We do a quarterly newsletter which we issue every four months(!?!) This one has a particular focus on the new apprenticeships, plus some general seasonal articles, plus some intellectual tit-bits. If you don't receive a hard copy and would like to, do feel free to contact us via LinkedIn.

1. QUOTES OF
THE QUARTER
“
WINTER2017
PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANTS
PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
Grab a cup and take time out to
take account of what is going on…
time“CHRISTMAS AND APPRENTICESHIP SPECIAL”
In the last edition we threatened promised to give an update on the new
Apprenticeship Standards. Scattered throughout this newsletter are various
aspects that we hope are of interest.
The 20% Off the Job Training (OTJT) rule
This has caused much consternation in the industry but the government now
seems to be doing what they can to encourage a flexible interpretation of the rules
to more fully reflect the training taking place naturally in the workplace. We will be
working with your apprentices over the coming months to capture additional OTJT
so we can meet more of the 20% requirement from the normal working day
Study Logs
Apprentices should update their Study Log each week with the study progress
made and the OTJT time spent and then record this each week onto Moodle. It is
essential that they maintain this.
End Point Assessment
The AAT qualification requires satisfactory completion of all of the Unit exams
plus the Synoptic exam. The Apprenticeship per se is assessed solely by the End
Point Assessment. This only includes two ingredients – 1) the above synoptic exam
and 2) at Level 3, a Professional Discussion; at Level 4, a 2,000 word Reflective
Statement or a Professional Discussion.
These will be assessed by Independent Assessors. Both Neil and
Simon have been appointed by the AAT as IAs. This will allow
us to be fully conversant with the requirements of the EPA and
contribute to its development.
Notes from the Directors
You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello… 2
Making More of Me!
Profit and Loss Account
AAT News and Updates 3
Student Spotlight
Business Focus 4
Balance Sheet
On the Recruitment Front 5
News from the ALHQ
The Cat’s Clause 6
Small Talk
Staff Spotlight
The Rumour Room
CABA 7
Crossword Answers
The SWAT Column
How did that word…
Notes to the Accounts
Spotlight on Apprenticeships 8
Simon’s Cryptic Crossword
Ask Us
Next Issue
www.accountancylearning.co.uk • E: study@accountancylearning.co.uk
Southernhay Lodge, Barnfield Crescent, Exeter EX1 1QT T: 01392 311930 @AccountancyL AccountancyLearning
When we recall Christmas past, we usually find
the simplest things – not the great occasions –
give off the greatest glow of happiness.
Bob Hope
He who has not Christmas in his heart will
never find it under a tree. Roy L. Smith
You only have ONE life, if you live it right, ONE is
enough. Lady Karren Brady
The Accountancy Learning Team: Left to right: Steve, Tom, Emma, Neil, Simon, Eleanor, Jenna,
Claire, Emily, Antonio, Amber, Prue, Shannon, Pete and Dale

2. 2
Notes from the Directors
You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello (as the Beatles said!)
Hot of the press, we can an advise you of some staff changes at HQ.
Steve has accepted a job with his previous employer as their Remote Training Programme
Manager covering both London and Birmingham and will be leaving at the end of January. He
will however be able to continue to live in Teignmouth and enjoy the South West countryside.
Emma and Shannon will be taking over as personal tutor for Dawn’s apprentices and will be supporting Neil on the weekly
drop-ins in Taunton.
Joining us at the beginning of January is Robert Law. Robert is a qualified Chartered Accountant, having trained with KMPG,
qualifying in 1985. He then moved into the Lloyds insurance industry, assisting an MBO and becoming Group Finance
Director. He has been teaching at Wiltshire College for the last year or so and has moved down to the South West for family
reasons. Robert will be getting involved in our Apprenticeship delivery and will look after a cohort of distance learning
students.
