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Rooks Heath School

Rooks Heath School

Strive to be your best

Health and Social Care

At Key Stage 4 students’ study BTEC Level 1/Level 2 Tech Award in Health and Social Care. The Tech Award is equivalent to 1 GCSE. 

Who is the course for?

This qualification is for students who are interested in taking a hands-on course alongside their GCSEs that will offer them an insight into what it is like to work in one of the fastest growing sectors in the UK: Health & Social Care. The course covers some of the fundamental aspects of health and social care, including growth and development, health and social care services and values, and health and wellbeing, giving learners a broad introduction to a sector that transects a wide range of careers from social care and social work to many different branches of healthcare.

The breadth of this course allows students to identify their strengths and interests to help inform next steps in education and training. Using realistic vocational contexts, students will acquire sector-specific knowledge and technical skills, exploring a range of healthcare conditions and social care needs and considering how the different healthcare and social services available can help meet individuals’ needs. They will also study the common barriers to access and obstacles to care. They will learn about physical, lifestyle, social, cultural, economic and environmental factors affecting health and wellbeing and how to make recommendations for improvement using person-centred approach.

The Tech Award combines theory with plenty of practical application, giving students the opportunity to develop key skills relevant to the health and social care sector such as research techniques and measuring physical health, as well as developing their written communication skills as they create health and wellbeing plans. Through the two internally assessed components, students complete realistic tasks and activities that allow them to fully connect knowledge to practice and evidence core knowledge, understanding and skills. This Tech Award complements the more theoretical aspects covered by GCSE Biology or GCSE Psychology, allowing students to apply their knowledge in a vocational context.  

What can it lead to? 

Students who generally achieve at Level 2 across their Key Stage 4 learning might consider progression to: 

  • A Levels as preparation for entry into 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 to enter employment or apprenticeships, or to move on to higher education by studying a degree in aspects of health or social care. 

What will I study? 

Students are required to complete and achieve all three components in the qualification 

  • Component 1 Human Lifespan Development 

  • Component 2 Health and Social Care Services and Values 

  • Component 3 Health and Wellbeing 

Assessment 

The three components in the qualification give students the opportunity to develop applied knowledge and understanding of the health and social care sector, at Levels 1 and 2. 

Components 1 and 2 are assessed through non-examined internal assessment. The non-examined internal assessment for these components has been designed to demonstrate application of the conceptual knowledge underpinning the sector through realistic tasks and activities. Non-examined internal assessment is delivered through set assignments. These assignments are set by Pearson, marked by the subject teacher and moderated by Pearson. 

Component 3 is an external assessment which provides the main synoptic assessment for the qualification. Component 3 builds directly on Components 1 and 2 and enables learning to be bought together and applied to realistic contexts. The external assessment is based on a written assessment that requires learners to demonstrate that they can identify and apply concepts, theories and knowledge from across the whole qualification in an integrated way. The written assessment is marked and graded by Pearson.