Students at the school studying for a Double Award A-level in Health and Social Care benefit from specialist teachers and work placement opportunities.
In the Social and Health Studies department at Thomas Alleyne’s High School in Uttoxeter, specialist subject teachers are employed who also have experience of the subjects they teach, outside the classroom. This includes a qualified state registered nurse who has spent 15 years in a variety of general and specialised hospital roles and who brings an enormous knowledge to the department. It’s not just her anatomy and physiology knowledge and practical nursing skills that have been invaluable to the students, but also her knowledge of current legislation and provision of services which have consistently helped students to achieve top grades in Unit 8 - Care Practice and Provision.
Another member of staff has previously worked on a school for students with behavioural difficulties and now works 1 day a week with a Homestart family. She is able to transfer these ‘real life’ skills and knowledge to her classroom practice and broaden the students understanding and experience of the wider world of care, not just that which is learned from a text book. A third member of the department previously worked as a histology technician in a hospital and can bring the knowledge of human anatomy gained from witnessing post mortems and pathologist’s dissections to her anatomy and physiology lessons and bring the topic, quite literally, to life. (This supports Step 4- Teachers with relevant experience.)
Students are encouraged to try out many fields of interest such as nurseries and primary schools, hospitals, residential care homes and working with vulnerable young people. Whilst at work placements, students work closely with a mentor from each care setting to ensure they are aware of health and safety issues, specific policies and procedures and so that they have feedback on their performance over the time spent in the care setting.
Year on year, there has been an exceptional number of offers of university places to students, and the amount and variety of work experience done is very often been a deciding factor.