Vocational Courses

Vocational courses give students the chance to:

• carry out more research of their own
• find out about an area of work which interests them
• take part in work experience, work shadowing or visits
• build their confidence and social skills
• take fewer exams and produce more assignments
  

BTEC First Certificate in Health & Social Care

This is a two year course which students may choose as an option when they make their choice of option in Year 9

It is equivalent to two GCSE passes.

Three units are studied over the two years.  They are:

Unit 1      Communication and Individual Rights within the Health & Social Care Sectors

Unit 2      Individual needs within the Health & Social Care Sector

Unit 3      Human Lifespan Development

All 3 units are coursework, there are no exams.

BTEC First Diploma in Health & Social Care

This is a one year Sixth Form course, equivalent to 4 GCSEs at grade C to A*.

The course is work related and not just theoretical, involving work experience, visits from practitioners visits to Health and Social Care settings, and some training. It will produce valuable experience and skills for students, even if they do not intend to work in the Health and Social Care Sector. It will also give them the equivalent of 4 GCSEs, at grade C or above, which will help them progress to advanced level courses.

The Units studied are:

Unit 1:    Communication and individual Rights within the Health and Social Care Sectors
Unit 2:    Individual Needs within the Health and Social Care Sectors
Unit 3:    Vocational Experience in a Health and Social Care Setting
Unit 5:    Anatomy and Physiology for Health and Social Care
Unit 6:    Human Lifespan Development
Unit 8:    Health and Social Care Services

As/A2 in Health & Social Care

There are three AS units studied in Year 12.

Unit 1 is externally assessed while Unit 2 and 3 are portfolio assessed (coursework)

Unit 1 Effective Caring

This will cover:

• life quality factors
• treating people well
• caring skills and techniques
• services
• access to services
• rights and responsibilities of service users
• risks and safe working

Unit 2 Effective Communication

This involves:

• types of communication
• communication difficulties and strategies to overcome these
• barriers to communication
• factors affecting the effectiveness of communication skills   
• communication when working in teams
• clients and care settings
• feedback research

Unit 3 Health, Illness and Disease

• concepts of health and ill health
• factors affecting health and well-being
• immunisation against disease
• the value of screening

In Year 13 three A2 units will be studied to complete the A Level qualification.

Unit 11    Working in Health and Social Care
Unit 12    Human Development: Facts and Theories, plus an optional unit, to be decided at a later date.