Department overview

Health and Social Care provides 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 developing knowledge and competencies for future learning. Students will study the Tech Award at KS4 which is assessed through a combination of external exam and internal set assignments. The research and essay 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 single A level equivalent or choose to combine two single options (Health and Social Care and Mental Health) and achieve the equivalent of two A levels. The increasing complexity of the subject knowledge enables learners to refine their research and essay writing competencies and mirror the study they would complete in higher education.

Key Stage 4 curriculum

Component 1: Human Lifespan Development

Students will explore the different aspects of growth and development across the life stages. Students will 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

Students develop their understanding of the different health and social care services and how people can gain access to them. In addition, the students will gain skills, 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 also 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 vulnerable service users.

Component 3: Health & Wellbeing

Component 3 includes gaining knowledge and learning about the importance of health and well-being. Students will explore the different meanings and definitions of health and will learn to evaluate different lifestyles and choices and how these impact upon our well-being. In addition, students will explore health monitoring and how the healthcare sector can help people achieve positive health outcomes.

Key Stage 5 curriculum

Year 12 BTEC Health and Social Care - Diploma

Unit 1: Human Lifespan Development – externally assessed unit

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 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 19: Nutrition – coursework

This unit is taught to the Diploma students only and 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.

Unit 7: Principles of Safe Practice in Health & Social Care – coursework

This unit is taught to the diploma students only. Students study the legislation, policies and procedures that are implemented in order to safeguard employers, employees and staff in health and social care settings.

Year 13

Unit 2: Working in Health & Social Care – externally assessed

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.

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. They will consider appropriate care pathways and evaluate the impact that the disorders have on service users.

Unit 8 : Promoting Public Health

This unit is taught to Diploma students only. 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.

Unit 4: Enquiries into current research in Health & Social Care – externally assessed

This unit is taught to Diploma student only. 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

Catholic Social Teaching

Health and Social Care teaches all pupils about all individuals and their care. This includes teaching about:

• Care for all individuals is important to understand about dignity, community and participation including social participation for example through the church
• The right to life and for all needs to be met for all individuals, physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially
• The role of charities for example CAFOD and caring for the poor and vulnerable to meet their needs.
• The importance to respect equality and understand discrimination to care for all individuals including relevant legislation to help all poor and vulnerable individuals.

Enrichment opportunities

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 also offer the below:

• Virtual Baby experience – caring for a baby for a weekend
• First aid for KS4 and KS5 – CPR basic training and course with Millie’s Trust for KS5
• Coursework clinics for KS4 and KS5 that run daily throughout the school week
• Anthony Nolan Day – charity fundraising and sign up for KS5

Useful websites

• BBC News Health
• The Guardian Health
• NHS
• Public Health England
• NICE

Careers

The NHS is the fourth largest employer in the world! Our subject provides pathways into a wide variety of career options, including nursing, teaching and education, social care, and provides access to numerous apprenticeships and study options within the NHS. Many of our students go on to careers in: