Health and Social Care
Intent and rationale
Students at the Mandeville School are given the opportunity to be successful in Health & Social Care at the beginning of KS4, as one of their GCSE options subjects. The Health & Social Care curriculum aims to introduce students to the fundamental aspects of children’s growth and development, from birth to 5 years. We follow the Pearsons BTEC specification for Health & Social Care, and this is split into 3 components.
Component 1 is studied at the start of Year 10 and covers topics such as human growth and development across all of the life stages, PIES and the factors that impact on growth and development, such as mental health, nutrition and how individuals deal with these. In Component 2 students’ knowledge and skills are developed as they learn about how individuals deal with life events such as health conditions, the obstacles people face and what services there are so they can be supported to access these. These are assessed with controlled assessments (PSA’s) at the end of each component. Building on this, Component 3 is studied in Year 11 and covers topics such as factors that affect health and wellbeing, interpreting health indicators and the person-centred approach.
For students to achieve their potential, there is a synoptic exam to sit at the end of the course in Year 11. Throughout each component, students will be introduced to a range of concepts, such as Physical, Intellectual, Emotional and Social development (PIES), which is a vital part of understanding the course, concepts such as the different types of barriers that people face across each life stage, the person-centred approach, along with recommended actions to improve people’s health and wellbeing, which they will learn to understand and apply to their work to achieve and succeed.
At all times in Health & Social Care, we strive to equip pupils to believe in themselves, so we arm them with the knowledge, skills and understanding of key words and terms associated within the health and social care environment. Health & Social Care is important because through the understanding of developmental areas and the factors that affect these, students will develop the essential skills and attributes that will allow them to achieve their goals and be successful in the classroom and beyond. Some of the careers that Health & Social Care can lead to are healthcare assistant, nurse, occupational therapist and midwife.