Pete Freeman has been working with us for just over a year, assisting on the development of course materials and assisting
with marking of progress tests. He completed his AAT studies this Summer having passed all three levels in the space of 14
months, despite recovering from life threatening injuries suffered by falling from a 4th floor balcony onto concrete – and in
the meantime was recognised at the 2017 Training Provider Conference as AAT Distance Learner of the Year.
Now studying ACCA, Pete will be taking on a cohort of distance learners and will be helping Emma and Shannon with their
Apprentices.
Robert was involved in some development of learning materials at Wiltshire College and both he and Pete will assist Prue
and Simon on this aspect of our work.
We have a standing advert on our website inviting potential trainers to send us their details in case a vacancy arises, as
it invariably does….and did. Robert approached us via this webpage notice, as did Pat, who joined us in September as
a freelance distance learning tutor (also an FCA). This, plus the support of our existing team, has meant that we have
been able to re-organise responsibilities and hopefully manage the transition as smoothly as possible. With an able and
motivated team, problems become opportunities!
Making More of Me!
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (creator of Nike)
‘A refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like
... It’s an amazing tale’ Bill Gates
‘The best book I read last year was Shoe Dog, by Nike’s Phil Knight. Phil is a very wise,
intelligent and competitive fellow who is also a gifted storyteller’ Warren Buffett
In 1962, fresh out of business school, Phil Knight borrowed $50 from his father and created
a company with a simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost athletic shoes from Japan.
Selling the shoes from the boot of his Plymouth, Knight grossed $8000 in his first year.
Today, Nike’s annual sales top $30 billion. In an age of start-ups, Nike is the ne plus ultra
of all start-ups, and the swoosh has become a revolutionary, globe-spanning icon, one of
the most ubiquitous and recognisable symbols in the world today. But Knight, the man
behind the swoosh, has always remained a mystery. Now, for the first time, he tells his
story. Candid, humble, wry and gutsy, he begins with his crossroads moment when at 24 he
decided to start his own business.
A memoir rich with insight, humour and hard-won wisdom, this book is also studded with lessons -
about building something from scratch, overcoming adversity, and ultimately leaving your mark on
the world.
A really fascinating story
with a wealth of invaluable
business lessons along the
way. Fabulous book! It’s a
real ‘page turner’ and you
won’t want to put it down.
Dawn is leaving for a full time position at Bridgwater College. We know you will join us in wishing them well in their new
roles.

3. 3
PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT
AAT NEWS AND UPDATES
Although the Apprenticeship Standards are new this year, they
include the AAT AQ2016 syllabus, which was introduced in September
2016. In this article, we review what impact this has had over the last
year.
Rate of exam progress, including the transition from AQ2013 to AQ2016
and the Synoptic exams
AQ2016 introduced the new Synoptic exams, which set a series of questions based on a pre-published scenario and cover the elements
of most of the compulsory units plus integrating some topics that were previously examined separately (e.g. Ethics at Level 3 and
Accounting Systems & Internal Controls at Level 4).
The AQ2013 Ethics paper was unnecessarily academic and so the current version is an improvement. The Spreadsheets element
is harder and the AAT got a lot of flak over the exam process, with some colleges seeing none of their students pass, because of upload
problems. This seems to have been resolved. The report writing skills previously developed by way of their Accounting Systems report
can, in future for an apprentice, be achieved through meeting the requirements of the Reflective Journal and Portfolio.
Although recognised as harder exams, our exam success rates have in fact improved further over the last year. Also, our apprentices
under the new Standards are making better progress than under the Frameworks, partly because of their greater focus on putting in
the required study each week. In fact, one student who only started in September at Level 2/3 has already passed three exams, all with
marks in the 90s!
All exams are now assessed fully by the AAT and for certain of the exams, including the synoptic, there is a 6 week delay before receipt
of the results. Also, the synoptic exams at Levels 3 and 4 can only be sat during set Windows, being a specified week every two
months. A specified results date is given for each Window. It is therefore essential to time one’s studies to be ready to sit the exam in
these Windows.
Grading
All of the exams are now given a mark. The marks are accumulated for all of the exams to give an overall mark and a grade for that level
– 70% Pass; 80% Merit; 90% Distinction. We feel that, at Level 2, students should aim for a Distinction; at Level 3, a Distinction or a
Merit shall be the target. At Level 4 a Distinction is really hard to achieve, partly because the synoptic is very hard.
Where a student wishes to progress to further qualifications, you may want to consider setting a required grade at each level, to justify
your support for this progression.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
...on CAITLIN CHURCHWARD
Caitlin is one of our Level 4 Apprentices who attends the Plymouth drop-
ins, having recently completed her Level 3, achieving a Merit overall. At
the time of writing she is still 18…but only just!
Caitlin is the Credit Controller at Total Repair Services in Plymouth, also getting involved
with most aspects of the accounts function. TRS are a building repair company,
operating throughout Devon and Cornwall, principally repairing property that has
suffered loss or damage through fire, water or impact. .
They have a team of 23 (there are 9 in the office and 14 on the road) and Caitlin works
under the guidance of Bernadette Bailey, who is also a director and shareholder. As a
small team she mucks in with most aspects of the business and the accounts function
and over the 2+ years she has been there, she has learned a huge amount. She joined
the business straight from school and from the start they have invested in her training,
allowing her to attend day release classes each week, but just as importantly, gradually
increasing her range of work and responsibility to match her studies.
The firm has always believed in training and also have apprentices on the building
repairs side of the business.
When not studying, Caitlin says she likes socialising
with her friends, going to the cinema, walking with
her Beagle (Summer), and catching up with the
latest series on Netflix.
Caitlin’s tutor Jenna said “Caitlin has been coming
to drop ins for over a year and she has been very
focused with her studies. Revision methods have
paid off with her Diploma (including covering her
office with posters and her bedroom walls with
revision notes!) She has a positive attitude and is
always willing to help
others.”
She finds that one
of the benefits of
attending the drop
ins is that it provides
an opportunity for
peer learning with
the other students
there and a bit of
healthy competition. Photo: Caitlin Churchward

4. 4
BUSINESS FOCUS
More Fowl Business...
As this is the Christmas edition, and following on from our previous article on Frenchbeer Farm, it seemed only right to
look at the fowl business of producing the 10 Million turkeys that are eaten in the UK every year.
Turkeys were allegedly introduced into Britain about 500 years ago by Yorkshireman, William Strickland, who acquired six birds from
American Indian traders on his travels.
Henry VIII was the first English king to enjoy turkey (i.e. soon after its introduction). Before that, the meat of choice for Christmas was
goose, boars’ head and even peacocks. However, it was not until 350 years later that Edward VII made eating turkey fashionable at
Christmas.
Even so, turkey is a relative newcomer to most people’s Yuletide table. It was a luxury right up until the 1950’s when they became more
widely available. Back in the 1930s the average person had to work for a week to be able to buy a turkey. Now it only takes 1.7 hours of
labour.
Fortunately for the turkey, the urge to eat it at Christmas is not pan-European. In Portugal, the typical Christmas animal is codfish.
Germans prefer wild boar or venison. While in Sweden the average Christmas feast consists of caviar, shellfish, cooked and raw fish.
The typical turkey will live on three farms during their life cycle.
At the “Breeder Farm” mature turkeys are artificially inseminated and will normally lay daily from 32 weeks to 57 weeks. Their fertilised
eggs are collected daily and sent to a “Hatchery”, where the eggs are incubated and within 28 days hatch as “poults” (hence the term
“poultry”). They are vaccinated and their sharp bits are trimmed to avoid hurting each other. Within 24 hours of being removed from their
incubator, they are sent to a “Turkey Farm”, where they are raised in climate controlled
barns. The first stage of 6 weeks is referred to as brooding, where the birds down is
gradually replaced by feathers. The subsequent growing cycle takes them up-to 11 to
17 weeks of age, when they will be ready for market. Generally, between three to seven
flocks can be raised each year.
