this student handbook for you to use and
refer to during the course.
This handbook is for you to read
and use as a reference document throughout the year.
If there are any issues that are
troubling you, please do not hesitate to approach either myself or one of your
subject lecturers. We are here to help
you.
Finally, we would like to wish
you a very enjoyable year and every success on the course.
CONTENTS
What
is an NVQ?
Assessment
of competence
Registration
Tutorial
sessions
Attendance
requirements
What
is a portfolio?
What
is a Central assessment?
What
is a simulation?
Mandatory
units for Foundation level
Summary
of other fees for Foundation level
Glossary
of useful terms
What
sort of job could I apply for?
The
college calendar
How
much will the course cost?
What
is an NVQ?
NVQs are competence-based qualifications, that is,
they are based upon statements of competence required in employment.
The AAT fits into this
framework as follows:
Foundation Stage: NVQ Accounting Level 2
Intermediate Stage: NVQ Accounting Level 3
Technician Stage: NVQ Accounting Level 4
NVQ Competence
Competence is being able to perform whole work roles to the standards expected in employment in real work environments. To be competent you must be able to perform not just know or understand.
Assessment of Competence
Your ability to perform to the required standards is assessed by a qualified assessor. The assessor must be satisfied that you can perform to the expected level and that your performance demonstrates adequate underpinning knowledge and understanding, and personal competence.
Registration
Students must register with the AAT to take the qualification, and become a student of the AAT. Students are advised to register by the end of February. Registration forms will be available from your tutor on induction.
Registration Fee
All students must pay a student registration fee. It entitles the student to register for a 12 month period. The fee is renewable each year. Subscriptions must be paid until the required number of units of competence has been achieved, or until the Scheme is complete, and for as long as you wish to be a student/member of the AAT.
The registration fee includes:
· The “Accounting Technician” journal, sent monthly
· The Student Handbook
· The Student record
· Statements of Achievement, which provide regular confirmation of your assessment achievements.
Tutorial sessions
Built into the AAT Foundation course is a half hour tutorial session per week. Some of these sessions will be used for class activities and some for individual tutorials. The tutorial sessions will include time to help in the preparation of student portfolios.
Personal development plans
To aid students in the setting of objectives, it is advised that personal development plans are completed every half term. These should be completed in conjunction with tutors. Personal development plans are helpful in the setting of both short and long-term targets, and should be reviewed regularly as a check on progress. They can also be used as evidence of “Planning and Organising Own Work Schedules” and submitted in student portfolios.
Attendance Requirements
There are no formal requirements regarding
student attendance on a part-time course.
However, you are strongly advised that the AAT course is an intensive
course, and as such, consistent attendance is highly recommended. If a student is aware that they are going to
be absent from college, e.g. holidays, liaison with subject lecturers will
ensure that any handouts/exercises will be retained for them.
Any
student who is absent from college for a period of 4 consecutive weeks, without
explanation, will be withdrawn from the course.
What is a
portfolio?
A
portfolio is a folder of evidence to prove competence in each unit of the
course and consists of:
·
Evidence
index sheet, listing all the evidence you are submitting.
·
Range coverage sheet to indicate which
pieces of evidence are for which range statement, this should be signed by you
and the assessor.
·
Personal statements describing what you
can do competently, signed by you and your assessor.
·
Completed questionnaires to demonstrate
knowledge and understanding.
Each piece of evidence in
your portfolio should have an AAT Feedback Sheet and an Accounting Portfolio
Sheet to accompany it. The AAT Feedback
Sheet should be signed and dated by both student and the assessor and possibly
internal verifier. There is also space
provided for brief student comments and assessor feedback.
The Accounting Portfolio
Sheet should be completed by the student with constructive comments. Remember, if all of this seems daunting, your
lecturers and tutors are there to help.
What is a Central
assessment?
Central Assessment consists
of written papers which are set and marked by the AAT, and are undertaken at specified
times under exam conditions and assessed by the AAT.
Central Assessments assist in
ensuring a consistent standard for the qualification. They can be sat twice yearly in mid-June and
early December.
The papers are 3 hours long,
plus 15 minutes reading time, times and dates to be confirmed by the AAT.
The AAT will send an entry
form direct to you in February/March 2004.
