Health and Social Care

Course type: BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma
Awarding/exam body: Pearson Edexcel

Are you interested in a career in the healthcare sector?

Would you like to work with all sorts of people who have specific needs?

Then our BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care is for you. Health and social care practitioners need to develop a knowledge base for working with people in every stage of their lives, and they need to know how their own experiences relate to health and wellbeing.

You will understand what it’s like to work in the health and social care sector. You will learn about the responsibilities that healthcare workers need to understand and carry out.

These include safeguarding individuals with health and social care needs, making sure that personal information is handled properly, and preventing discrimination. You will also learn about working with people with specific needs, including ill health, learning disabilities, physical and sensory disabilities and the varying needs of people who occupy different age categories.

This two-year course explores the roles and responsibilities of anyone working within the health and social care sectors. Implementing research methods learned on the course, we dig into important aspects of health and social care which ultimately impact both service providers and users alike.

We also have a unit dedicated to work experience where you’ll be spending a minimum of 100 hours in the sector.

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Course Units

YEAR 1

Unit 01: Human Lifespan Development

Unit 05: Meeting Individual Care and Support Needs

Unit 12: Supporting Individuals with Additional Needs

Unit 11: Psychological Perspectives

Unit 02: Working in Health and Social Care

Unit 07: Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care

Unit 09: Infection Prevention Control

YEAR 2

Unit 03: Anatomy and Physiology for Health and Social Care

Unit 04: Enquiries into Current Research in Health and Social Care

Unit 08: Promoting Public Health

Unit 06: Work Experience in Health and Social Care

Unit 20: Understanding Mental Wellbeing

Unit 18: Assessing Children’s Development

Support Needs Work experience

Course Assessment

Units are assessed through a range of activities: assignments, written tasks, role play, spoken presentations and displays. Students will submit a portfolio showcasing their learning and skills in the workplace.

Where This Course Could Take You

Successful completion of this course can lead you onto higher education and/or employment within the sector. University courses studied after completion of the Extended Diploma include midwifery, nursing (all strands), psychology, social work, childhood studies, youth work, and teaching, to name just a few.

Entry Requirements

5 GCSEs at Grade 4 or above, ideally including English Language at Grade 4 OR BTEC Level 2.

Diploma at Merit with English Language at Grade 4 Grade 4 in Maths and Grade 4 in English Language preferred OR BTEC Level 2 Diploma in a relevant Level 2 qualification with Distinction.

Course Highlights

Industry related work experience in Year 2
Online short courses linked to the caring sector that you can include in your CV
Educational trips
Guest speakers from the relevant industries
Workshops
Seminars

Courses

Students can take any combination of 30 A level and Level 3 Applied Diploma subjects. Vocational programmes include 11 Level 3 Extended Diplomas, including BTEC, CTEC and University of the Arts courses, and 4 T Levels. We also offer BTEC Level 2 and Foundation options, along with GCSE Maths and English language retakes.

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Students

At Saint Francis Xavier, we develop the whole person. Our commitment goes beyond academic achievement; we equip students with the confidence, values, and skills needed to thrive in higher education, employment, and adult life. With an extensive range of courses, our students receive expert teaching in our modern, state-of-the-art facilities.

Parents & Carers

Personal Tutors will work with both you and your student to overcome any obstacles and achieve their potential. We build a positive ethos around learning and behaviour, support students with discussion and advice, invite you to progress review evenings, provide each student with an Individual Learning Plan (ILP), and send you full reports.

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Upcoming Events

Open Evening

Wednesday, 4th March · 4pm – 6pm

Explore your options and secure your offer from Saint Francis Xavier Sixth Form College for September 2026.

Book your place to visit London’s top performing and friendliest sixth form college with a 97% pass rate in A levels, BTECs, UAL Diplomas and T Levels.

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Hire Our Spaces

Hold your next event with us in one of our many available spaces. Choose from: a multi-use games area, sports hall, dining hall and garden, multi-purpose hall, dance/drama studio, fitness suite, meeting/conference rooms, computer suite, chapel and music studio. Kitchen and catering facilities and free parking are also available.

Nursery

‘Happy staff make happy children’

Nightingale’s Nursery is set in the beautiful, secure grounds of Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Sixth Form College where children can play outside and help tend the vegetable patch. The nursery follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework and provides a holistic learning environment, paying special attention to the transition from home to nursery, reassuring parents of their child’s wellbeing and progress on a daily basis.

Nightingale’s friendly team builds positive relationships with all the children and parents.

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What Our
Students Say

The support I received from passionate teachers who pushed me to aim higher, to the tailored guidance with university applications made all the difference. SFX believed in my potential even when I doubted myself, and that encouragement gave me the confidence to pursue my ambitions. Without that foundation, I don’t think I’d be on the path to a legal career today.

Joshua, former Sociology student

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We congratulate all our students who received their excellent public examination results today. We are delighted to see results improving on last year’s impressive pass rates across A level, BTEC, CTEC and UAL courses. Our second year T Level results have also been excellent. The overall pass rate at Level 3 was 97%, including 50% […]

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Health and Social Care