Health & Social Care
Level 1/ Level 2 Vocational Award
Exam Board: Edexcel
Lead Teacher: Mrs A Nimblet-Robinson
This qualification is worth one GCSE and comprises of three components, with two being an internal assignment set by the exam board worth 60% of the qualification, and one being an external exam worth 40% of the overall qualification. Component 3 (Health and Wellbeing) is taught in Year 10 and Year 11 of the course, as students will have the opportunity the exam in January/May of Year 11 once all components are completed.
Components 1 and 2 (Human Lifespan Development and Health and Social Care Services and Values respectively) are extended internal assignments, which are taught in both Y10 and Y11. Students are given an authorised assignment brief known as the Pearson Set Assignment (PSA) as set out by the exam board, whereby they are tasked to extend their prior learning by way of demonstrating their understanding of not only the industry sector as a whole, but by also demonstrating their acquired practical skills to a high level of expertise.
The Component 1 PSA Human Lifespan Development will be completed in the February/April of Year 10 and the Component 2 Social Care Services PSA will be completed in the October/November of Year 11.
Who are we?
Teacher- Mrs A Nimblet-Robinson
What Career?
Students with a qualification in Health and Social Care may go on to study the subject in further education, leading to a range of future career opportunities including:
Accommodation warden, Aid worker, Art therapist, British Sign Language interpreter, Care escort, Care home advocate, Care home manager, Care worker, Careers advisor, Child protection officer, Childminder, Clinical psychologist, Cognitive behaviour therapist, Communication support worker, Community development worker, Community transport driver, Counsellor, Drama therapist, Education welfare officer, Equalities officer, Family mediator, Family support worker, Forensic psychologist, Foster carer, Funeral director, Horticultural therapist, Housing officer, Learning mentor, Life coach, Money Advisor, Music therapist, Nursery worker or manger, Palliative care assistant, Probation officer, Playworker, Play therapist Psychotherapist, Social services manager, Social worker, Social work assistant, Victim care officer, Welfare rights officer, Youth offending team officer and Youth Worker.
Studying Health and Social Care helps to develop a wide range of transferable skills essential to progression and success in life including confidence, presenting skills, ability to work effectively as part of a team, critical thinking and research skills.
Consistency
Planning of lessons are linked to department skills assessments, which allow for consistent and challenging metacognition to be embedded within each focus area.
Student feedback, in the form of regular marking, challenges the students to extend their learning, with a view to firmly and consistently embedding high order thinking skills.
Schemes of learning are regularly and consistently reviewed through recall and retrieval activities, so that students feel confident in their gained knowledge and understanding.
- Books are marked regularly and feedback is given often.
- Students get opportunities to revisit work completed in order to improve its quality.
- High expectations of behaviour.
- Students are treated with respect and dignity.
- Independent learning opportunities presented every lesson.
Closing the Gaps
Revision guides are developed and purchased by each department, to allow the students extend their learning outside of the classroom environment.
Students are mentored and supported throughout of the course, whereby the department internal ‘Quadrant Monitoring Board’ is used to monitor the performances of individual cohorts of learners.
Out of school hour’s intervention sessions are provided and delivered on a weekly basis for Y11 students, where the focus is on targeted cohorts of learners, and their specific needs for support.
Community
We work closely with a number of trust partners, in particular Kirklees College. The Health and Social Care faculty within the college has a specialist nursing ward where all our students get the opportunity to visit and take part in some hands-on experience.
Our students have the opportunity to engage with NHS workshops and have the opportunity of external guest speakers from various Health Care sectors visit.