Health & Social Care

Our Curriculum

Health & Social Care is a vocationally related KS4 qualification.  The Health and social care courses will demonstrate the clear crossover between the two, which has led to them being grouped together. Through their studies, pupils will see how social care workers often work alongside healthcare professionals to implement the correct rehabilitation or care plan for sick or vulnerable people.  Health and Social Care allows learners to understand how best to provide care and support for others at different times in their lives. Providing effective care for someone can make a key difference to an individual and offer an amazing sense of reward and fulfillment.  A career in Health & Social Care offers long-term employment prospects, with opportunity for promotion and progression as well as job security.  Did you know that there are over 350 different job roles in the Health and Social Care sector?


Health and Social Care is a relatively new subject at King James Academy.  We wanted to offer a slightly alternative subject to study for our pupils at King James, especially if they were interested in a career where they cared for people.  The department is very small and both teachers delivering have a background in Physical Education as well as the pastoral aspect of education.  Our hope is that we continue to flourish, getting the right pupils choosing the course to prepare them appropriately for Post 16 and beyond.   To view a copy of the OCR CAMNAT Health and Social Care course click here.


Assessment

The course is structured very clearly for GCSE study.  We deliver one unit that will be examined at the end of the second year of teaching (Year 11).  We also study two slightly smaller units which are assessed through coursework material.  The assessed coursework can only be done when the study of the unit is complete and the completion time for the coursework is 10 to 12 hours. The pupils have to complete two pieces of coursework within the two years of study, both being worth 30% of the final grade.  The exam assessment is worth 40% of the final grade.  The units studied are as follows:



Health and Social Care is linked to so many other aspects of the curriculum and wider life and society. Its links with PSHE, Science, Physical Education as well as English (literacy), Geography and Politics are integral to success and passion in this subject. There are many opportunities to experience aspects of health and social care through work experience and possibly part time jobs.  As staff we are constantly looking at how the pupils are progressing; areas they are finding difficult and whether we need to re-evaluate the order and style in which we teach.  As the subject grows it will be important for the staff delivering the subject to enhance their knowledge and understanding by going on training courses as well as improving their network with other schools, colleges and the exam board.