Health and Social Care Curriculum

Why is the study of Health and Social Care Important?

Health and Social Care promotes the understanding of many important issues faced within today’s health and social care systems. It is an academic subject that equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary for further study and work in the health, social care and early years sectors. Health and Social Care at Sirius Academy West covers key areas such as legislation, care values, effective communication, barriers that people in society may face, major life changes and their effects on people’s self-esteem.

About 3 million people work in health and social care in the UK. Health care roles include doctors, pharmacists, nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants, while social care roles include care assistants, occupational therapists, counsellors and administrators. Together, they account for nearly one in ten of all paid jobs available in the UK. Demand for both health and social care is likely to rise as people live longer lives. Therefore, Health and Social Care will continue to play a key role in UK society and the demand for people to carry out these vital roles will increase.

Health and Social Care involves learning key skills that will help with everyday life and caring for others. The key skills in Health and Social Care are; effective communication, first aid, health and wellbeing, understanding legislation. Health and social care is an academic subject with a strong practical element.

Everyone should know basic first aid and be able to perform basic life saving techniques. This an important theme of Health and Social Care and is taught to every person taking this course. The skills of effective communication are also studied in great depth and students learn techniques to help them become more effective listeners and communicators. This is a skill that is vital in all parts of everyday life and will support students in other subjects. 

What will the study of Health and Social Care Teach you?

Health and Social Care at Sirius Academy West aims to teach student skills that will be useful throughout their lives. In year 7 students follow a programme of study in which skills of effective communication and active listening are developed. Students learn the skills of public speaking and debate. Students will also be taught some methods of specialist communication and how they support different groups of people in society.

In year 8 students follow a course which leads to a First Aid Certificate. They are taught skills of emergency first aid to be used if needed in life saving situations. Students will have to demonstrate their aptitude. Students will also learn first aid for common health conditions.

In year 9 students follow a programme of study based around life stages. They will study the PIES characteristics of each life stage and the impact of this. Students will be taught about common health conditions affecting each life stage and values of care.

KS4 students follow the OCR Cambridge National Certificate in Health and Social Care. Students complete four units of study, three are coursework based and one is exam based. The units of study are; effective communication, first aid, understanding body systems and disorders and essential values of care.

As well as the specific subject knowledge gained from studying Health and Social Care, students will develop many transferable and work-related skills that are highly valued by employers and which will help them in other subjects. For example students are taught to;

• analyse and evaluate information
• communicate effectively with individuals and groups
• produce accurate records and make informed decisions
• think logically and propose solutions
• put together well-judged arguments and question assumptions
• manage time, learn independently and use ICT effectively
• work as part of a team and take on responsibility
• write concisely, clearly and accurately
• interpret, use and evaluate data
• relate knowledge gained to situations in health and social care.

How does the study of Health and Social Care support your study in other subjects?

Health and Social care has close links with Science, English, Food Technology and Physical Education.

Science and Physical Education links – The structure and function of major organ systems of the human body are studied in Health and Social Care. This is linked to possible conditions that can occur if the organ systems do not correctly function or if lifestyle choices impact negatively on the function of the organ system. First Aid is also linked closely to the impact on the function of the body.

English – Health and Social Care teaches methods to improve effective communication. Students look at active listening and the impact on communication. Students study the impact of body language, facial expression, clarity, pace and tone. Specialist methods of communication and adapting language for different audiences are also studied. Students learn how to improve presentation of information and public speaking using techniques such as SOLER.

Technology – Health and social care teaches about the digestive system and some conditions affecting this, such as IBS and coeliac disease.

Key assessment objectives

At Sirius Academy West, students in Key Stage 3 are assessed throughout each year. The assessments ensure that students are continually building their subject specific knowledge and understanding in preparation for the Key Stage 4 course. In Key stage 4 students are assessed at the end of each unit by OCR. They are assessed using both examination and coursework methods. Within Health and Social Care lessons at Sirius Academy West, students are regularly assessed by their teacher in preparation for the external assessments. Student’s progress and attainment are mapped to help support each individual in achieving their target grade.

How can the study of Health and Social Care support you in the future?

Level 2 Health and Social care leads to courses at post 16 level, students can choose to continue to study Health and Social care style courses such as;
Level 3 Health and Social Care
Level 3 Early Years

These courses are available to be equivalent to either 1,2 or 3 A-Levels, depending on whether the student wishes to study other subjects alongside the course. Following Post 16 Health and Social Care courses, students can apply for university courses, including nursing, youth work, early childhood studies, primary teaching, psychology and social work.
Students also go on to study academic A-Levels. Students can choose any subject at A-Level, but those particularly linked to Health and Social Care are; Biology, Physical Education, Sports Science, Psychology, Criminology, Sociology and Law.
Apprenticeships are available in health, social care and early years for students at post 16. These range from early years practitioners, to carers and health care apprenticeships. Apprenticeships involve the student attending college for part of the week to complete qualifications and working for part of the week, gaining experience in a setting.
The NHS (National Health Service) is the largest employer in Europe (over one million employees); however, many private institutions also employ people in the healthcare arena. A large amount of these people are doctors, dentists, paramedics, nurses and midwives, but others are working within managerial, I.T. and administration work. There are many different specialist careers available within the healthcare system, including: clinical support staff, surgeons and new-born hearing screeners; allied health professionals, such as radiographers and orthoptists; and specialist therapy staff, such as occupational therapists, speech therapists and art therapists.

There are many different paths to take when pursuing a career in social care. Social care work can be done in a variety of different environments: in people’s own homes, in residential care units, in shelters for the homeless, and in young offender institutions. However, people tend to specialise in one area, which is defined by the kind of service users they work with and their specific type of social issues, such as domestic violence, asylum, or mental health.

Social workers support service users with critical social needs. They assess the specific needs of individuals and offer them expert advice and support. They also work closely with social care workers and direct them in what extra specialist care the service user should receive. Social care workers tend to be more actively involved with providing personal and hands-on care to service users. The professionals employed in this area of work include: people who provide physical support for people with mobility issues, counsellors who provide mental health advice and support, and advisors who support people who foster children.

Health and Social Care can also lead to careers in childcare, for example teaching, nursery nurse, childminder etc.

Health and Social care Overview

At Key Stage 3 students follow an 18 week course each year before moving on to study either Food or Technology

At Key Stage 4 students, complete OCR Level 2 Cambridge National Certificate in Health and Social care.

At Key Stage 5 students, complete OCR Level 3 Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate in Health and Social Care (equivalent to 1 A-level) or OCR Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care (equivalent to 2 A-Levels)

Year 12 Programme of study

Year 13 Programme of study

View Health & Social Care Sequencing