Hello! Advice Please

[ianlong]

I am looking for a Distance Learning Centre to start my Foundation course.<BR> Can anyone recommend a good one in the South West, Bristol Taunton and surrounding area's? <BR>How do you tell a good college from a bad one, you hear so many stories these days of Distance Learning centres going belly up!<BR><BR>Any advice from people who have been down this route would be most welcome.<BR><BR>Thankyou!<BR><BR>Ian

[Darren]

Hi Ian<BR>I'm not sure if this will be of help to you but I am studying the foundation level with BPP through distance learning based at sheppards Bush, London. I live in Scotland and have found them to be very good. You could always check out there website or email me and I will forward details onto you. (dmf2010@yahoo.co.uk)<BR>Hope this helps.<BR>

[SHEELAGH]

I have used BPP for technician level and National Extension College for Intermediate. BPP seems much better. The course is geared to passing the assessments so you get lots of practice questions. My tutor is very helpful, and very patient when I get stuck. The set up for devolved assessment is good. Your have to sit the devolved assessments in supervised conditions but not necessarily at a BPP centre - you can do it at work, or in a library - you just have to get someone to sign to say it is your own unaided work. <BR>BPP tend to work more in the spirit of of AAT/NVQ. This means that it you have workplace evidence for some criteria you do not also need to do a devolved assessment, and you only have to retake the parts of the devolved that you fail. They do this be sending another question to cover what you failed.<BR>Having said all this, I have read somewhere that AAT is steering back towards the exam technique as opposed to the NVQ style of proving competence.<BR>When you enter for the Central Assessments, AAT send you a list of colleges who are able to offer &quot;a desk&quot; to students not attached to their college. This means you should be able to sit your centrals reasonably close to home.<BR><BR>Good luck