Curriculum intent, implementation, and impact
“They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel” – Maya Angelou
Health and Social Care is one of the largest and fastest growing sectors of employment with 3 million people already working within that industry as our population grows and ages. Therefore, the BTEC Tech Award in Health and Social Care is offered as a vocational subject, which students can opt to take in Year 10 and follow throughout Key Stage 4
Health and Social Care is one of the largest and fastest growing sectors of employment with 3 million people already working within that industry as our population grows and ages. Therefore, the BTEC Tech Award in Health and Social Care is offered as a vocational subject, which students can opt to take in Year 10 and follow throughout Key Stage 4.
The Award comprises of 3 components. Components 1 and 2 are taught first and are designed to relate to the achievement of application of the conceptual underpinning for the exam in Component 3 through realistic tasks and activities. This style of assessment promotes deep learning through ensuring the connection between knowledge and practice.
Our world is constantly changing and as society changes, so do the people who populate it. Students will discover the importance of human life from when a person is born to when they are very old and the care values which underpin the provision Health Care Professionals give to those with whom they work to support.
The Health and Social Care department strongly believes that interactive, practical education is important so that the students can observe and take part in activities and this then facilitates the write up of their coursework as they reflect upon the scenarios in which they worked, based on the theories taught. This helps inspire our students to enjoy their learning as they can apply many of the concepts learnt within different real life experiences, cultivating an understanding of the importance of the care values when working with people from infancy through to later adulthood.
Students who follow this subject will have the opportunity to work with people in different life stages through enrichment trips where they can demonstrate the skills and knowledge learnt in the classroom. Trips are taken to the on-site nurseries and the primary school, where students will work with the younger members of our community and create a learning project which forms the basis of their coursework.
The Bridge School, also on-site, will demonstrate to students how to support children and young people with disabilities through alternative forms of communication and modified activities. The staff at the Bridge School will give our students lessons on Makaton Sign Language and the Picture Exchange Communication System in preparation for their visits.
The goal of these visits is to develop young people who are confident in interacting with a variety of people from different age groups.
Students are strongly encouraged to undertake a placement within the Health and Social Care sector when completing their Work Experience in Year 10. However, students will develop transferable life skills which can be used successfully in any job sector. By the end of Year 11, students will be able to make more informed choices for further learning either generally or in this sector.
Component 1 Human Lifespan Development
Students will explore different aspects of growth and development and the factors that can affect this across the life stages. They will explore the different events that can impact on individuals’ physical, intellectual, emotional and social (PIES) development and how individuals cope with and are supported through changes caused by life events. Students will study how people grow and develop over the course of their life, from infancy to adulthood, this includes PIES development and the different factors that may affect this. An individual’s development can be affected by major life events, such as marriage, parenthood or moving to a new house and you will learn about how people adapt to these changes, as well as the types and sources of support that can help them. Students will develop transferable skills, such as written communication skills to support their progression to Level 3 vocational or academic qualifications. Within this unit of work, students will explore the physical and emotional aspects of growth and development across genders. They will also examine topics related to contraception, conception, fertility, and other key issues in relationships and sex education in a sensitive but educational way.
Component 2 Health and Social Care Services and Values
Students will explore health and social care services and how they meet the needs of service users. They will also study the skills, attributes and values required when giving care. Providing good health and social care services is important and service providers need to have the appropriate skills, attributes and values to meet the needs of service users. These skills, attributes and values are important because they enable people who use health and social care services to get the care they need and to be protected from different sorts of harm. This component will give students an understanding of health and social care services and will help them to understand the skills, attributes and values that are common across the sector (some of which are transferable to other sectors that involve interactions with clients or customers). This component will help students to progress to Level 3 vocational or academic qualifications.
Component 3 Health and Wellbeing
In this component, students will explore the factors that can have a positive or negative influence on a person’s health and wellbeing. Students will learn to interpret physiological and lifestyle indicators and what they mean for a person’s state of health. They will learn how this information is used to recommend appropriate actions for improving a person’s health and wellbeing. Additionally, students will explore the difficulties an individual may face when trying to make these changes. This external component builds on knowledge and understanding acquired and developed in Components 1 and 2 and includes a synoptic assessment. Students will apply their knowledge and understanding of human lifespan development and life events, sources and types of support, health and social care services, the skills, attributes and values that contribute to care and the barriers and personal obstacles to accessing services.
To give all students a sound understanding of the skills required to work in the Health and Social Care sector and demonstrate the care values through regular role-play, collaboration and regular formative assessment and to develop their confidence when interacting with a variety of people from different age groups and abilities.
Students are strongly encouraged to undertake a placement within the Health and Social Care sector when completing their Work Experience in Year 10. However, students will develop transferable life skills which can be used successfully in any job sector. By the end of Year 11, students will be able to make more informed choices for further learning either generally or in this sector.
Home learning tasks, such as retrieval practice and quizzes, will strengthen knowledge and understanding of the key components of the Health and Social Care course and identify gaps in their knowledge.
Longer-term projects will support the assignments being completed by the students, such as conducting interviews with friends and/or family members, for the purposes of evidence gathering about different life experiences in different life stages. Students will also need to practice the skills required for the role plays and mini work experiences at home and reflect on how well they felt they demonstrated skills and how they can be improved for the real assignment, which would take place in the classroom.
Outside of the classroom, Health and Social Care will strive to give students the opportunity to see real workplaces and to have the chance to do a mini-work experiences which form the basis of their coursework.
The department supports literacy across the curriculum by displaying a ‘Book of the Month’, an overview of the content and the Health and Social Care key words to look out for.
About 3 million people work in health or social care. Health care roles include doctors, pharmacists, nurses, midwives and health care assistants, while social care roles include care assistants, occupational therapists, counsellors and administrative roles. Together they account for nearly one in ten of all paid jobs in the UK. Demand for both health and social care is likely to rise so they will continue to play a key role in UK society, and the demand for people to fill these vital jobs will increase. Therefore, all students on this course are actively encouraged to choose a Health and Social Care related placement where possible.
Jobs where Health and Social care would be useful include:
