Health & Social Care

Head of Department – Miss R Fearne

Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact in Health & Social Care

Intent

Introduction to subject

The Health and Social Care department is a forward-thinking department at St Martin’s School. We offer Cambridge National tech award Level 1/2 to students in Years 10 and 11, and BTEC National Extended Certificate to students in Years 12 and 13. The Cambridge National and BTEC courses are vocational in their nature making them ideal for students that are considering a career in the Health and Social Care sector.

Examples of careers that students may wish to pursue include nursing, midwifery, counselling, psychology, care work, speech and language therapy and special educational needs teaching.

Students are encouraged to develop industry specific knowledge and skills and apply them to practical situations by completing coursework / NEA’s in the form of written reports as well as undertaking examinations in some units.

Why is the study of Health and Social Care important?

Health and Social Care creates an interest into lifelong learning in the field of health and social care, an industry that we are all touched by and a part of in some format.  The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted to the global population the importance of a focus on a health and social needs of communities, we are still at the brink of it’s impacts.  The focus on the need for health of our nation, development of new drugs, the mental health impacts of physical illness and lockdowns as well as the social provision needed to support families that have been struck by poor health, grief and financial hardship prove the need for a robust and forward-thinking health and social care industry.

Whilst some students develop an interest into provision available for themselves and their families, many go onto to pursue careers in these ever growing and essential professions.

How does the study of Health and Social Care develop your skills, knowledge and understanding?

Health and Social Care develops real world skills through the use of case studies to plan and analyse individual care.  At Level 3, it also builds a solid base of knowledge in legislation and industry specific codes of conduct allowing students to gain an insight into possible future careers, as well as applying themselves effectively to any job they secure within the industry.

Students at all levels will be required to use interview techniques to build knowledge of individual needs, report writing skills to present information clearly and concisely and effective time management when planning and completing coursework / NEA’s.

Whilst studying health and social care ideally places our students for further progression in the care industry, it also develops transferrable skills to many other areas of study and employment. The use of empathy is essential when managing or working with others in all industries. Detailed note taking and the ability to produce high quality written work underpins most areas of study and career progression. An understanding of human growth and development and the impacts on this is critical for everyone to develop an understanding of their own personal growth and development, as well as that of their families on a physical, intellectual, emotional and social level.

How are students assessed in Health and Social Care?

At Level 1/2 students are assessed across 3 components as part of the Cambridge National tech Award:

RO32 Principles of care in health and social care settings – External examination

RO33 Supporting individuals through life events – NEA (Non-Examined Assessment)

RO34 Creative and therapeutic activities / RO35 Health promotion campaigns – NEA (Non-Examined Assessment)

 

At Level 3 students are assessed across 4 units as part of the Btec National qualification:

Unit 1: Human Lifespan Development – External examination

Unit 2: Working in Health and Social Care – External examination

Unit 5: Meeting Individual Care and Support Needs – Internal coursework (verified externally)

Unit 11: Psychological Perspectives – Internal coursework (verified externally)

How does Health and Social Care support learning in other areas of the curriculum?

Health and Social Care supports students in developing a wide range of knowledge associated with the PSHCE/PRE curriculum through sensitive discussion and analysis of sensitive issues that involve individuals, specific groups of society such as adolescents as well as society as a whole, for example the impacts of religion, culture or poverty on human growth and development.  It also helps to develop essay and report writing skills as well as GPS used in English, and other subjects that require extended writing.  Health and social care students are supported in learning how to analyse data and read a variety of charts containing medical information or research, which are required in maths and science.

How can students extend and deepen their knowledge in Health and Social Care?

Students are encouraged to carry out primary and secondary research to support their studies in Health and Social Care.  We have a list of suggested reading which includes fiction and non-fiction books such as ‘This is going to hurt’ by Adam Kay, as well as suggested documentaries and films such as ‘Five-feet apart’ which provide insight into different experiences of people that either use or are involved in the provision of health and social care.  Many of the topics we refer to in lessons are topical, so an interest in the news and current affairs is of great significance and will enable students to maintain an up-to-date working knowledge of the developments and progress of the industry that we are focussed on.

How does Health and Social Care link to the world of work?

Health and Social Care is a vocational qualification that directly links to a huge range of careers in the Health and Social Care industry.  Students will develop the skills needed to produced professional reports and analyse case studies that encourage learners to work empathetically and efficiently to support the individual needs of a host of different service users.  Many students continue their studies in the field of Health and Social Care and ultimately work towards careers such as nursing, midwifery, counselling, psychology, special education needs and early years teaching, paramedic science.

How does Health and Social Care link to the three strands of our core values?

Traditional values are embedded throughout the health and social care course, underpinned by the 6C’s in nursing and the care values applied throughout the health and social care industry.  Students learn to embed these values, not only in their written work or responses to case studies, but on a practical level through working with others in lesson time and beyond with empathy and consideration when faced with challenging and emotive topics.

The vocational nature of studying health and social care at all levels means that students are learning for the future in a range of industry specific careers. Students are able to access jobs within the care industry directly with Btec and OCR National qualifications, or are ideally suited to higher education with many of our students progressing to careers such as nursing, midwifery, counselling or childcare.

All health and social care students are encouraged to strive for outstanding personal achievement, which will present itself in different forms for different students.  Some of our students have an incredibly personal journey, reflecting upon their lives and how the health and social care industry has supported them and their families to date, others are forward thinking and have a set career in mind which they are focussed on developing specific skills for.  All students develop confidence and an articulate way to present themselves and their ideas in professional settings and an understanding of their role in society and the positive impact that they can have on their own lives and the lives of others through lifestyle choices and the ability to understand emotional development.

Implementation

Clear learning intentions ensure Health and Social Care students secure a firm understanding of the assessment requirements for coursework/NEA tasks and examination units that mean that students are regularly contributing towards their final grade.  Understanding of these intentions is built upon and assessed through regular use of retrieval practice and questioning for understanding.  The knowledge that students are consistently building upon and being assessed in, leads directly to industry specific qualifications, ideally placing our students on a positive path for a future career in the health and social care industry.

Targeted exam questions are regularly used for retrieval practice to ensure that Health and Social Care students, not only develop a deep and long term understanding of the concepts covered, but are also secure in their understanding of how to apply their knowledge to their examination units.

The feedback loop is consistently evident in Health and Social Care lessons with students confident in taking part in think, pair, share and cold calling activities which require all students to actively contribute in class discussions at a level they are comfortable with, but also stretched and challenged.

Students are encouraged to reflect upon their work and make improvements to ensure that they are consistently challenged to be the best that they can be.

Students develop an understanding of the importance of teamwork in Health and Social Care by building multidisciplinary teams and a wide range of positive communication techniques.

Students are versatile in their learning, conducting interviews of others, writing professional reports and analysing case studies independently.  Resilience is developed whilst working with complex and delicate areas of study.

Health and Social Care students develop honesty and empathy through discussing sensitive topics in growth and development.  Students interview others about their life experiences, work with case studies and also with other students to lead creative and therapeutic activities.

Impact

Students of Health and Social Care at St Martin’s have progressed to careers or further study in nursing, midwifery, pharmaceutical studies, psychology, counselling and early years.  All students leave St Martin’s with industry specific skills that allow them to thrive in the health and social care sector, this includes, but is not limited to, a comprehensive understanding of holistic health, with particular focus on the intrinsic link between physical and mental health and a thorough understanding of relevant legislation and its application in the sector.  Our students are confident and capable professionals that are eager to embark upon the next step in their journey towards a fulfilling career and making a real impact in an ever developing and essential industry.