Health and Social Care

The BTEC Tech Award is a practical introduction to life and work in Health and Social Care, allowing students to develop their understanding of the sector and to see whether it’s an industry they’d like to have a career in.

The main learning focus is on four areas of equal importance.

Students will:

• Develop key skills that prove aptitude in health and social care such as interpreting data to assess an individual’s health.
• Learn the process that underpins effective ways of working in health and social care, such as designing a plan to improve an individual’s health and wellbeing.
• Develop the attitudes that are considered most important in health and social care, including the care values that are vitally important in the sector, and the opportunity to practise applying them.
• Learn the knowledge that underpins effective use of skills, process and attitudes in the sector such as human growth and development, health and social care services, and factors affecting people’s health and wellbeing.

The course is assessed primarily through practical tasks where students apply their knowledge to work-related contexts. Components 1 and 2 are assessed by the completion of Pearson Set Assignments, projects completed in exam conditions. Components are sequenced in order as they build on each other allowing students to develop in confidence.

Firstly students ‘explore’, then ‘develop’, lastly ‘apply’ their knowledge to real life scenarios. Interleaving supports students in applying knowledge in different contexts.

Component three is a synoptic unit, assessed by examination drawing together knowledge from the entire course.

Given the context of the school where there are a high proportion of PP and SEND students, adaptive teaching to support all students to succeed is a priority. Assessment is broken down into manageable chunks and literacy development is supported with an emphasis on key vocabulary and scaffolds which support effective structure to written reports. Where possible links to British Values and SMSC are made.  For example, in the topic of care values, respect and tolerance is promoted as well as the use of diverse role models.

In order to challenge students and prepare them for the world of work, more than the specification is taught to students, giving a depth of learning that will engage students and prepare them for study and employment beyond Level 2 study. Students will be given opportunities to work with health care professionals and to discover first-hand the way real health care services operate. The subject prepares students to succeed in the workplace.