Health and Social Care
Subject aim / purpose
About 3 million people in the UK work in the health and social care sectors, which is equivalent to 1 in every 10 people. Demand for both health care and social care is likely to continue to rise due to the ageing population, so it is undisputable that it plays a key role in UK society.
The Health and Social Care department will nurture every student through their journey to develop their resilience, expression and independence, growing into well-rounded individuals to succeed in today’s diverse society. Complimenting other subjects and the wider school, students will experience and study a vast range of Health and Social Care topic areas, requiring them to demonstrate maturity and respect for others. Students will become confident and fully prepared to manage their emotions for the many challenges and opportunities they face in managing people’s health and well-being, preparing them for life and inspiring them to work in Modern Britain. Students will gain key competencies in the areas of research, problem-solving, analysis and making judgements along with exam technique which will support them in further study and into their professional lives.
Curriculum Vision / Intents
Health and Social Care is an option which students can select at KS4 and KS5. Our intent is to provide a fluid and dynamic knowledge rich curriculum, which gives learners access and opportunity to progress to KS5 and beyond. The course is coherently planned and sequenced towards cumulatively developing knowledge and competencies for future learning whilst building upon students’ knowledge from Personal Development during KS3.
Students will study the Tech Award at KS4 which is assessed through a combination of external exam and internal assessments. The research and report writing competencies applied at KS4 develop learners for further study into KS5 and beyond. Students who choose to study the subject at KS5 have two pathway options. They can study the Diploma which provides 2 A Levels at the end of Post 16 or the Extended Diploma with provides the equivalent of 3 A Levels. The increasing complexity of the subject knowledge enables learners to refine their research and writing competencies and mirror the study they would complete in higher education.
Curriculum Implementation
Key Stage 4
Year 10
Component 1: Human Lifespan Development (Learning Aim A) – Coursework 30%
Students will explore the different aspects of growth and physical, intellectual, emotional and social development across the life stages. Students will also build their knowledge on the factors that can affect development within different life stages and examine the impact that different lifestyles and choices can have upon individuals. In addition, students will explore the different life events that can occur within a lifetime, and the coping systems and mechanisms that are in place within society, the health sector and ourselves to help support and deal with both expected and unexpected changes that occur within life.
Component 2: Health & Social Care Services & Values (Learning Aim A) – Coursework 30%
Students develop their understanding of the different health and social care services that exist and how people can gain access to them. In addition, the students will gain competencies, such as empathy, as they develop an understanding of different situations that might affect care and investigate a range of health needs and barriers to care. In addition, within this component students will learn about the fundamental care values within health and social care settings and how these care values help to ensure a high quality of care for the most vulnerable of service users.
Year 11
Component 1: Human Lifespan Development (Learning Aim B) – Coursework
Component 2: Health & Social Care Values (Learning Aim B) – Coursework
Component 1 and 2 continue into the final year of study (as outlined above)
Component 3: Health & Wellbeing – External examination 40%
Component 3 includes gaining knowledge and learning on how to be healthy. Students will explore the different meanings and definitions of health. Students will learn to evaluate different lifestyles and choices and how these impact upon physical, intellectual, emotional and social health. In addition, they will investigate health monitoring and how the health care sector can help people achieve a positive health.
Key Stage 5
Year 12
Unit 1: Human Lifespan Development – External examination
This unit is taught to all students and develops their knowledge and understanding from component 1 at KS4. The unit focuses on how we develop through our life stages and the impact of a wide range of events on this development. In addition, a variety of theories are studied that link with A level Psychology and Sociology.
Unit 2: Working in Health & Social Care – External examination
This unit is taught to all students. This unit requires students to study a wide range of career pathways within the health and social care sectors and examines the key roles and responsibilities they have in providing excellent care to service users. Students will study examples of good working practice and poor working practice and the implications these have had.
Unit 5: Meeting individual needs – Coursework
This unit is taught to all students and as aspects that link with component 2 at KS4. The unit focuses on the care values and approaches that are needed to work with a variety of service users in health and social care settings.
Unit 8 : Promoting Public Health – Coursework
The unit considers all aspects of public health and the history of the NHS. Students will study important health issues in current society such as poor lifestyle choices, mental health and developments in health protection and promotion. Students will carry out a wide range of statistical research to support their findings on the success of a variety of strategies that are implemented to improve public health.
Year 13
Unit 4: Enquiries into current research in Health & Social Care – External examination
This unit requires students to combine the research competencies, which they have developed throughout KS4 and 5, to analyse a piece of current literature on a topic linked to an aspect of health or social care. Students then have to investigate secondary research and complete an exam paper on the reliability and validity or the research and the future implications this could have for the relevant sector.
