Ysgol Stanwell School

Health and Social Care, and Childcare

Are you interested in a career in:

• • Nursing?
  • Midwifery?
  • Occupational Therapy?
  • Early Years Care?
  • Working with people with additional needs?
  • Speech and Language Therapy?
  • Social Work?
  • Caring for the Elderly?
  • Or any other Health, Social Care or Early Years profession?

What is Health and Social Care?

Health and Social Care, and Childcare is offered as an A Level and GCSE subject at Stanwell School. It offers a broad introduction to key concepts, skills and ideas that will be useful if you are considering a career in these areas. The aims of the course are to encourage you to:

• Develop and sustain an interest in health, social care, childcare and education.
• Acquire knowledge and understanding of issues affecting the health, social care and childcare sectors.
• Develop skills that will enable you to make an effective contribution to the care sector including skills of communication, research, evaluation and problem solving in a work related context.
• Apply knowledge, understanding and skills in a health, social care or childcare environment and prepare for further study and training.

Health and Social Care, and Childcare is compatible with any subject but combines well with sciences, social sciences and humanities. As it is an applied subject, most of the course is assessed through non exam assessment and will focus on how you can apply the skills and knowledge you have gained in a practical setting. There are opportunities throughout the course to visit health, social care and childcare settings and we will often invite visitors into lessons to speak to you about their role.

Prospects

There are over 300 careers associated with this course including midwifery, nursing, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, radiographers, health informants, specialists for adults and children with additional needs, social work, community services, environmental health, child care workers and primary school teachers to name but a few. Our aim is to develop teamwork, communication, planning and research skills, all of which are needed in employment.

GCSE Health and Social Care and Childcare (single award)

This is a new specification that has been created as part of the new suite of qualifications created by City and Guilds and WJEC for first teaching from September 2019 and first award in Summer 2021. More information about the changes to the qualifications in this sector can be found at www.healthandcarelearning.wales
The single award specification consists of 2 units.

Unit 1: Human Growth, Development and Well-being

Students will learn about human development across the life cycle, helping them to understand how individuals grow and develop and the factors that influence this. They will also consider the relationship between physical and mental health and well-being and gain knowledge and understanding of the support that is available to help improve these areas. Students will look at how individuals can take responsibility for their own health and well-being and how this contributes towards the development of the health, social care and childcare systems in Wales. This is a written examination that is worth 40% of the GCSE qualification.

Unit 2: Promoting and Maintaining Health and Well-Being

This unit is comprised of 2 internally assessed assignments that make up 60% of the GCSE qualification. In the first assignment students produce a report investigating local and national service provision to meet the needs of a specific group as well as analysing the job roles of two key professionals within the sector. The second assignment requires students to investigate a health concern and then design and implement a health promotion campaign for their chosen topic.

AS Health and Social Care

This is also a new specification that has been created as part of the new suite of qualifications created by City and Guilds and WJEC for first teaching from September 2020 and first award in Summer 2022. More information about the changes to the qualifications in this sector can be found at www.healthandcarelearning.wales
Two units are completed for the AS Level qualification; one is assessed internally (non exam assessment) and one is assessed by an exam.

Unit 1: Promoting Health and Well-Being

This unit introduces definitions and concepts of health and well-being and explores how good health and well-being are dependent on a number of factors. It considers trends and patterns in health and the ways in which legislation can be used to promote health and well-being. Students will also learn about methods and approaches to health promotion. This unit is assessed by an externally set exam, which requires students to apply what they have learnt to case studies. It is worth 20% of the full A Level.

Unit 2: Supporting health, well-being and resilience in Wales

In this unit, students will produce a piece of non exam assessment investigating how care and support is provided in Wales. They will consider service provision for a chosen adult, child or young person with a specific need, and how practitioners from different sectors use their skills in their day-to-day work to help support health, well-being and resilience. It is worth 20% of the full A Level.

A Level Health and Social Care – Childcare Pathway

The A Level course builds on what has been learnt at AS but offers the opportunity to study specific aspects of behaviour in more depth. We have opted to follow the Childcare pathway. As with the AS course, two units are studied, one is assessed internally (non exam assessment) and one is assessed by an exam.

Unit 3: Theoretical perspectives of children and young people’s development

In this unit, students will learn about key areas of child development such as cognitive skills and language. They will also look at key psychological perspectives and consider how these can be used to support child development. The unit also covers the importance of play in child development and factors that affect the behaviour of children and young people, as well as how to promote positive behaviour. This unit is assessed by an externally set exam, which requires students to apply what they have learnt to case studies. It is worth 30% of the full A Level.

Unit 4: Supporting the development, health, well-being and resilience of children and young people

This unit is assessed through a piece of non exam assessment. It requires learners to produce an information resource for someone planning a future career in the childcare sector. It includes researching the needs of children and young people, life experiences that can affect their development and support that can be provided. They will also gain an appreciation of how social policy and legislation affect childcare and how the care and support needs of children or young people are met in particular care settings. It is worth 30% of the full A Level.