Exam Board: OCR

Course name: OCR NATIONAL LEVEL 3

General Information

Cambridge Technicals have been developed by OCR building on our link with the University of Cambridge and the Cambridge Approach to assessment and its reputation for offering creative and inspiring vocational qualifications. The Cambridge Nationals in Sport Studies take a more sector-based focus, whilst also encompassing some core sport/Physical Education themes. Students have the opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge about different types of sport and physical activity, skills development and sports leadership to their own practical performance. They will learn about contemporary issues in sport such as funding, participation, ethics and role models, and sport and the media. Students will develop an appreciation of the importance of sport locally and nationally, different ways of being involved in sport and of how this shapes the sports industry.

Course Outline & Assessment

Unit 1- Anatomy & Physiology– Examined unit

Unit 2- Sports Coaching & Leadership– Practical & Coursework based

Unit 3- Sports Organisation & Development– Practical & Coursework based

Unit 4- Organisation of a Sports Event– Practical & Coursework based

Course Content

Unit 1– Anatomy & Physiology

This unit will support you to develop an understanding of the major body systems related to exercise such as the skeletal, muscular, cardiovascular, respiratory and energy systems is a crucial step for anyone aspiring to work in the sports industry. This unit will enable learners to know the structure of each of these systems and understand the role and function they take on as the body starts to exercise.

Unit 2– Sports Coaching & Leadership

The purpose of this unit is to show learners how varied the role and responsibilities of a coach can be and how they can impact on an athlete’s performance and even their career. It will also show learners how a variety of methods and techniques need to be used by a coach in order to ensure that they are getting the best out of their athletes.

Unit 3– Sports Organisation & Development

This unit will also examine the various factors which either influence or hinder sports participation. Determinants such as ethnicity, gender and socio-economic groupings are also identified as barriers to sports participation.

Unit 4– Organisation of a Sports Event

The unit enables learners to practically apply theoretical knowledge in planning and delivering a sports event. Taught content and summative assessment develop team work and communication skills whilst highlighting the importance of effective planning and organisation. Learners will plan, run and evaluate an event of their own choosing within the constraints of time, budget and institute resources. Events can vary in scale from sports quizzes, coaching mornings and tournaments to larger scale fundraising events, competitions or inter-form competitions. The unit will help the leaner to understand the implications and considerations of running a sports event.

Careers and Higher Education Opportunities:

How will I be assessed?

Assessment is primarily by portfolio building but will include a mandatory examination unit and some practical assessments and presentations. There is a substantial amount of theory which is backed up by practical pathways.

Extra-curricular enrichment opportunities

Students are provided with extensive support from teachers, in order to complete their assessments. Students may be requested to complete additional work at home from time to time, however they are asked to use college time effectively. The Post 16 Library is available to enhance research and studying and electronic resources are available online. Regular support sessions will be available at lunchtimes, after school and break times throughout the course to help students with homework, projects and exam preparation.

Where can you get more information?

http://www.ocr.org.uk

Exam Board: Edexcel

Course name: EDEXCEL BTEC Health & Social Care Level  

General Information

You will enjoy this course if you would like to develop:

• A broad understanding of the Health & Social care sector
• Skills as well as technical knowledge
• An awareness of particular groups and their needs by focusing on health, Early Years (care and education), care of older people, or individuals with specific needs.
• You will study aspects of Human Development, Social policy and Health and Safety Law.

The course contains considerably vocational content and we encourage all students to conduct work experience to bring the subject to life

Course Outline

Edexcel BTEC Level 2

The Level 2 BTEC in Health and Social Care is a full-time programme validated by Edexcel. You will study 3 mandatory units and 1 optional unit to complete the course. One of these is an externally examined unit and will assess your knowledge and understanding of human lifespan development. The remaining units are coursework assignments which relate to a range of health and social care issues and practices.
Course Outline

Mandatory Units (up to 6 from the following)

Human Lifespan Development (Exam)
Health and Social Care Values (Coursework)
Communication in Health and Social Care (Coursework)
Social Issues (Coursework)

Careers and Higher Education Opportunities

Recent students have gone onto Level 3 courses in Health and Social Care, Childcare and Sociology.

