Foundation Degree in Funeral Services

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Graduation 2011

We are pleased and proud to announce the first cohort of students of the Foundation Degree in Funeral Services graduated from the Assembly Rooms in Bath on Tuesday 13th December 2011.

The beautiful surroundings of Bath’s Assembly Rooms is the venue for all Bath’s Winter Ceremonies, and the atmosphere was one of eager anticipation and quiet excitement as the proceedings began. Family, friends and invited guests were in the audience as University officials talked us through what was to take place.

A string quartet welcomed the officials of the University and teaching staff of those graduating, setting the scene for a ceremony which celebrated the achievements of the graduates. In his opening speech, the Chancellor of the University, Lord Tugendhat, welcomed the graduates and gave special mention to our first group to graduate from the Foundation Degree in Funeral Services.

He said, ‘The real value of our University is not measured in terms of its physical assets but in terms of the aspirations, enterprise and achievements of its members. I am certainly proud to be associated with a university whose students demonstrate aspiration, enterprise and achievement in such abundance.’

He asked the graduates to stand, and confirmed their degrees. All graduates were then called in turn to the stage, where they shook hands with the Chancellor and received their degree certificates from Professor Tony Walter, Director of the Centre for Death & Society.

Our graduates with NAFD President Andrew Pargetter

After that, it was on to photos and celebrations! The weather held off just long enough for some group photos outside, but we quickly headed indoors to the NAFD sponsored reception as winter descended.

Held at the Museum of Bath at Work, the reception was a chance for students, family, friends and supporters of the degree to get together and relax after the pomp and ceremony. Having had their noses to the grindstone for the past three years, it was also an opportunity for the students to learn a little about the city they have been studying in as the museum remained open for everyone to enjoy.

Prof. Tony Walter welcomed everyone to the event, remarking on how many people had come together for the occasion. NAFD National President Andrew Pargetter then added his congratulations, praising students and staff for their achievements and re-iterating how ‘Education Matters’, a welcome theme throughout Andrew’s presidency. Steve Nimmo spoke on behalf of the graduating students, and related how the degree had affected everyone who had graduated. Partnerships have been formed and new working relationships are already underway, lifelong friendships have been forged and all have found a new way of approaching their work which will hopefully be of benefit to themselves, their companies, the industry and most of all, the bereaved.

Dr Kate Woodthorpe, Director of Studies for the Foundation Degree, closed the speeches by re-iterating thanks and highlighting the achievement of each of the students graduating.

Students and staff at their graduation party

The Centre for Death & Society would like to say congratulations once again to all of our graduates. Very well done on achieving your Foundation Degree in Funeral Services and good luck with your future endeavours. I am sure we will be hearing much more from our first successful cohort:

Margaret Rose BONE
Leah Emma BRAND
Paul Richard CUTTLE
Tracey Dawn DOMONEY-WARREN
Robert Howat DUNCAN
Dafydd Richard ILES
Linda Ann LAWTON
Marian Yvonne MARLOW
Stephen James NIMMO
Simon James SMITH

We would also like to take the opportunity to thank the NAFD for hosting the graduation reception, and for their continuing support, in particularly Alan Slater, Angela Allen and National President Andrew Pargetter and his wife Ann. Thanks also go to the family, friends and employers of all our students for supporting them in their studies, to the tutors and staff past and present of the course, to the bursary providers who have enabled a number of students to take the course and to all those who have assisted and supported us over the past 4 years.

Introduction

The Foundation Degree in Funeral Services at the University of Bath was developed in conjunction with the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) during 2007/8. At that time there was no higher education provision designed for those building a career in the funeral services in the UK. The Foundation Degree in Funeral Services was intended to fill this gap by providing an additional level of training and knowledge acquisition for those working within the funeral service industry who may already have achieved the 'Gold Standard' qualification, the Diploma in Funeral Directing, and who wished to pursue further academic study.

We issued a questionnaire to members of the Funeral Industry in 2007 via the National Funeral Exhibition, the Funeral Director Monthly and the National Assoication of Funeral Director's website. This asked a number of questions about the design, content and delivery of the degree, and the responses formed the basis for the qualifications now in place.

This degree takes the shape of a three year part time course, with the flexibility of the degree allowing people to study whilst still in full time employment.

