Health and Social Care
Back to Subjects MenuWhat is the Intent of the Health and Social Care Curriculum?
The intent of the Health and Social Care curriculum is to provide students with a rich, in depth understanding of how to care for individuals with a range of needs within a health and social care setting. Students will gain knowledge of safe practice, care values and the challenges clients with illnesses and disabilities face. The curriculum is designed to give students a valuable insight of working in a health and social care setting and to provide students with hands-on experience whilst learning a plethora of transferable skills which create a pathway to University or directly into roles in the Health and Social Care sector.
The Health and Social Care curriculum is a spiral curriculum in which units are taught in a sequence to build on and develop student knowledge and skills. The range of units studied will enable students to gain practical skills to deliver compassionate care as well as build vocational knowledge and vocabulary to prepare students for further education or work in the Health and Social Care industry. This is particularly important following the pandemic and the skill shortage within this vital sector. At KS4 students pay particular attention to the care values and the development of humans through the different life stages. Once students have this as their foundation, we are then able to build on practical skills and developing deep subject knowledge. Students will continue their learning journey into Year 11 and focus on health and wellbeing.
The course offers a combination of hands-on practical skills from understanding the way children play to the importance of technical medical skills such as taking blood pressures. Students are assessed through external and internal assignments.
KS4 begins with human lifespan development and continues with care values and healthy living. Students will investigate how, in real situations, human development is affected by different factors and that people react differently to various life events. The units will look at economic and lifestyle factors in relation to development. Students will also develop this further by exploring the impact of life events, both positive and negative. The course also investigates and offers reasoned views about moral and ethical issues and ability to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others on these issues. Throughout the course students investigate services available in the local area and how easily accessible these are. Students will assess how they impact on people’s lives and what could prevent someone from accessing a service. In the final unit students examine the factors that affect health and wellbeing and learn about physiological and lifestyle indicators, and how to design a health and wellbeing improvement plan.
KS5 is broken down into a Single Award, Double Award and Triple Award depending on the pathway chosen by the student. The course offers an in-depth range of units which are designed to be a pathway to university or straight into industry. The vocational course offers the opportunity for real-life hands-on experience along with additional courses running alongside giving them greater opportunity and knowledge of the Health and Social Care sector.
By the end of the course students will have studied up to a maximum of 13 units covering different elements of health and social care as well as enrichment opportunities and links to the community. Unit 2 encourages students to get hands-on experience and a deeper understanding of different roles within the industry alongside the work experience as part of Unit 6. Our curriculum has been designed to fully prepare students for the next level of study and or employment locally and beyond.
