"They may forget your name, but they will never forget how you made them feel"Maya Angelou
Health and Social Care is one of the largest and fastest growing sectors of employment with 3 million people already working within that industry as our population grows and ages. Therefore, the BTEC Tech Award in Health and Social Care is offered as a vocational subject, which students can opt to take in Year 10 and follow throughout Key Stage 4.
Our world is constantly changing and as society changes, so do the people who populate it. Students will discover the importance of human life from when a person is born to when they are very old and the care values which underpin the provision Health Care Professionals give to those with whom they work to support.
The Health and Social Care department strongly believes that interactive, practical education is important so that the students can observe and take part in activities and this then facilitates the write up of their coursework as they reflect upon the scenarios in which they worked, based on the theories taught. This helps inspire our students to enjoy their learning as they can apply many of the concepts learnt within different real life experiences, cultivating an understanding of the importance of the care values when working with people from infancy through to later adulthood.
Students who follow this subject have the opportunity to work with people in different life stages through enrichment trips where they can demonstrate the skills and knowledge learnt in the classroom. Trips are taken to the on-site nurseries and the primary school, where students work with the younger members of our community and create a learning project which forms the basis of their coursework.
The Bridge School, also on-site, demonstrates to students how to support children and young people with disabilities through alternative forms of communication and modified activities. The staff at the Bridge School give our students lessons on Makaton Sign Language and the Picture Exchange Communication System in preparation for their visits.
HLC has a good link with Haybridge Hall Residential Care Home and students have the chance to look around the facilities designed to keep elderly people living as independently as possible and the care packages the Home can offer. Students meet with the residents of Haybridge and the interaction helps dispel any stereotypes around both age groups, leading to greater community cohesion.
The goal of these visits is to develop young people who are confident in interacting with a variety of people from different age groups. Students are strongly encouraged to undertake a placement within the Health and Social Care sector when completing their Work Experience in Year 10. However, students will develop transferable life skills which can be used successfully in any job sector. By the end of Year 11, students will be able to make more informed choices for further learning either generally or in this sector.
Home learning tasks, such as retrieval practice and quizzes, will strengthen knowledge and understanding of the key components of the Health and Social Care course and identify gaps in their knowledge.
Longer-term projects will support the assignments being completed by the students, such as conducting interviews with friends and/or family members, for the purposes of evidence gathering about different life experiences in different life stages. Students will also need to practice the skills required for the role plays and mini work experiences at home and reflect on how well they felt they demonstrated skills and how they can be improved for the real assignment, which would take place in the classroom.