Some of the teaching staff on the FDSc in Funeral Services 2010/11
L-R Rachel Fearnley, Kate Woodthorpe, John Troyer, Tara Bailey, Lucy Easthope, Alice Ekrek

Latest news

Foundation Degree Graduating Class 2011

Congratulations to the first graduating class of Foundation Degree in Funeral Services students, who completed their studies and received an FdSc qualification in Funeral Services in July 2011. The students are:

Margaret Bone
Leah Brand
Paul Cuttle
Tracey Domoney-Warren
Robert Duncan
Dafydd Iles
Linda Lawton
Marian Marlow
Stephen Nimmo
Simon Smith

The graduation ceremony will take place in December 2011 at the Assembly Rooms in Bath - further details to be announced. Well done to all!

Foundation Degree Graduate Featured in Local Paper

Foundation Degree Graduate Simon Smith was featured in a local Devon newspaper on 11 August 2011. Read the article here.

Open Day and Allen Pollard Scholarship Award, 7 December 2010

Tuesday 7 December saw a number of prospective students, their families and employers join staff and current students of the Foundation Degree in Funeral Services for our first Open Day. Attendees were given the opportunity to participate in a lecture and debate facilitated by Dr. John Troyer, giving them a taster of what they could expect if they were to be offered a place on the programme. This was followed by a question and answer session with Dr Kate Woodthorpe, leader of the programme, who spoke about what students could expect over the course of their study.

We were very pleased to welcome Andrew Pargetter, First Vice-President of the National Association of Funeral Directors, and his wife Ann, once more to Bath. Andrew addressed the group, speaking of the importance of education and the passion and energy he has observed in our current cohorts of students.

Extract from Andrew Pargetter's speech:

During the past three years, the Foundation Degree in Funeral Services has gone from strength to strength ... Whoever embarks on the course being provide here at Bath will no doubt end up with a much better understanding of death and the rituals relating to funerals. This in turn will enable them to serve bereaved families in a much more understanding and compassionate way ... Therefore, on behalf of the NAFD, I would like to express my gratitude to CDAS for organising this open day and for you the visitors and prospective students for taking time to attend.

You can read the full speech by downloading the .pdf here (opens in a new window)

Andrew was also pleased to perform an additional duty this year, presenting the first Allen Pollard Scholarship Award to a first year student.

NAFD Vice-President Andrew Pargetter, Scholarship Award winner Claire Bell and Prorgamme Leader Dr Kate Woodthorpe.

Allen Pollard Scholarship

The Allen Pollard Scholarship is awarded on the grounds of academic merit and financial need to one student who has been newly accepted for enrolment in the University’s Foundation Degree in Funeral Services.

The value of the Scholarship is £1,000 per year over 3 years, and is designed to cover the course fee of £863pa, (2010/11) as well as provide a stipend to invest in learning materials.

All new students are invited to apply, and the applications are carefully considered by a panel of academics and practitioners in the area of Death and Dying. The panel had a very difficult decision to make this year, as all the applications were deserving of the award.

Upon consideration, the panel agreed to award this year’s scholarship to Claire Bell. Claire has completed four Open University courses in subjects related to Death and Dying, that she has self-funded, as well as two vocational qualifications.

Before funeral directing, Claire worked as a palliative carer for Dorothy House for six years, and still works night shifts at a hospice to support herself and her three children. Along with her work there and her studies for the Foundation Degree in Funeral Services at the University of Bath, Claire is currently doing voluntary work at a Funeral Director’s in nearby Swindon.

We hope that this award will enable Claire to concentrate on her studies, and achieve her full potential in the industry.

Allen Pollard Ltd (trading name APL) is a small family owned business.

The company was formed over 30 years ago being the surname and maiden name of the owners. Noel Pollard began his funeral career in 1968 when he married the daughter of George Allen whose family (James Allen & Son) had been funeral directors and carpenters for over 150 years.

The Allen family’s care and concern for bereaved families continued when Noel and Rita Pollard took the business forward following the death of George Allen and formed the new company Allen Pollard Ltd. in 1969.

APL specialises in the supply of quality coffins, caskets, fittings and interiors many of which are exclusively manufactured in the UK and Europe to APL designs and specifications and are distributed to Funeral Directors throughout the UK.

The launch event for the Foundation Degree in Funeral Services, September 2008.