Health & Social Care: BTEC Level 3

Key Stage 5

At Key Stage 5 students. Students attend all lessons to complete the guided learning hours (GLH). There are three main forms of assessment of which you need to be aware:

1. External,
2. internal and
3. synoptic.

Each external assessment is linked to a specific unit. Each assessment is taken under specified conditions, then marked by Pearson and a grade awarded. The styles of external assessment used for qualifications in the Health and Social Care suite are:

• examinations – all students take the same assessment at the same time, normally with a written outcome
• set tasks – students take the assessment during a defined window and demonstrate understanding through completion of a vocational task. Some external assessments include a period of preparation using set information. External assessments are available twice a year.

Students will be internally assessed using a variety of styles to help develop a range of transferable skills. Students could be given opportunities to:

• write up the findings of their own research
• use case studies to explore complex or unfamiliar situations
• carry out projects for which they have choice over the direction and outcomes
• demonstrate practical and technical skills using appropriate work-based values and practices.

The mandatory synoptic assessment requires students to apply learning from across the qualification to the completion of a defined vocational task. Students complete the task using knowledge and understanding from their studies of the sector and apply both transferable and specialist knowledge and skills.

Year 12

Term 1	Term 2	Term 3
Human lifespan development Working in Health and Social Care	Human lifespan development Working in Health and Social Care	Human lifespan development Working in Health and Social Care
Term 4	Term 5	Term 6
Human lifespan development Working in Health and Social Care	Human lifespan development Working in Health and Social Care	Research project: Health social care in the local context

Year 13

Term 1	Term 2	Term 3
Meeting individual Care and Support needs Psychological Perspectives	Meeting individual Care and Support needs Psychological Perspectives	Meeting individual Care and Support needs Psychological Perspectives
Term 4	Term 5	Term 6
Meeting individual Care and Support needs Psychological Perspectives	Meeting individual Care and Support needs Psychological Perspectives

Example of skill progression

Students will begin by developing the ability to demonstrate conceptual and practical knowledge of topics in health and social care such as physical and cognitive development or principles of physical care. They should then be able to demonstrate an understanding of aspects of a topic by applying the knowledge to a range of social and health care contexts. Finally, students should progress on to the ability to analyse and evaluate information related to health and social care. Students should make connections between theories/models and professional practice in the health and social care sector. 

 

Careers and progression

Qualification pathways 

The department has responded to student requirements and changed the offer to include the Level 3 BTEC in Health and Social Care, and will be offering the Level 2 BTEC in Health and Social Care next year.

This qualification will enable students to progress to a degree or to employment in the health and social care sector.

Example of successful progressions

Previous students of the school have progressed on to various forms of childcare and nursing including roles in adult mental health nursing and early years teaching.

Examples of links to Gatsby benchmark 4 (Linking curriculum to careers) 

Case studies of professional care home worker

Case studies of professional nursery worker

Examples of link to Gatsby benchmark 5 (encounters with employers)

Trip to local care home

Employability skills

Empathy, working with others, communication, problem solving, analysis & evaluation, leadership.

Extra-Curricular Activities:

As part of this course students should seek to spend some time working in a care-type environment, such as a Special Needs Department in a school, a nursery or an elderly care home, for example.