Mrs K Ward, BTEC Nominee CCHS BTEC Update Mrs K Ward, BTEC Nominee CCHS

BTEC update

What BTEC’s do we offer? QCF BTEC Nationals Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Music BTEC Nationals Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Law BTEC Nationals Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Applied Science BTEC Nationals Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Dance BTEC Nationals Level 3 Diploma in Sport I am Mrs Ward. I am the BTEC Quality Nominee here at Cannock Chase High School. This means that I oversee the delivery of all BTEC courses for our school and I am a port of call for any questions regarding BTEC qualifications that are on offer. There are 3 BTEC Level 2 courses that are on offer to your son or daughter. These are, Sport (which students do not have to opted for, they will be selected to do this course by the PE department, Health and Social Care and Children’s Care Learning and Development. Being a level 2 qualification means these courses are weighted the same as a GCSE.

What BTEC’s do we offer? NQF BTEC Nationals Level 3 Extended Certificate in Health and Social Care BTEC Nationals Level 3 Extended Certificate in Business BTEC Nationals Level 3 Extended Certificate in Drama BTEC Nationals Level 3 Extended Certificate in Children’s Play, Learning and Development BTEC Nationals Level 3 Extended Certificate in Science

Who’s who in BTEC? Assistant Headteacher - Post 16 – Mr D Reynolds Assistant Headteacher – Curriculum & Assessment – Mrs G McAuley Mrs K Ward BTEC Quality Nominee Programme Leader: Mr D Reynolds Drama Programme Leader: Dance Miss R Eaton Health and Social Care Mrs K Ward Mr C Stormont Music Children’s Care Learning and Development Mrs E Hale Mr I Jones/ Mr J Abura Applied Science Programme Leader: Business Studies Miss L Roberts Programme Leader: Sport Mrs K Pearson Programme Leader: Law Mrs E Fisher Exams Officer: Mrs J Fellows There are a number of staff members who are here in school to support your child to complete their BTEC qualification if they chose one. They are responsible for assessment of work and ensuring that course work is completed to the Highest standard. There is also myself and Mrs Fellows, who is the examinations officer who can support your child with any queries with their exam entries and completion of course work and all Mrs Deavall who will support your child’s progression on all courses.

How a BTEC is graded… Pass (D Grade) Merit (B Grade) Distinction (A Grade) Distinction* (A* Grade) A Subsidiary Diploma or and Extended Certificate is the equivalent to 1 A- Level A Diploma is the equivalent to 2 A- Levels BTEC qualifications are assessed using 3 types of criteria. This is pass, merit and distinction. If your child is meeting all pass criteria, this is the equivalent of your son or daughter achieving a C grade at GCSE. If they are meeting a merit grade on all units of work, this is the equivalent of a B grade at GSCE. A distinction is the equivalent of an A at GCSE and if all units of work meet a distinction grade this equates to a distinction* at GCSE. This means all Sixth Forms, Colleges and places of work will view all BTEC qualifications as the equivalent of a GCSE and employers and colleges also view the vocational application of BTEC courses as a positive as students will gain “real life experiences”

External Assessment… For the NQF qualifications: Externally assessed units of work: exam and a controlled assessment element All external assessments are unit 1. All controlled assessments are unit 2. A further change to level 2 BTEC courses is there is now an external assessment. These are completed in a range of ways. For the 3 courses that we offer at Cannock Chase High School these are completed as an online test for Sport and by completing a examination paper for Health and Social Care and CCLD. Unlike some GCSE’s these external assessments can be completed during any time that the student is completing the course. For our BTEC courses we complete these in year 10. Further more a student may not pass these assessments, but can still gain a qualification by the successful completion of course work.

What the new external assessment means for you… Students must gain a minimum of a “pass” level on the externally assessed units of work to be able to complete their course to receive a grade. This is positive for BTEC courses as many employers and universities see BTECs are providing a wider range of transferable skills.

What the course work element means for you… Students must ensure they meet deadlines Deadlines are monitored through curriculum plans that are submitted to the exam board, so failure to meet deadlines can result in “capping” grades Formative assessments have been introduced, ensure these are completed to the highest standard Work can be marked once – resubmissions are allowed, if authorised

Any Questions? Please contact me: k.ward@cannockchase-high.staffs.sch.uk Ext: 228