Health and Social Care

Health and Social Care KS4

  • All students that study vocational courses receive quality education throughout each key stage to address their individual needs both academically and socially in a seamless manner. Thus, allowing them to leave school with a variety of appropriate skills and qualities that will lead to employment or further education/training. Developing strong links with real life businesses and their context through the curriculum to give students the opportunity to apply their academic knowledge to everyday work contexts. We provide students with skills that will be required of them in the world of work which will enable them to achieve economic well-being in the wide range of sectors that value the qualifications we offer.

    Health and Social Care gives learners the opportunity to develop sector-specific knowledge and skills in a practical learning environment. The main focus is on four areas of equal importance, which cover the:

    • Development of key skills that prove their aptitude in health and social care such as interpreting data to assess an individual’s health

    • Processes that underpin effective ways of working in health and social care, such as designing a plan to improve an individual’s health and wellbeing

    • Attitudes that are considered most important in health and social care, including the care values that are vitally important in the sector, and the opportunity to practise applying them

    • Knowledge that underpins effective use of skills, processes and attitudes in the sector such as human growth and development, health and social care services, and factors affecting people’s health and wellbeing.

    • There are three components that focus on the assessment of knowledge, skills and practices. These are all essential to developing a basis for progression however, learners can still progress without achieving all components as they are assessed on a points system – this is a marked difference to previous specifications

    • Component 1 Human Lifespan Development (Coursework – Pearson Set Assessment)

    • Learners will investigate how, in real situations, human development is affected by different factors and that people deal differently with life events.

    • Component 2 Health and Social Care Services and Values (Coursework - Pearson Set Assessment)

    • Learners study and explore practically, health and social care services and how they meet the needs of real service users. They also develop skills in applying care values and describing the importance of displaying these in different professions

    • Component 3 Health and Wellbeing (Exam)

    • Learners will study the factors that affect health and wellbeing, learning about physiological and lifestyle indicators, and how a health and wellbeing improvement plan positively affects individuals.

    • Health and Social Care Is currently taught in Year 10 and 11 two years and is a level 2 qualification.

    • Students currently have 6 hours of lessons a fortnight. The course is divided between two formal assessments and a final exam. The exam must be sat at the end of the course

    • Year 10 covers component 1 ‘Human lifespan and development’ – including a formal assessment in March and an introduction to component 2.

    • Year 11 refreshes learning outcome 2 ‘HSC services and values’ in preparation for a formal assessment sat between October and December and uses year 10 knowledge to synoptically assist with exam preparation. Exam is sat in February to offer students an opportunity to re-sit if needed in the May/June. Final grade however is the one used to calculate overall grading. Grades are Pass, Merit or Distinction which equate to the points tallied over the two years of study.

  • By the end of Key Stage 4

    Study of the qualification as part of Key Stage 4 learning will help learners to make more informed choices for further learning, either generally or in this sector. The choices that learners can make post-16 will depend on their overall level of attainment and their performance in the qualification. Learners who generally achieve at Level 2 across their Key Stage 4 learning might consider progression to:

    • A Levels as preparation for entry to higher education in a range of subjects.

    • Study of a vocational qualification at Level 3, such as a BTEC National in Health and Social Care, which prepares learners to enter employment or apprenticeships, to choose to study on a T Level course which would enable them to move on to higher education by studying a degree in aspects of health or social care.

    • Some learners may wish to build on an interest in human growth and development but take it in a different direction (at either Level 2 or Level 3) by studying for qualifications in Early Years education.

Health and Social Care KS5

  • Alongside A levels, BTEC Nationals are the most widely-recognised qualification for admission to higher education.

    They are level 3 vocational qualifications that provide specialist, work-related learning across a range of sectors. BTEC Nationals are designed to equip students with the specialist knowledge, practical skills and understanding they need to progress along their chosen learning and career paths. BTEC Nationals are career-based qualifications designed to give students the skills they need to move on to higher education or go straight into employment. More employers and higher education institutions than ever before are choosing BTEC-qualified candidates for their academic and practical knowledge and skills.

    Units are carefully planned to build upon skills and develop understanding as student’s progress through their two years of study. The course is designed to use teacher specialisms and the mandatory core units of study. Exam based units are spread evenly over the two years and are set early in the year to enable student’s a re-sit if required without disrupting their completion date. The exams are devised to incorporate student’s growing understanding and maturity in the subject.

    Students have the opportunity to gain Pass, Merit or Distinction grades and a variety of these scores is used to build an overall qualification, meaning that students can use their own areas of specialisms and grades fairly to encourage an equal grading system. Students have to pass all units in order to succeed.

    All students that study vocational courses receive quality education throughout each key stage to address their individual needs both academically and socially in a seamless manner. Thus, allowing them to leave school with a variety of appropriate skills and qualities that will lead to employment or further education/training. Developing strong links with real life businesses and their context through the curriculum to give students the opportunity to apply their academic knowledge to everyday work contexts. We provide students with skills that will be required of them in the world of work which will enable them to achieve economic well-being in the wide range of sectors that value the qualifications we offer.

    Health and Social Care gives learners the opportunity to develop sector-specific knowledge and skills in a practical learning environment.

  • The course is taught over two years and covers eight mandatory units and five optional units that adapt to the teacher’s areas of specialism.

    Four exam units are taught; two in year 12 and two in year 13, areas covered include human lifespan development, health and social care services, research methods and anatomy and physiology. All input is given with ample opportunity for mock assessments. Exam units are assessed externally.

    Nine coursework units are covered and assessed internally, usually covering two pieces of coursework each.

    Coursework units uphold strict Pearson guidelines, all teacher input is given and then students are expected to work independently to complete. High quality verbal feedback is maintained and there is one opportunity for students to resubmit work if they have not gained a certain level but have shown they are working towards it. Careful tracking of all units happens throughout the course to enable a grade calculation towards the end of year 13.

    Retrieval starters are embedded in to all units with ongoing assessments and practice questions act as part of the course to encourage long term memory processing.

    Units cover a range of practical aspects and all students are expected to participate.

    The course requires a minimum of 100 hours of work experience, with students finding two placements over the two years of study to enhance their career and higher education opportunities. Students have input in to the area of work they attend and this is carefully discussed with teachers and careers guidance.

  • Study of this qualification will help learners to make more informed choices for further study or their chosen professions.

    Internal tracking of assignments is used to ensure students maintain a level of understanding in order to achieve in this qualification, with study time built in to their timetables. Assignment surgeries are held for individual students to encourage a high level of grading and ensure understanding.

    The choices that learners can make post-study will depend on their overall level of attainment and their performance in the qualification.

    Learners who generally achieve at Level 3 across their Key Stage 5 learning might consider progression to:

    • Higher education by studying a degree at university in a range of disciplines such as; nursing, social work, psychology or education.

    • Opportunity to directly enter employment such as; a health care worker, nursery worker or support staff

    • Some students sometimes choose to continue study and combining the world of work by accessing further apprenticeship opportunities