At Trentham Academy we aim to give students the opportunities to develop their knowledge and skillset which can then be applied to their further education and career choices.
What is Health and Social Care?
Health care will incorporate human health and disease and understanding the genetics and risk factors that individuals face; this has a strong link to your GCSE Biology. Health Care course content will include considerations of the different job roles related to patient care. The Social Care aspect of the course will include the activities, services and relationships that help and support people to be independent, active and healthy, from a physiological and mental health point of view.
Is Health and Social Care right for you?
This course is right for you if you want to develop your knowledge about health, social care and the early years. You would apply your learning to the everchanging world we live in and develop an understanding about the career options available to you.
What does the course involve?
Year 9 will give a broad introduction to all the topics covered over Components 1,2 and 3, which will prepare you for the assignments you have to complete in years 10 and 11.
The assignment that you complete for Component 1, which will be started at the beginning of year 10, will help you to understand how people grow and develop across different life stages and how personal relationships and other factors can have a positive or negative impact on individuals.
Some of the topics you will cover include;
- Physical and emotional development across early years through to later years in life
- The impact of social, cultural and economic factors
- How to deal with expected and unexpected life events
- Types of formal and informal support
Component 2 will explore Health and Social Care services and how they meet the needs of people, which include 7 care values. You will also complete an assignment with a practical element (role play).
Some of the topics you will cover include;
- Allied health professionals
- Barriers to people’s health and wellbeing
- Empowering and promoting independence
- Preserving dignity
- Safeguarding and duty of care
Component 3 includes an exam, which will be taken in February of year 11 with an option to re-sit in May. This component will build on the knowledge and skills you have gained from years 9 and 10 and will include how to design a health and wellbeing improvement plan with short and long-term targets.
Some of the topics you will cover include;
- The impact of life events
- Risks to physical health
- Interpreting data on lifestyle
- Obstacles to implementing health care plans
- Barriers to accessing support and different services
After successfully completing this course you can continue your studies at 6th Form College on the National Level 3 Course, Extended Diploma. You could also look to undertake an apprenticeship or employment in a specialised area within the Health, Social care and Early Year’s field.
Jobs that this qualification can help with include;
- Adult care worker
- Occupational therapist
- Children’s nurse
- Children’s social worker
- Victim support worker
- Counsellor
- Probation officer
- Dietician
- Speech therapist
- Educational psychologist
- Social worker
- Healthcare assistant
- Midwife/nurse
- Youth offending team worker
Health & Social care specification
Health & Social Care Department
Mrs A Cooper– Subject Leader
Mrs R Howells – Teacher
