This course gives you the unique opportunity to develop a career as a children's writer. The course has been developed to provide you with the knowledge to develop ideas for books and short stories through to the actual art of children's writing.

Each week, thousands of stories are accepted by publishers to satisfy the demands of their younger readers. These authors are successful because they already have the skills needed and the ideas. This course will teach you the same skills and make you into the successful writer you would like to be.

The Basic Techniques of Freelance Journalism

Why do you want to write for children?

Writing for different age groups

Fiction for all ages

Techniques in Children's fiction writing

More about techniques

What are your markets?

Getting down to it

Some practical facts for writers

For a more detailed syllabus on this course, click here

On completion of your course, you will receive two qualifications:

Qualification 1: Writing for Children Diploma

Writing for Children Diploma issued by Stonebridge Associated Colleges, entitling you to use the letters SAC Dip after your name.

Qualification 2: Level 3 Writing for Children Award

At the end of this course successful learners will also receive a level 3 NCFE Award certificate of achievement. That means that it is independently accredited at a level of learning equivalent to level 3 on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland (in which case GCSE's are at levels 1 and 2 and A Levels are at level 3).

This award has been designed by Stonebridge Associated Colleges to meet specific learners' or employers' requirements. Accreditation by NCFE is a guarantee of quality. It means that this learning programme has been scrutinised and approved by an independent panel of experienced educational professionals and is quality audited biannually by NCFE.

In order to offer our students the most convenient and flexible distance learning courses, Stonebridge Associated College offers you the option to study for your course via two methods:

• 1. Via the traditional paper-based method.
• 2. Through the online method via ElearnUK.

When you study through ElearnUK you can quickly access your course material online and submit all of your question papers to your tutor online, using your unique student account. You have access to all of your course material immediately, and when you submit question papers, your tutor sends you an email containing your results and feedback.

At the end of the course you will receive an award issued by Stonebridge Associated College, and also gain full awarding body accreditation for the course.

With this course you will have unlimited access to your own personal tutor who specialises in their field of study. It is your personal tutor's role to ensure that you receive constructive feedback and to deal with any queries you may have. You are more than welcome to telephone, fax or email your personal tutor.

You will also have access to a dedicated and friendly team of administrators and course advisors who offer sound and professional guidance and advice when you need it. This ensures that you will never feel neglected and that you will always succeed!

There is no experience or previous qualifications required for enrolment on this course. It is available to all students, of all academic backgrounds.

This is only an approximate figure and is dependant upon how much time you can dedicate to your studies and how well you grasp the learning concepts in the course material. Furthermore, at the end of each lesson there is a question paper that needs to be completed and returned to your tutor. You should allow at least 1 - 2 hours of study to complete each question paper.

The approximate amount of time required to complete the course is: 96 hrs.

Assessment Method

After each lesson there will be a question paper, which needs to be completed and submitted to your personal tutor for marking. This method of continual assessment ensures that your personal tutor can consistently monitor your progress and provide you with assistance throughout the duration of the course.

What's Included

• All study materials
• Study Guide
• Full Tutor and Admin support
• The course fee includes the awarding body registration and certification fee (valued at up to £30.00).

What is NCFE

NCFE is the UK's longest established awarding body, recognised as a highly professional and responsive organisation, committed to maintaining excellent customer service and a friendly approach.

NCFE is recognised as an awarding body by the qualification regulators ('regulators') for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The regulators are the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) in England, the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) in Wales and the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland.

Accreditation by NCFE is a guarantee of quality. It means that the college has been inspected and approved by an independent and experienced education professional and is quality audited biannually by NCFE. The centre delivering the programmes has been licensed by NCFE on the basis of its own quality systems. At the end of an accredited course, successful learners will also receive an NCFE Award certificate of achievement.

For more information on this award, click here

Below you will find a list of courses that previous students have taken to complement their course. We hope that this list will give you some idea of the types of progression courses we offer, or alternative course options that may be of interest to you.

• Writing Biographies, Autobiographies and Family History - Everyone has at least one story to tell - the story of their life. And it is a story well worth the telling. Quite apart from the immediate interest of family and friends, once written, it ...
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• Business Writing - Today's business professionals must be able to communicate effectively through the written word if they are going to succeed in today's business environment. The Business Writing course demonstrates the strategies needed to increase the clarity, impact, ...
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• Fiction Writing - By no means can everyone who has the urge to write fiction can do so successfully and for publication. Fiction writing is a craft which must be learned, like any other. This course is not among ...
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• Freelance Journalism - One can only be taught to write as one can be taught to paint, or to play a musical instrument. We can give potential writers the basic techniques. We can suggest, counsel, encourage and discourage. We ...
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• Novel Writing - Agatha Christie once said "The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes" Whether writing simply for the pleasure of seeing your thoughts take shape as words on paper or writing to achieve ...
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• Poetry Writing - To compose poetry is one of the most exciting and personally rewarding forms of creative writing. It can bring immense pleasure to you and to those who read and listen to your work. Everyone with a ...
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