By contrast, Frenchbeer’s turkeys are free range. Their poults are all hatched in
early Summer and then put into granite barns for their 6 week brooding period,
and fed on cereals. After this, they are given access to the surrounding fields and
meadows, on the edge of Dartmoor, where they can forage freely. At 24 weeks old
they have reached full maturity. They are dry plucked and then game hung for 10
days before being ready for sale. Because the turkeys are allowed to roam free
from Summer to December, Frenchbeer only has sufficient land to raise one flock
each year, focusing on quality not quantity.
PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT
Did you know...
Christmas Crackers were invented by Tom Smith in 1847 as a
development of his bon-bon sweets that he sold in a twist of
paper. Smith added the crackle element when he heard the
crackle of a log he had just put on his fire! The size of the wrapper
had to be increased to incorporate the banger mechanism and
the sweet was eventually dropped to be replaced by a trinket
(and other substantial items). Initially marketed as the Cosaque,
‘cracker’ soon became the commonly used name.
Other elements of the modern Christmas Cracker, such as gifts,
paper hats and varied designs, were all introduced by Tom
Smith’s son Walter.
A memorial water fountain to Tom Smith and his family stands
in Finsbury Square, London.
The longest Christmas cracker pulling chain consisted of 1,081
people and was achieved by The Harrodian School in Barnes,
London on 10 December 2015.
JOKE OF THE QUARTER
Sam’s Christmas Letter
It was coming up to Christmas and Sam asked his Mum if he
could have a new bike. She told him that the best idea would be
to write to Santa Claus. But Sam, (having just played a vital role in
the school nativity play) said that he would prefer to write to baby
Jesus. So Sam went to his room and wrote: “Dear Jesus, I have been
a very good boy and would like to have a new bike for Christmas”.
But he wasn’t very happy when he read it over, so he decided to
try again. This time he wrote “Dear Jesus, I’m a good boy most of
the time and would like a bike for Christmas”. He read it back but
wasn’t happy with that one either, so he tried a third version. “Dear
Jesus, I could be a good boy if I tried hard and especially if I had
a new bike”. He read that one too, but still wasn’t satisfied. So he
decided to go out for a walk to think about a better approach.
After a short while, Sam passed a house with a small statue of
the Virgin Mary in the front garden. He crept in, stuffed the statue
under his coat, hurried home and hid it under his bed. Then he
wrote this letter: “Dear Jesus, if you want to see your mother again,
you’d better send me a new bike”.
Frenchbeer’s Free Range
Bronze Christmas Turkeys

5. HOW FAR CAN YOU GO WHEN MONITORING
EMPLOYEE EMAILS?
A recent ruling from the European Court of Human
Rights declared that a business was wrong to fire an
employee for using a Yahoo Messenger work account
for personal use.
The Romanian engineer used the account to message
his brother and fiancée, despite company policy
saying that professional accounts may not be used for
personal reasons.
Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights guarantees respect for private and family
life and correspondence.
The court ruled in the employee’s favour because the employer had breached this right to
privacy.
This suggests that employers must give explicit warnings to staff if they want to monitor their
internet use. This is potentially troublesome for employers in an age when boundaries between
private and professional life are becoming ever more blurred due to social media and other
digital innovation.
If you do feel it necessary to check the communications of your staff, ensure you strike a balance
between prohibiting your employees from taking advantage of company assets, whilst not
excessively monitoring private messages.
You must also make sure your employment contracts explicitly state that you are permitted to
monitor their online activity in the workplace. If you don’t have this in writing, you could find your
options restricted if you suspect improper behaviour.
For more information, please email debra@hrdept.co.uk
5
BALANCE SHEET
HR Dept – Somerset
Tel: 0845 634 9164
E-mail: hrteam@hrdept.co.uk
Cranmer House, 38 Priory
Avenue
Taunton, Somerset, TA1 1YA
HR Dept – Exeter
Tel: 01392 349560
E-mail: exeter@hrdept.co.uk
Basepoint Business Centre
Yeoford Way, Marsh Barton
Exeter EX2 8LB
NEWS FROM AL HQ
A very big welcome to our new team member:
+ Claire McMurtrie
Apprenticeships Assistant
(A new post, Claire works 3 days per week to assist
Emily with the new standards Apprenticeship
paperwork)
+ You can read all about them on The Team
page of our website!