Where can you get more information?

www.edexcel.com

www.nhs.uk

Extra-curricular enrichment opportunities

Regular support sessions will be available at lunchtimes, after school and break times throughout the course to help students with homework, projects and exam preparation.

Exam Board: Edexcel

Course name: EDEXCEL BTEC Health & Social Care (Single or Double award) 

General Information

You will enjoy this course if you would like to develop:

A broad understanding of the Health & Social care sector

Skills as well as technical knowledge

An awareness of particular groups and their needs by focusing on health, Early Years (care and education), care of older people, or individuals with specific needs.

You will study aspects of Science, Sociology, Psychology, Social policy and Health and Safety Law.

The course contains considerably vocational content and we encourage all students to conduct work experience to bring the subject to life

Course Outline

Edexcel BTEC Level 3

The Level 3 BTEC in Health and Social Care is a two-year, full-time programme validated by Edexcel. You will study up to 6 mandatory and 2 optional units over the 2-years. Two of these are externally examined units and there will also be a coursework task that is set and marked by the board; these are fundamental to your programme of study. The remaining units are coursework assignments which relate to a range of health and social care issues and practices.

Mandatory Units (up to 6 from the following)

1. Human Lifespan Development (Exam)
2. Working in Health and Social Care (Exam)
3. Enquiries into Current Research in Health & Social Care (external CWK task – Diploma only)
4. Meeting Individual Care and Support Needs (internally assessed CWK)
5. Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care (internally assessed CWK)
6. Promoting Public Health (internally assessed CWK)

Optional Units (2 from the following internally assessed units)

1. Work Experience in Health and Social Care Supporting Individuals with Additional Needs
2. Sociological Perspectives Physiological Disorders
3. Psychological Perspectives Nutritional Health

Careers and Higher Education Opportunities

Recent students have taken degrees in Nursing, Social work, teaching and midwifery.

Where can you get more information?

www.edexcel.com

www.nhs.uk

Extra-curricular enrichment opportunities

Regular support sessions will be available at lunchtimes, after school and break times throughout the course to help students with homework, projects and exam preparation.

Exam Board: AQA A
Course name: AS /A2 Sociology 

General Information

Sociology is the study of society! Sociology enables students to think critically about how we affect society and how society affects us. Sociology opens the doors to many different careers. The course will help students to gain a critical understanding of the society in which we live. Sociology is taught using a variety of methods including group work, lecturing and personal research. The type of person who will enjoy Sociology will be someone who enjoys being challenged by new ideas and who likes discussion work, even though discussion only forms part of the subject. There is a lot of reading, writing and individual research to do and for anyone who is interested in the world about us, there is much that is exciting to be discovered.

Course Outline

Year 1
Assessment: The course is 100% examination based.

For the award of an AS Level in Psychology, students must complete the following 2 exam papers successfully:

Paper 1: Education – What is the role of education? Which groups in society achieve best and why (50% of AS level)

Paper 2: Culture and Identity and research methods– Different conceptions of culture, including subculture, mass culture, high and low culture, popular culture, global culture. What is Socialisation and the process of Socialisation (50% of AS level)

Assessment: Two 1 ½ hour written examinations. Each of the above papers is worth 50% of the AS
Level qualification (they will no longer count towards the overall A Level qualification).

Year 2

In Year 13 the students do a further year of study and preparation for the full A level in the subject.

Paper 1: Education with theory and methods– What is the role of education and the functions of the education system and examine research methods. (33% weighting)

Paper 2: Different conceptions of culture, including subculture, mass culture, folk cultures.

Paper 3: Social Stratification– How is wealth, status and power shared? Does class affect our life chances?

Careers and Higher Education Opportunities

The Sociology course offers variety, is up-to-date and relevant, giving you a good sense of what Sociology is about and providing a sound basis for progression to further and higher education or to employment. The qualification will enable you to move on to further study and is particularly useful if you want to carry on studying AS/A Level Sociology and related subjects in the Humanities e.g. Law, Media Studies etc. Sociology is a good general subject for students because many professional careers, including medicine, law, teaching and business require students to have some knowledge of Sociology and social theory.

Extra-curricular enrichment opportunities

Regular support sessions will be available after school during some school holidays to help students with homework, projects and exam preparation. Students are often invited to attend University Masterclasses to prepare them for University level study and to support A Level attainment.

Understanding the New A Levels

Based on the recent government changes, this course will teach AS level content alongside the full A Level requirement during Year 1. At the end of the year, all students will sit the AS level exam. All students securing appropriate grades at AS Level, who have the desire and aptitude to continue to study for the full A Level, will then complete the second year of the course.

Under the new curriculum changes, the AS Level qualification no longer counts towards the full A Level qualification and will be worth 40% of a full A Level in all subjects.

The full A Level qualification is an entirely separate qualification and the grade for this will be based solely on students’ performance in the three examinations at the end of the second year of the course. Each A Level Sociology exam paper will last 2 hours. Two of the papers contain content from the AS Level qualification however the topics will be examined at a higher level of comprehension and analysis than in the AS Level qualification.

Exam Board: AQA

Course name: AS /A2 Psychology 

General Information

Psychology is the science of human mind and behaviour. The idea of ‘the mind’ has only been in existence for just over 100 years, so our knowledge and understanding is still at an early stage but is growing all the time. Every day more research is being published to give us insight, understanding and a clearer vision of who we are, and why we do what we do. This makes it an exciting and dynamic subject that is highly relevant to all.

In addition to the specific subject knowledge that students gain, Psychology equips students with a wide range of transferable skills that are highly valued in many professions; skills such as analytical skills, critical thinking, the ability to convince and debate, as well as the ability to write good essays and use numerical data to support arguments.

During this course you will learn about a wide variety of human behaviours. For instance you will develop an understanding of how the memory works, why we forget and how we can improve the accuracy of Eye Witness Testimony for crimes and other incidents. You will understand the relevance of the bond between a child and its parents and how neglect can impact upon a child’s development. In other areas you’ll understand why humans conform, obey and disobey in order to help us to understand aspects of social history such as the holocaust and so we may achieve greater equality for minority groups in order to build a more inclusive society. You’ll learn about the causes and treatments of psychological illnesses such as stress, depression and schizophrenia alongside studying human relationships, aggression and the science that underpins all of psychological research. It really is a fascinating and varied course of study.

Course Outline

Assessment: The course is 100% examination based.

Year 1

For the award of an AS Level in Psychology, students must complete the following 2 exam papers successfully:

Paper 1: Introductory Topics in Psychology – Social Influence, Memory and Attachments.

Paper 2: Psychology in Context – Approaches in psychology, psychopathology, research methods

Assessment: Two 1 ½ hour written examinations. Each of the above papers is worth 50% of the AS Level qualification (they will no longer count towards the overall A Level qualification).

Year 2

In Year 13 the students do a further year of study and preparation for the full A level in the subject.

Paper 1: Introductory Topics in Psychology – Social Influence, Memory, Attachments and Psychopathology

Paper 2: Psychology in Context – Approaches in psychology, biopsychology and research methods

Paper 3: Issues and Options in Psychology – Issues and debates in psychology, relationships, schizophrenia and aggression.

Careers and Higher Education Opportunities

Some examples of the kinds of professions that value Psychology qualifications include:

Law, Education, Social Work, Police, Nursing, Medicine, Prison Service, Business and Marketing, Finance, Research and Government. Students can also go on to obtain further qualifications in Psychology in order to become Clinical, Educational, Occupational or Research Psychologists

Extra-curricular enrichment opportunities

Regular support sessions will be available after school during some school holidays to help students with homework, projects and exam preparation. Students are often invited to attend University Masterclasses to prepare them for University level study and to support A Level attainment.

Understanding the New A Levels

Based on the recent government changes, this course will teach AS level content alongside the full A Level requirement during Year 1. At the end of the year, all students will sit the AS level exam. All students securing appropriate grades at AS Level, who have the desire and aptitude to continue to study for the full A Level, will then complete the second year of the course.

Under the new curriculum changes, the AS Level qualification no longer counts towards the full A Level qualification and will be worth 40% of a full A Level in all subjects.

The full A Level qualification is an entirely separate qualification and the grade for this will be based solely on students’ performance in the three examinations at the end of the second year of the course. Each A Level Psychology exam paper will last 2 hours. Two of the papers contain content from the AS Level qualification however the topics will be examined at a higher level of comprehension and analysis than in the AS Level qualification.

Exam Board: Pearson

Course Name: Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Applied Psychology

General Information

This course enables students to focus on developing an understanding of human behaviour. Students will use this knowledge to undertake their own research and demonstrate patterns of behaviour in certain situations. Students have the opportunity to develop a meaningful understanding of how behaviours contribute to individual’s health and wellbeing. This knowledge helps to prepare students for a range of occupations in the future.

Course Outline

The course is made up of a range of internal and external assessments. Units 1, 2 and 3 are mandatory and must be studied. However unit 4 is optional. All units must be delivered in a sequenced manner as they all build upon previous knowledge and understanding.

The units are delivered and assessed in the following manner;

Year 1

Unit 1- Psychological Approaches and Applications

This unit is an externally assessed exam unit. In this unit, you will be introduced to some basic ideas from different approaches in psychology. You will develop an understanding of how psychological research and concepts can explain gender, aggression and consumer behaviour.

Unit 2- Conducting Psychological Research

This unit is an internally assessed unit. In this unit, you will learn about the importance of research in psychological inquiry and about the types of research that take place. You will gain an understanding of the research process and the key methods used extensively by researchers to test theories and provide information about the ways in which people think and behave.

Year 2

Unit 3- Health Psychology

This is an externally assessed exam unit. In this unit, you will learn about approaches, theories and studies that explore or explain the reasons why an individual may engage in specific behaviours. You will develop the skills to critically evaluate these approaches, theories and studies, enabling you to reach informed judgements about how useful they are at explaining healthy and unhealthy behaviours.

Unit 4- Criminal & Forensic Psychology

This is an internally assessed optional unit. In this unit, you will explore psychological approaches to criminal behaviour and learn how offender profiles are created using different techniques. You will examine different psychological methods for modifying and punishing criminal behaviour, and investigate their effectiveness. This will include their impact on both the rate of reoffending and on the individual and society.

Careers and Higher Education Opportunities

The qualification carries UCAS points and is recognised by higher education providers as

contributing to admission requirements to many relevant applied psychology courses.

When combined with other qualifications you can progress to higher education to qualifications such as a:

• a BSc in Education and Child Psychology if taken alongside, for example, a Pearson BTEC

Level 3 Extended Certificate in Health and Social Care and an A Level in Biology

• a BSc (Hons) in Sport Psychology if taken alongside, for example, a Pearson BTEC

Level 3 National Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science

• a BSc in Forensic and Criminal Psychology if taken alongside, for example, a Pearson BTEC

Level 3 National Diploma in Forensic and Criminal Investigation.

We work with our local Universities to ensure that students are able to access open days and also additional activities to support their progression to University or higher level apprenticeships.

Where can you get more information?

https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-nationals/applied-psychology.html

Extra-Curricular enrichment Opportunities

We offer the students opportunities to speak to professionals in psychology and we work with Universities to support experiential events. We always offer students specialised focused sessions to support accelerated progression.

Exam Board: AQA

Course name: A Level Law 

General Information

Law is an excellent qualification for a wide range of university courses, most notably law itself. As well as being an excellent preparation for higher education it is seen as beneficial for those considering a career in the police, the financial sector, teaching and of course, the legal profession. There will be opportunities to see the local criminal courts in action and to debate current legal issues. Additionally guest speakers will be invited to talk about routes into legal profession.

