BTEC Health and Social Care is a vocationally related qualification, where learners apply their knowledge and skills to work-related contexts. It is an ‘option’ subject which is offered to Sprowston Community Academy students at both key stage 4 and 5. The curriculum covers areas that will impact upon all of our students throughout their lives - this includes growing up, falling ill, starting a family, and experiencing bereavement. Studying Health and Social Care helps students to develop the knowledge and skills that they will need when life events are encountered both now and in the future, helping them to feel prepared and more confident in their ability to cope. In addition, our curriculum provides an insight into the sector that many of our students have aspirations to work in. Health and social care professionals account for nearly one in ten of all paid jobs in the UK and demand for people to fill these vital jobs continues to increase. The health and social care sector is of particular importance in Norfolk, where there is an ageing population and a great demand for services in areas such as mental health.
The Key Stage 4 Health and Social Care curriculum is designed to build upon students’ own life experiences, and prior learning about healthy lifestyles gained in PD, PE, Science and Technology lessons; it aims to build confidence and facilitate a smooth transition from key stage 3 to 4. Students will gain an understanding of how people grow and develop over the course of their life, from infancy to old age, and the different factors that may affect them. They will also learn about how people adapt to these changes, as well as the types and sources of support that can help them. In addition, students will learn about health and social care services and develop skills in applying care values that are common across the sector. Finally, students will learn what being healthy actually means. They will learn to interpret physiological and lifestyle indicators and to design an appropriate plan for improving someone’s health and wellbeing, including the barriers that they may face. The curriculum at Key Stage 4 is designed to develop a passion for Health and Social Care and inspire students to continue with the BTEC National pathway at post-16 and /or to pursue apprenticeships.
At Key Stage 5, students opting for the subject come with a range of experiences; whilst many have studied at key stage 4, an increasing number are opting for Health and Social Care without previous experience of studying the subject. Consequently, care is taken to ensure that new learners, who have gaps in their learning, are supported through introductory lessons which address the fundamental knowledge and skills needed in the subject; this also allows for students with previous experience to recap and build upon existing knowledge and skills. Three pathways are offered: the Extended Certificate, Diploma and Extended Diploma; each provides opportunities for learning of mandatory topics including Human Lifespan Development, Working in Health and Social Care and Meeting Individual Care And Support Needs. In the Diploma and Extended Diploma, further topics including Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care, Enquiries into Current Research in Health and Social Care, Promoting Public Health and Work Experience in Health and Social Care are also studied. Our curriculum is structured to encourage students to develop a passion for Health and Social Care and inspire students to continue in the sector through apprenticeships and higher education. We have many examples of students securing relevant employment opportunities both locally and nationally.
See the curriculum map for a full breakdown of what is taught from Y10-13
In Health and Social Care, formative assessment is used on a day-to-day basis. This includes strategies such as: low stakes quizzing, various questioning techniques, exam practice and practice tasks. Clear and direct feedback, covering common mistakes and misconceptions, is offered to all students via the use of individual verbal feedback and whole class feedback. ‘Time for reflection’ is built into learning time to enable students to act upon feedback and enable teachers to re-teach content where necessary. Summative assessment takes place at topic, unit and course level and as such, takes place at regular intervals throughout KS4 and 5. For theory based lessons, this involves end of topic/unit tests and pre-public examinations. These are assessed by teachers and feedback is again provided to students, providing further formative opportunities with areas of strength and weakness identified alongside next steps / targets for improvement. ’Time for reflection’ is given in lessons to enable students to act upon feedback and enable teachers to re-teach content where it is clear that students have gaps in their knowledge and/or misconceptions that need to be challenged. External examinations take place at the end of the course and these are assessed by the exam board using national grade boundaries. For assignment based lessons, students complete a series of assignments set by the exam board. Students are supported to self-assess and monitor their progress throughout. Upon completion of an assignment, students receive an assignment grade with feedback identifying strengths and weaknesses; where necessary, the opportunity to resubmit is offered.