Health and Social Care

Overview of the Health and Social Care department

Studying Health and Social Care will build confidence and encourage students to achieve their potential academically, in life and in the working world. This course prepares students with the independent study skills required for further and higher education. Studying in a vocational context will broaden horizons and open career opportunities in one of the largest employment sectors in the U.K. Applying the health and social care values will enable the development of skills to contribute effectively to future relationships and within the community.

Meet the Health and Social Care teachers

Curriculum Statement

Key Stage 4

Health and social care is one of the fastest growing sectors in the UK with demand for both health and social care employees continuously rising.In 2019/20, the adult social care sector contributed approximately £41.2 billion a year to the UK economy. Social care employees such as care assistants and social workers work with individuals to support them to be as independent as possible in their own homes, in care homes or nursing homes. Healthcare employees, such as doctors, pharmacists, nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants and physiotherapists, work with individuals to enhance their quality of life by improving their health. Approximately 3 million people are currently employed in the sector. In 2019, it was estimated that by 2035 approximately 2.17 million health and social care job vacancies will need to be filled.

This qualification allows students to apply their learning to a real-life scenario, while demonstrating their skills through practical set tasks and a written exam. This approach encourages students to develop transferable skills to real life settings. 

Students will complete the following three components:

• Component 1: Human Lifespan Development -  gives students the opportunity to study how people grow and develop over the course of their lives, from infancy to old age. They will also look at the factors that may affect growth and development throughout the lifespan, such as lifechanging events like marriage or death of a partner and explore how individuals cope with these changes, as well as investigate the types of support available to help them. 

• Component 2: Health and Social Care Services and Values - students will investigate common services as well as those for specific needs and consider how they may work together to meet individual's needs. Students will examine the barriers to individuals accessing services and how they may be overcome, and explore the skills, attributes and values that are required in health and social care, and their importance in making sure that the people who use these services get the care they need. 

• Component 3: Health and Wellbeing - explores the factors that can have a positive or negative influence on an individual's health and wellbeing. Students will learn to interpret physiological and lifestyle indicators, and what they mean for someone’s state of health, while learning how to use this information to design an appropriate plan for improving someone’s health and wellbeing, including short- and long-term targets. Additionally, students will explore the difficulties an individual may face when trying to make these changes.

View our Health and Social Care KS4 Curriculum Map 

Key Stage 5

The health and social care sector comprise two sub sectors; health care and social care. Health care encompasses all hospital activities, medical nursing homes and GP services, for example. The social care sector includes residential nursing care, residential nursing facilities, residential care facilities, domiciliary care and social work. This qualification aims to introduce study of the sector and is for the students interested in learning about the health and social care sector as part of a balanced study programme.  Students can progress into work in the sector through degree programmes in nursing, midwifery, social work, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and pharmacy, for example. There are more than 300 distinct career paths in this sector. The sector is a major employer, employing almost four million people across the UK

Students will complete the following units:  

• Unit 1: Human Lifespan Development  

• Unit 2: Working in Health and Social Care 

• Unit 5: Meeting Individual Care and Support Needs 

• Unit 12:  Additional Needs 

View our Health and Social Care KS5 Curriculum Map 

What qualifications can be gained?

Key Stage 4

• BTEC Level 1 or 2 Tech Award – equivalent to 1 GCSE 

Key Stage 5 

• BTEC Level 3 Nationals Extended Certificate – equivalent to 1 A Level 

How does Health and Social Care prepare students for the next stage of their education or employment?

Key Stage 4 

Students who generally achieve at Level 2 might consider progression to: 

• A Levels as preparation for entry to higher education in a range of subjects  

• Study of a vocational qualification at Level 3, such as a BTEC National in Health and Social Care, which prepares students to enter employment or apprenticeships, or to move on to higher education by studying a degree in aspects of health or social care.  

For those students who generally achieve at Level 1 might consider progression to: 

• Study at Level 2 post-16 in a range of technical routes designed to lead to work, to progression to employment, to apprenticeships or to further study at Level 3.
• For these students, the attitudes and the reflective and communication skills covered in this qualification will help them achieve further study of health and social care post-16 through the study of a Technical Certificate. 

Key Stage 5

• This Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate is designed primarily to support progression to employment via higher education. Students will be able to choose a wide range of degree programmes to progress to, depending on the other subjects they have chosen. The qualification is carries UCAS points equivalent to one A Level and is recognised by HE providers as contributing to meeting admission requirements to many courses. 
• This qualification also supports students choosing to progress directly to employment as the transferable knowledge, understanding and skills will give successful students an advantage in applying for a range of entry level roles, industry training programmes and Higher Apprenticeships; for example, the Adult Social Care Apprenticeship or the Allied Health Profession Support Apprenticeship. 

More Information

More information about our curriculum can be found by looking at our curriculum overviews