Claire
In between dealing with
Apprenticeships, supporting our
students and all the other usual
daily routines, we’ve had much
fun over the past week or so
recording our Christmas video!
It will be wending its way to you
soon (or you might already have
seen it by the time this gets to
you!)
But just in case you’ve missed
it, you can see the team
(as you’ve never seen them
before, including Simon in a
dubious looking Santa guise!)
via our Facebook page, our
YouTube channel or Blog. In
the meantime, here are some
behind the scenes pics in front
of our humble green screen!
Our very own GBBO!
Having had so much fun
with last year’s AL GBBO,
we decided to don our
aprons again for a second
year. Our bakers created
some fabulous dishes
– think we’d better be
booking in the gym ses-
sions before Christmas!
Merry Christmas!

6. 6
BALANCE SHEET
THE RUMOUR ROOM…
Congratulations to Sophie Parkhouse for her election as
Vice President of ICAEW South West (previously known as
SWSCA). She will be taking over the reins as President in
May 2019.
Sophie has been actively involved on SWSCA for a number
of years. She is on our Technical Advisory Committee and
is our Practice Committee representative. Her day job is as
Technical and Training Director at Albert Goodman.
As they say, “If you want something done, ask a
busy person”!!!
SMALL TALK
Christmas Feasts Around The World!
In much of Europe, the main meal is held on December 24
(and unlike the UK, there is not a speck of turkey!)
Here are a few of the tasty feasts on offer (think I’d give some
of these a miss…)
• Poland: they tuck into an enormous banquet called Wigilia
(or the Star Supper), featuring dishes such as borscht and
dumplings.
• Italy: most families avoid meat on Christmas Eve in favour of
The Feast of the Seven Fishes, where delicacies such as fried
eel are the star of the show.
• Iceland: they are more likely to serve up Puffin or Reindeer
(hope they haven’t mentioned this to Rudolph…)
• France: it is traditional in the Provence region to cook up 13
desserts (in honour of Christ and the 12 apostles) which are
left out for 3 days for people to graze on.
• Bulgaria: the meal should have an odd number of dishes
(normally 7, 9 or 11) and an odd number of people around
the table. The meal includes a special round, decorated loaf
called ‘pita’ which has a ‘good luck’ coin baked in it.
• Portugal: The traditional Christmas cake is ‘Bolo Rei’ (King’s
Cake). Typically, a small gift (token) and a broad bean are
hidden in the cake. If you get the token you are allowed to
keep it. If you get the bean, you have to pay for next year’s
Bolo Rei!
And a bit further afield:
• South Africa: Every December locals
feast on a seasonal delicacy – the deep
fried caterpillars from Emperor Moths.
• Japan: Family traditions for the Japanese
include eating their big holiday meal at
KFC! (no comment…)
The Christmas Nativity Legend...
Most tabby cats have a distinctive “M” on their foreheads – here
is one explanation of how this may have come to be…
There’s an old Christmas legend involving a tabby cat who Mary and
Joseph befriended on the night Jesus was born, (this may explain why
you often see tiny figurines of cats in nativity scenes). As the legend
goes, when baby Jesus was lying in the manger, he began to cry and
shiver from the cold. Mary draped blankets over the infant but he
continued to shiver.
A small tabby cat then leaped into the manger, cuddled up to Jesus and
began to purr. The baby stopped crying and
drifted off to sleep. In her gratitude to the
cat, Mary marked her own initial upon the
tabby’s forehead so that tabby cats would
forever remind the world of how one of
their kind had comforted the newborn Jesus.
THE CAT’S CLAUSE
STAFF
SPOTLIGHT
... on SHANNON DODD
Shannon has been with the team at Accountancy Learning since
May 2016. Prior to this, she worked for an airline, firstly within
the ledgers department and then in a management accounting
role. It had always been a dream for Shannon to share her
knowledge with others, so when she became AAT qualified, she
decided to take a slightly different path by becoming an AAT
Tutor!
Likes: I enjoy Pilates, cycling, being a cub scout leader and
walking on Dartmoor with my family and Jack Russell, Flash. I
really love pizza and pasta.
Dislikes: Rude and negative people (especially bus drivers!)
I also really hate tuna (YUK!), cucumber, fruit and the noise
of bare feet rubbing on a tiled floor – makes my teeth feel as
though they are all going to fall out!
Most embarrassing moment:
When I lost my engagement ring recently, I notified the police
and pawn shops; I even had neighbours
kicking leaves when they were out on
dog walks or daily commutes and the
local postman was also on the lookout!
Having previously searched the house
from top to bottom, I eventually found
it under my bed… when thanking
everyone, it was horrible to have to
admit I’d practically been sleeping with
it!
Vice President of ICAEW South West

7. 7
BALANCE SHEET
CABA
CABA is probably better known for the support it gives ICAEW members with
financial assistance and debt. However, it also provides career coaching and
personal development courses to members, both face to face and on-line.
The webinars are in fact accessible to anyone. You don’t actually have to be a
Chartered Accountant, or ACA student. There are some very useful looking courses
here, including some on Building your Resilience, Developing Team Resilience
and Taking Control of your Personal Effectiveness. You may wish to consider
some of these when planning CPD for your team. Each course is broken down into
bite-size modules of 20-45 minutes
CROSSWORD ANSWERS
(Last Issue)
ACROSS:
2. William the Conqueror 4. Prince 6. Eleanor
8. Abdication 10. Elizabeth 12. Cromwell
14. Harold 15. Mary 16. Albert 17. Victoria
DOWN:
1. John 2. William of Orange 3. Richard
5. Athelstan 7. Ethelred 9. Confessor
11. George 13. Phillip 16. Alfred
Congratulations (and a bottle of bubbly) to
Malcolm Gordon of AIMS Accountants!
See page 8 for this quarter’s crossword
Dating back to the 17th Century, ‘Boxing Day’ is said to be a derivative of the ‘Christmas Box’. In Britain, it was customary for tradespeople
to collect ‘Christmas Boxes’ of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas, as thanks for good service throughout the year
– this is mentioned in Samuel Pepys’ diary entry for 19 December 1663. This custom is linked to an older British tradition, namely that,
given servants of the wealthy had to wait on their masters on Christmas day, they were allowed the following day off to visit their families.
Their masters would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts, bonuses and sometimes leftover food.
THE SWAT COLUMN
Directors’ Loans
Whilst FRED 67 has not been incorporated into FRS 102 yet, the
following change will have immediate effect with regards to
directors’ loans:
Where a small entity receives a loan from a director (which is not
repayable on demand) at a below-market rate of interest, it would
previously have needed to show the loan initially at fair value,
estimating a market rate of interest to discount the cash flows,
and then showing a notional interest charge over the loan life.
Under the changed standard, if the director providing the loan
is also a shareholder and a natural person, there is no need to
perform this calculation; instead, the loan can be recorded at
initial proceeds without attempting to determine a market rate.
Money Laundering Regulations
The 2017 version of the new Money Laundering Regulations
are now in force, being effective from 26th June, even though the
CCAB has not yet issued their revised guidance.
To give you a feel for some of the main changes here is a brief list:
• More emphasis on risk assessment with regards to money
laundering and terrorist financing.
• A shift towards a more risk-based approach
• Removing the restriction on using internet produced utility bills,
for example, as part of identity checking
• The inclusion of UK Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) as well as
foreign PEPs as potentially high risk individuals
• The limit of cash that can be received before a business is
defined as a high value dealer (HVD) and thus needs to register
under the Money Laundering Regulations has been reduced
from €15,000 to €10,000
• A change in the definition of who is a beneficial owner for a trust,
now including the settlor, as well as the trustees, beneficiaries
and anyone else with control of the trust.