Unit 7: Principles of Safe Practice in Health & Social Care – Coursework
Students study the legislation, policies and procedures that are implemented in order to safeguard employers, employees and staff in health and social care settings.
Unit 14: Physiological Disorders – Coursework
This unit is taught to all students. Students will study 2 types of physiological disorder and investigate the causes and implications of this. They will consider appropriate care pathways and evaluate the impact that the disorders have on service users. Research will also take place into new treatments and their impact on patient recovery and quality of life.
Unit 19: Nutrition – Coursework
This unit extends the work done for component 3 at KS4. Students study the impact of nutrition on overall health and wellbeing, and the competencies of planning nutrition for service users with a variety of needs.
Students completing the Extended Diploma study an additional 5 units.
- Unit 3. Anatomy and Physiology for Health and Social Care – External Examination
- Unit 6: Work Experience in Health and Social Care – Coursework
- Unit 11: Psychological Perspectives – Coursework
- Unit 17: Caring for Individuals with Dementia – Coursework
- Unit 18: Assessing Children’s Development Support Needs – Coursework
Useful Websites
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equality-act-2010-guidance
Qualifications which we offer at KS4 and KS5
KS4
- Edexcel BTEC Tech Award Health and Social care
- Health & Social Care (2022) | BTEC Tech Award | Pearson qualifications
KS5
- Edexcel BTEC National Diploma in Health and Social Care
- Edexcel BTEC National Extended Diploma in Health & Social Care
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-nationals/health-and-social-care-2016.html
Enrichment and extra-curricular opportunities in the subject
The department has good links with the local universities and provides students with exposure to guest speakers, workshops and visits. Where possible, we have visits from NHS and social care professionals. We have had links with Dementia UK, Alzheimer’s Society and Dementia Friends, North Staffordshire Medical Institute, Waterside Day Care Centre, Alzheimer’s Society and Dementia Friends.
Where could this subject ultimately take you?
This subject provides pathways into a wide variety of career options including nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy, teaching and education, social and youth work, social care, counselling and provides access to numerous apprenticeships and study options within the Health and Social Care System.
Statement of Intent:
The Health and Social Care curriculum ensures that St Margaret Ward is able to produce confident, compassionate young adults who have the skills and knowledge to progress into the health and social care sectors. Our learners from Year 10 to 13 will develop an understanding of how human beings develop, what factors influence their lives, and how agencies can work with health and social care workers to improve public health.
Students in years 11 & 13 were subject to assessment adaptations during 2020-2021 therefore not all units/learning aims have been fully assessed as per the specifications but in line with Pearson’s adaptations.
Students in all year groups are also eligible for the adaptations for 2021-2022 with the Level 3 qualification allowing for streamlines assessment if required, Level 2 has adaptations to the assessment criterion
Course Structure - Year 12 & Year 13
Qualifications:
- BTEC Extended Certificate (2016); this is equivalent to 1 A Level
- BTEC Diploma (2016); this is equivalent to 2 A Levels
- BTEC Extended Diploma in Health & Social Care (2016); equivalent to 3 A Levels
Mandatory examined (exam) units:
- Unit 1 – Human Lifespan Development (all)
- Unit 2 – Working in Health & Social Care (all)
- Unit 3 – Anatomy and Physiology (Ext Dip)
- Unit 4 – Enquiries into Current Research (Dip and Ext Dip)
Mandatory internally assessed (coursework) units:
- Unit 5 – Meeting Individual Care & Support Needs (all)
- Unit 6 – Work Experience in Health and Social Care (this includes 100 hours of work experience) (Ext Dip)
- Unit 7 – Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care (Dip and Ext Dip)
- Unit 8 – Promoting Public Health (Dip and Ext Dip)
+ four other internally assessed units. The number of which increases with each qualification. This varies each year but this year we are offering:
- Unit 10 – Sociological Perspectives
- Unit 12 – Supporting Individuals with Additional Needs
- Unit 14 – Physiological Disorders and their Care
- Unit 18 – Assessing Children’s Development Support Needs
Grading:
Pass, Merit, Distinction or Distinction*.
This is graded for each individual unit and the points from each unit then added up to produce an overall outcome.
Year 10 & Year 11
Qualification:
- BTEC Tech Award in Health & Social Care – This qualification is worth the equivalent of one GCSE.
Mandatory examined (exam) units:
- Component 3 – Health and Wellbeing
Mandatory internally assessed (coursework) units:
- Component 1 – Human Lifespan Development
- Component 2 – Health and Social Care Services and Values
Grading:
- Level 2: Pass, Merit, Distinction, Distinction*
- Level 1: Pass, Merit, Distinction
This is graded for each of the three components and the points from each unit then added up to produce an overall outcome. The highest grade available is a Level 2 Distinction *, which is the equivalent of a GCSE grade 8.5.