Health & Social Care: BTEC Level 3

Intent

Our mission is to stimulate a love of learning and academic enquiry, whilst also providing deep and thorough insight into the health and social care sector.   Students are encouraged to become increasingly independent in their research and learning, whilst also developing a genuine sense of social and moral responsibility.

Introduction 

This qualification aims to provide an introduction to the health and social care sector. It is for students who are interested in learning about the health and social care sector as part of a balanced study programme. It is equivalent to one A Level. The qualification supports access to a range of higher education courses possibly, but not exclusively, in health and social care, if taken alongside further Level 3 qualifications. The mandatory content of the qualification incorporates topics relevant across the health and social care sector. They consist of: “Human Lifespan Development”; “Working in Health and Social Care” and “Meeting Individual Care and Support Needs”.  Students can select one optional unit that covers the biological and sociological topics relevant to the different parts of the sector to support their progression to specialised degree programmes in the sector. Optional units include “Sociological Perspectives”; “Psychological Perspectives” and “Supporting Individuals with Additional Needs”

Examples of cross-curricular links
English:

Non-fiction reading 

Vocabulary strategy

Purpose and audience writing

Mathematics: Reading charts and graphs related to physical and physiological measures including the body mass index and heart rate
Science: Both hard and soft sciences are studies in health and social care. Students will develop  a good knowledge of human biology. They will also study sociological research on health care and demographic patters; and psychological explanations of mental health. 
Humanities: Students will learn about the history  social care and its relationship to the founding of the welfare state. 

 

Examples of Cultural Capital entitlement from NC
  • Presentation of self and self-identity - a big part of social classification
  • Understanding and appreciation of social structures
  • Understanding and appreciation of a wide variety of needs
  • 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.

Get in Touch

To get in touch with Prince William School please click on the link below, or call us on 01832 272881

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