Your tutor will confirm the closing date for completed entry forms for
the June Central Assessment to reach AAT.
The AAT may take late entries
at an additional charge.
The AAT will notify students
of the outcome of the Central Assessments 10 weeks after the date taken,
normally the end of August for June sittings and the end of February for
December sittings.
What is a simulation
(devolved assessment)?
Simulations are Assignments, set by the AAT, and sat
under controlled Conditions. They are 4
hour papers which can be sat in two sitting.
Unlike central assessments, breaks are taken during simulations. They are assessed internally by your tutor,
and will be used as evidence in your portfolio.
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Candidates must take
all six mandatory units unless Health and Safety |
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and IT have been assessed
competent at a previous level, in which case |
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the remaining four
units are mandatory. |
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MANDATORY UNITS |
ASSESSMENT METHOD |
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Unit 1 |
Recording income and
receipts |
Devolved Assessment |
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Unit 2 |
Making and recording payments |
Devolved Assessment |
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Unit 3 |
Supplying information for
management control |
Devolved Assessment |
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Unit 4 |
Preparing ledger balances
and an initial trial balance |
Central & Devolved Assessment |
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Unit 21 |
Working with computers |
CLAIT qualification |
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Unit 21 and 22 |
Health and safety and
achieving personal effectiveness |
Assignment and personal statements |
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GLOSSARY OF USEFUL TERMS |
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Assessment |
measuring
a candidate's work against specified standards and using evidence to make a
judgement about the candidate's competence |
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Assessor |
person
carrying out assessment |
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Awarding
Body |
awards
NVQs e.g. A.A.T., EDEXCEL, R.S.A. |
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Competence |
being
able to carry out work activities to the standard required consistently and
under normal work pressures |
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Element |
description
of a workplace activity made up of performance criteria, range and
underpinning knowledge, groups of one or more elements make up one unit. |
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Lead Body |
the
organisation which represents the industry and draws up the standards on
which the NVQs are based. |
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National
Council for Vocational Qualifications (NCVQ) |
body
which oversees the development and implementation of NVQs in all industries
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National
Vocational Qualification (NVQs) |
qualifications
which measure candidates competence against standards set by industry |
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Performance
Criteria |
set
out the standards to which a candidate needs to perform when carrying out
particular activities |
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Range |
specifies
the range of activities and contexts over which the candidate needs to be
assessed |
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Underpinning
Knowledge |
knowledge
which is essential for competent work |
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NVQs IN ACCOUNTING |
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The following table is intended as an occupational
guide for the |
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accounting qualifications |
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NVQ LEVEL |
RESPONSIBILITIES |
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2 |
A member of the accounting
team, whose main responsibility is:
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3 |
A member of the accounting
team, whose main responsibilities may include:
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4 |
A member of the accounting
team whose responsibilities may include:
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THE COLLEGE CALENDAR |
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2004/2005 |
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Monday to Friday 6 - 10 September 2004 |
Full
Time course inductions |
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All
courses commence |
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Staff
development Day |
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Monday - Friday 25 - 29
October |
Half
Term |
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Staff
Development Day |
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Wednesday 22 December |
Autumn
Term ends |
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Tuesday 4 January |
Spring
Term Starts |
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Wednesday 2 February |
Staff
Development Day |
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Monday - Friday 14 - 18
February |
Half
Term |
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Thursday 24 March |
Spring
Term Ends |
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Monday 11 April |
Summer
Term Starts |
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Monday 2 May |
May Day |
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Monday - Friday 30 May
- 3 June |
Half
Term |
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Friday 24 June |
Staff
development Day |
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Tuesday 12 July |
Summer
Term Ends |
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The following fees are payable in addition to the
course fees |
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£ |
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AAT Membership, payable
directly to AAT by February 2005 |
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55 |
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One-off admission fee
payable on first year directly to AAT by February 2005 (Only for students registering with the
AAT for the first time) |
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22 |
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Intermediate Central
Assessment x 1 payable directly to the AAT by mid April |
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30 |
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Exam late entry fee
payable directly to the AAT |
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88 |
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Exam remark with feedback
payable directly to the AAT |
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37 |
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Simulations x 4 payable
to college during the year as simulations sat (This is the price paid by the
college when purchasing the simulations) |
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10 |
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