• There will also be a requirement to register the details of
express UK trusts and some foreign trusts, with the Trusts
Registration Service, where there are UK tax consequences.
• There is more guidance on the use of electronic identity checks
and verification.
David Norris BA FCA
Training Director
SWAT UK Limited
0845 450 555
How did that word(s) come about?
SWAT has a webinar available, 2017 Money Laundering
Regulations - The Changes, which will update you with
the changes.
CABA also run a range of full day courses across the country,
which members can attend. If you can pull together a room
with ideally 16 members of staff, of which at least 8 must
be members or ACA students, they may also be prepared to
run these in house for you https://www.caba.org.uk/

8. 8
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
CLUES ‘Christmas!’
Across:
1. At Christmas, you might swing on a sail to drink and be
merry.
3. The recent 91% decline in these may cause a problem on
the second day.
6. This gift made Frank beside himself with anger.
7. These jumpers aren’t simple commoners.
8. Christmas is coming!
12. A quarter of those made in the fires of Orodruin.
14. These avians were found in a colliery.
15. It sounds like they play pool with these across the Channel.
16. They’ll have no taboo hitting this tabor.
17. Flanders’ friends going for a dip?
18. Dallies without 50 in Rome but with a waltz.
Down:
2. Even when laying around, these make great guards.
4. They’ll be there when the cows come home.
5. When he has delivered his last 100, he will end up in the
sauna.
9. How does this Dutch Airline go the distance?
10. This saint saw nothing with chaos.
11. These musicians are really hot!
13. Might this American TV family sing the birds out of a tree?
Email your solution by 5 January 2018 to study@
accountancy learning.co.uk. There’s a bottle of
Champagne in it for the first correct solution! Winner and
the solution in the next issue.
We thought it would be useful to briefly explain the requirements
of the Standards and what will be assessed by the Professional
Discussion / Reflective Statement element of the End Point
Assessment, what we will be doing to develop them and how you
can make the most of this in the office.
Portfolio Requirements at Level 3
Next issue
Crikey – we’ve only just come up with this one!?!!
…about how we can work together to more easily meet
the 20% OTJT rule by identifying routine and non-routine
workplace activities that satisfy the criteria.
ASK US…
SPOTLIGHT ON APPRENTICESHIPS
The new Apprenticeship Standards
include a much increased focus on the
development of a rounded apprentice,
not just someone who can pass exams.
Reflective Journal
Apprentices enrolled
under the New Standards
have already started
writing these, reflecting
on what work they have
been doing, what new
skills they have acquired,
what challenges they have
found and where their
work fits into the business.
We have been very
agreeably surprised
by how informed and
insightful some of these
journals have been.
Work Experience Portfolio
In the New Year we will be working with the apprentices to tie these
journals into their portfolio, cross referencing them to the relevant
assessment criteria (as above). Although not assessed per se, this
portfolio and reflective journal will be submitted to the AAT assessor
for review. At level 3, this will form the basis of their questioning in
the Professional Discussion. At level 4, it must form the basis of the
Reflective Statement and be cross referenced to it. If there are gaps,
it cannot be assessed as Competent.
Mock Assessments
Also in the New Year, Neil and Simon we will be commencing quarterly
visits to interview the apprentices These visits will be planned to fit in
with apprentice’s routine study sessions so that they are not disruptive.
These will take the form of a Professional Discussion and a review of,
and questioning on, the draft Reflective Statement.
Your Bit!
Within the Portfolio, each section (covering the Skills and Behaviours
noted above) must be signed off by the apprentice’s line manager
or equivalent. We would encourage you to include a review of the
apprentice’s portfolio in your supervisory process and appraisals so
that you can support the development of these skills and behaviours
to supplement the acquisition of technical knowledge in their exam
studies and to apply them in the office. Everyone will be a winner!
There are similar portfolio requirements at Level 4