Health and Social Care
Vision
To get students to critically consider the development of individuals and the impact that lifestyle and care can have on health and wellbeing.
Overview
The BTEC Tech Award in Health & Social Care is a vocational qualification designed to give students a strong understanding of the health and social care sector. The course is structured into three components and is studied across Years 10 and 11.
In Year 10, students focus primarily on Component 1: Human Lifespan Development. This component explores the different stages of human development across the lifespan looking specifically at PIES development. Students then examine factors that can affect growth and development, such as life events & lifestyle choices. Finally they look at types of support available to help individuals adapt. Learning takes place through a mixture of teacher-led input, group discussion, case study analysis, and independent written tasks. Students are assessed through internally set coursework assignments, completed in class under supervised conditions, which allow them to apply their knowledge to realistic scenarios while developing vocational writing skills.
In Year 11, students complete Component 2, further developing their understanding of health and social care services and the core values that underpin effective. Classroom learning continues to be highly applied, with students engaging in research tasks, scenario-based learning, and extended written responses. Assessment for this component is also internally assessed coursework, enabling students to demonstrate their understanding through structured assignments.
Students also study Component 3: Health and Wellbeing in Year 11, which is externally assessed through a written examination. Lessons for this component focus on understanding health indicators, factors that influence health and wellbeing, and how to design a health and wellbeing improvement plan for an individual. Learning includes exam-style questioning, interpretation of data, guided practice, and revision activities to prepare students for the demands of the external assessment.
At GCSE we follow a BTEC National course from Pearson Edexcel:
