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Course Companions for BTEC Tech Awards (2017)

These resources are for last assessment in Summer 2023

NEW versions for first teaching in 2022; assessments from 2024
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Endorsed for BTEC

Course Companion for Component 3 has been
endorsed for BTEC Tech Award Level 1/2 in
Health and Social Care (2017 specification).

Keep students on the right track for the BTEC Tech Awards qualifications with these clear and comprehensive course notes. Written in student-friendly language and organised in specification order, including:

  • Accessible notes – at an appropriate level and in sufficient depth.
  • Plenty of detailed information that’s applied to case studies to make it easier for learners to link theory and practice

    L Wilshire, Teacher & Peer Reviewer
  • Creative case studies – covering a range of environments and individuals – build connections between theory and practical application.
  • Thought-provoking visual images and diagrams to stimulate all learners.
  • End-of-topic consolidation questions to review the topic and assess understanding.

This course companion has clearly been written by an expert with up to date information and a clear scientific knowledge

A Barrett, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

Build and apply knowledge…

  • ‘Applied Activities’ and ‘Research Activities’ inspire further reading and encourage application of knowledge.
  • ‘Did you know?’ boxes provide thought-provoking further reading to stretch and challenge high-ability students.

It is really thorough (and much more detailed than the textbook)

Marian Carter, Teacher of HSC & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (9366)

An excellent resource, coherent detailed and concise information on topics relating to component 3, with the use of clear expert knowledge evidenced throughout. This resource clearly links with the specification, each learning outcome has been covered, the suggested higher and lower ability activities that can be used with the resource showing clear differentiation and is very useful when teachers as part of their planning are thinking about how to use the resource, has key ideas in bold that stand out to both the teacher student. The resource is excellent at allowing students to ensure their coursework includes all the necessary aspects of the specification. I am it confident will also enhance student's knowledge recall, which when completing coursework is imperative and support them with the external assessment. The layout very professional, easy to follow, easy to read and most importantly accessible to students at all different academic abilities. An excellent resource with activities aimed at a range of abilities and accessible to them all. It will save and teacher hours in preparing knowledge recall in preparation for the completion of coursework. I most definitely would purchase this resource.

S Pye, Course Leader/Subject Tutor & Peer Reviewer

Excellent reference to specification in detail. Each topic incorporates all information for the relevant learning aim in accordance with the associated assessment guidance, to support learners in producing holistic answers. The resource contains several case studies in vocational contexts. The scenarios and the following activities, place the resource in a realistic context for learners at this level, to support their understanding and promote motivation. I would definitely buy this resource.

D Maitra, Lead Teacher & Peer Reviewer

A high quality, detailed resource, targeting Level 2 Health & Social Care learners. This course companion has clearly been written by an expert with up to date information and a clear scientific knowledge. An excellent range of activities were included, all of which would enhance learning.

A Barrett, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

I think that this resource is comprehensive and detailed. It has plenty of case studies and activities and will be very useful when planning and teaching this component. I particularly like the detailed information. As a non-specialist, this resource would make me feel more confident teaching this component. There are some informative tables that students can use for reference e.g. description of common illegal drugs and their effects. I like the applied learning boxes as they give me new ideas for activities for students. I think this resource enhances teaching by giving the teacher more in-depth information about the topics (more than the text book). I think it enhances learning by providing accurate information for students (such as genetic conditions). This avoids students needing to trawl the internet and maybe ending up with misconceptions. The revision questions and answers are really useful and a time saver for teachers.

M Carter, Head of Health and Social Care & Peer Reviewer

The resource is very detailed and covers the specification in an order that follows the teaching of the syllabus which is very helpful. The most challenging aspect of the course is the application of the theory to real life scenarios, by providing lots of case studies and investigative task it helps the learner understand this process and will help them to be familiar with how to apply the facts they find in the exam questions. The images and diagrams were appropriate and clear. The use of a variety of case study's is helpful and the questions at the end of each section are appropriately written and structured mark scheme provided. This resource would be beneficial to my teaching and would be well received by the learners.

R Harrison, HSC Subject Leader & Peer Reviewer

I’m very impressed by this resource. It provides focused, detailed information alongside some very good and do-able classroom activities, which would really support delivery of this component of the Tech Award. It is well-written and well-researched and laid out clearly. While detailed, it uses language and style that’s likely to be accessible to most Level 2 students.

L Wilshire, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (9364)

I think it is very thorough and detailed. It provides all the information that a teacher would need to deliver the content of this component. There are plenty of references, such as websites where the statistics were taken from. As a non-specialist, this resource is great because it contains everything you would need to deliver the content. It provides all of the information students need... They can use it for reference. The case studies enabled students to apply their knowledge and understanding to real world examples. The inclusion of revision questions throughout is really useful; being a non-examined unit, it is useful to test their knowledge and recall. There are things that they need to learn such as the difference between primary, secondary and tertiary care, so it is useful to have revision questions. The 'do you know' sections are great for stretch and challenge, for example explaining the etymology of the word schizophrenia, information about British Sign Language, an explanation of imposter syndrome. This resource matches the specification perfectly in my opinion. It goes through the topics in order, providing plenty of specific examples, such as "details on long-term health issues".

M Carter, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

An extremely good and useful resource, with plenty of detailed information that’s applied to case studies to make it easier for learners to link theory and practice. I liked the clear layout, with diagrams, charts and pictures. I think the resource is presented and laid extremely well. It’s easy for teachers to glance through and focus on what they need, while being easily accessible to learners. I also liked the explanations with case studies and activity suggestions that could be easily used in the classroom. I’m very impressed with this resource. I think it’s been put together extremely well and is very ‘user-friendly’ for both teachers and learners.

L Wilshire, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

I think the resource is well laid out and easy to follow. Similar format to other course companions which means a greater level of consistency for students. They have an expectation of how it will look and where they are able to identify key terms/important words and definitions for their learning. The case studies in general were linked to the applied activity or were very closely related to the applied activity which aids the students in reinforcing their learning and as most students struggle to apply the knowledge this gives them plenty of practice. It also helps teachers as we are not having to come up with more case studies. We are able to use those within the text. The case studies can also be used within class to further analyse and identify both services accessed, barriers confronted and other issues that may arise for the study. The revision questions recheck knowledge and allow for checking of application. These can be peer marked or teacher marked. The resource is clear and easy to follow... the presentation and layout are clear and key terminology is clearly highlighted for all students to identify. The diagrams and tables clarify the knowledge presented and summarise important elements. The resource is broken into easily defined sections/chapters that reflect the learning aims of the specification. This ensures that students can focus on the correct area with ease and will aid those who require extra support in ease of identification when completing assignments and class work.

M Aldred, Teacher & Peer Reviewer

What do teachers say about this resource? (9778)

I think it is really thorough (and much more detailed than the textbook). I think it provides lots of details and examples to help a teacher get all of the content over to students. I am a non-specialist teaching this subject and leading on it so it is really useful to have so much detail. As it is photocopiable, there are some notes that my students could refer back to when they are completing their coursework, that will make them more independent, which is good as they need to sign to say that the work is their own. A good example of this is the gross and fine motor skills part or the growth and development at different life stages. It is really useful to have the key terms defined as you go through the resource such as "self-esteem" as the students need to start becoming familiar with the terms and start to use them in their writing.

I love the "Do you know" sections as an extension activity. They are interesting facts etc. that some students will really like as they extend their thinking and knowledge and understanding without them needing to complete extra tasks. The revision questions provide a useful assessment tool for a component that is all coursework; there are things the students need to know and understand but not because they will be doing an exam on them but because they need to incorporate them in their coursework. It is a time-saver to have the answers too! There is a good use of images and diagrams throughout the booklet. I feel that the resource matches the specification very accurately. It covers all of the content that students need to be taught before they can start their coursework assignments. Clear and concise and covers all of the content needed

Marian Carter, Teacher of HSC & Peer Reviewer

The resource is good and the pupils will be able to get some benefit from it and it will be useful to the higher achieving pupils. It covers the content of the course well and will allow the pupils a good opportunity to engage with it and gain an understanding.

P Newman, Teacher of Health and Social care & Peer Reviewer