It is essential that you enjoy reading and have strong essay writing skills. You do not need to have studied law previously or even want to be a lawyer; what matters is having a curiosity about how law affects our daily lives.

Course Outline

Year 12 – AS Level Law

The assessment is based entirely on timed written examinations – AS law does not have a coursework element. The AS Law qualification is based on the study of three core areas of Law. These include; the nature of Law and the English Legal System; Criminal Law and Tort. You will learn about the makeup of the legal system, how it operates and functions and you will be expected to apply legislative precedent to case studies. You will sit two exams in the summer of the first year and this will consist of 2 papers, that will be an hour and a half each in length and they will be marked out of 80. These papers will be made up of a combination of multiple choices, short answer and extended writing questions. Both papers will be equally weighted and will make up your AS grade.

Year 13 – A Level Law

In order to achieve a full A-Level you will need to sit an exam in the core areas identified above, alongside an additional area of study that includes; Human Rights OR Law of contract. You will need to sit three exam papers, each weighted at 33% and these will each be marked out of 100 and will make up your final A-Level grade. The grade you received as part of the A-Level will be replaced by the mark you receive at A2.

This qualification has been re-developed this year and will now be examined in the same manner as all A-Levels, therefore, your overall A-Level grade will reflect the exams that you will sit at the end of year 2.

Careers and Higher Education Opportunities

This subject is appropriate for those intending to continue their studies at University. This subject will enable you to develop the analytical, evaluative and application skills necessary to excel in all fields of study. Our experience indicates that a variety of employers in both the private and public sectors value this qualification.

Extra-curricular enrichment opportunities

Regular support sessions will be available at lunchtimes, after school and break times throughout the course to help students with homework, projects and exam preparation. We also envisage getting students involved in programmes offered by Pure Potential, giving students the opportunity to meet large law firms, with potential placement opportunities

Exam Board: WJEC

Course Name: WJEC Level 3 Applied Diploma in Criminology

General Information

WJEC Level 3 Applied Diploma in Criminology is a qualification with elements of psychology, law and sociology that complements studies in humanities. This is an Applied General qualification and offers exciting and interesting experiences linked to criminal behaviours and the manner in which society deals with deviance and criminality.

Course Outline

The course is made up of a range of internal and external assessments. All units are mandatory and must be delivered in a sequenced manner as they all build upon previous knowledge and understanding.

The units are delivered and assessed in the following manner;

Year 1

Unit 1- Changing awareness of Crime.

This unit us an internally assessed unit and requires students to undertake a controlled assessment in timed conditions. The unit requires students to demonstrate understanding of different types of crime, influences on perceptions of crime and why some crimes are unreported.

Unit 2- Criminological Theories.

This unit is an externally assessed exam that the students are required to sit in the summer of their first year of study. This unit requires students to explain criminal behaviour using criminological theories.

Year 2

Unit 3- Crime Scene to Court Room

This is an internally assessed unit and requires students to once again complete a controlled assessment in timed conditions. Students will be required to demonstrate an understanding of the criminal justice system from the moment a crime has been identified to the verdict.  Students will develop the understanding and skills needed to examine information in order to review the justice of verdicts in criminal cases.

Unit 4- Crime & Punishment

This is an externally assessed examined unit. This unit requires students to apply their understanding of the awareness of criminality, criminological theories and the process of bringing an accused to court in order to evaluate the effectiveness of social control to deliver criminal justice policy.

Careers and Higher Education Opportunities

Some examples of the kinds of professions that value Criminology qualifications include Law, Police, Prison Service, MI6, Teaching, Probation service and many more.

Criminologist will often support the government in policy advisor roles and work with organisations to implement youth offending policies and actions.

We have focused on developing links with Universities to support student transition onto Law degrees and higher apprenticeship qualifications.

Where can you get more information?

https://www.wjec.co.uk/qualifications/criminology-level-3/#tab_overview

Extra-Curricular enrichment Opportunities

Enrichment opportunities that are available for students include trips to parliament, Birmingham Law courts and we offer individualised/ small group support to ensure increased success throughout the year.