Vocational Subjects

Head of Subjects: Mr Peter Carpenter

Welcome to the vocational faculty page, we hope we can give you a greater understanding of the nature of vocational education, the courses and qualifications available to the students.

What is Vocational Education?

Vocational education is education that prepares students for work in a specific trade. Vocational courses are available across a wide range of subjects and industries, from animal care, business studies, construction to IT. They are a good option for students who have a clear idea of what type of career or trade they would like to work in or if they prefer to work on an assignment based assessment. Vocational qualifications can also give students an edge in job searches, since they already have the certifiable knowledge they need to enter the field.

Key Stage 4

Vocational courses are only available to students as an optional subject, therefore it is only taught from KS4, however the skills required are integrated throughout the school curriculum.

Animal Care 

BTEC First Award 

Animal care is a vital sector of the land-based industry and is important to the UK economy. This course gives an introductory overview to some of the key knowledge, understanding and skills relevant to the animal care industry. Learners will study animal health, safe animal handling skills, animal welfare, basic practical skills in cleaning, preparing and maintaining accommodation.  

Learners will study: two core units and two optional units 

Core Units 

Unit 1 Animal Health - Developing knowledge and understanding of animal health, disease and parasite prevention, how to assess the health of dogs, cats, rabbits, goats, chickens and bearded dragons. You will learn about common diseases and parasites found in the species that you study. This Unit is examined in January of Year 10.  

Unit 2 Animal Handling and Restraint - Learn and demonstrate how to handling and restraining small animals, the reasons why it is necessary to handle and restrain animals, health inspections, grooming and training. Develop safe working practices with small animals. This unit is assignment based and also uses photographic evidence to produce a portfolio.  

Optional Units 

Unit 3 Animal Welfare - Purposes of working animals, responsibilities of pet owners, promoting good animal welfare, animal housing and accommodation. Learn about animal housing, understanding of purpose, characteristics of animal bedding, how and why different types of housing and bedding are suitable for the needs of different animals. This unit is assignment based. 

Unit 4 Animal Accommodation – Choose the right accommodation; housing, fixtures and fittings and bedding, for different animals with different accommodation needs and welfare requirements. Gain practical skills in cleaning different animal housing, preparing and maintaining them competently and safely.  This unit is assignment based and also uses photographic evidence to produce a portfolio. 

Assessment 

Assessment is predominantly coursework with a range of practical, role plays and evidence workbooks being completed throughout the year. 

 

Business Studies 

BTEC Tech Award in Enterprise 

The Pearson BTEC Level 1/Level 2 Tech Award in Enterprise, is for students who wish to acquire knowledge and skills through vocational contexts by studying the knowledge, behaviours and skills related to researching, setting up, running and reviewing an enterprise. The qualification enables students to develop their market research skills, planning, promotional and financial skills and personal skills, (such as monitoring own performance, time management and problem solving) through a practical and skills-based approach to learning and assessment.  

The qualification will broaden students’ experience and understanding of the varied progression options available to them. 

There are three units (components) which students must complete.  

Component 1 - Exploring Enterprises 
Students will examine different local enterprises to develop your knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of enterprises and the skills needed by entrepreneurs. 
 
Component 2 - Planning for and Pitching an Enterprise Activity 
Students will individually select an idea for a micro-enterprise activity to plan and pitch. Students will individually pitch your business plan to an audience and then use the feedback to review your plan and pitch. 
 
Component 3 - Promotion and Finance for Enterprise 
Students will explore the different promotional methods used by enterprises and the factors that influence how enterprises identify and target their market. Students will explore financial documents and how to use them to monitor and improve the performance of an enterprise to make decisions and recommend strategies for success. 

Assessment 

This is a vocational course, therefore most of the work that students complete during the lessons and at home will be assessed by their teacher. Students will produce a variety of work including written reports and presentations. 
 
The unit Promotion and Finance for Enterprise is externally assessed. This is an exam lasting 2 hours. In this exam, you will use knowledge and skills developed throughout the course to answer questions which focus on different areas of Enterprise. 

 

Engineering 

BTEC TECH Award in Engineering 

In BTEC Engineering, students will be learning all about the Engineering profession, from how organisations are structured, through to the occupations available in Engineering and the practical application of Engineering tasks to make projects. The course is divided up into Units, with a range of written, drawn and practical outcomes assessed in order to be awarded the BTEC qualification.  

Core Units 

Unit 1: Exploring Engineering sectors and design applications – in this unit students will learn about the different engineering sectors and the services and products that are delivered by these areas. They will look at how different sectors work together to create products and the structure of engineering companies.  Students will also look at the skills used in engineering and specifically the skills used in designing engineering solutions.  

Unit 2: Investigating an Engineered product – Students will be looking at existing products and determining how these products have been designed, the materials used, the processes in manufacture and how the final parts are assembled.  They will then begin the designing and manufacture of a product of their own based on a given theme. This theme generally reflects the product that students have been investigating earlier in the course. This may involve creating a replacement part for an existing product in order to learn the skills of manufacture. 

Unit 3 (Externally set task) Responding to an Engineering Brief– This final assessment task is externally set and the students will be using their engineering skills to show how they can develop solutions to a given engineering brief. This is set in the format of a traditional exam, with the students showing their design and engineering solutions.  

Assessment 

Learners will be assessed in all three units with the final Unit being exam based. There is one opportunity to re-sit the final unit, and it is compulsory for the students to pass this unit in order to qualify for the BTEC.  

 

Child Development 

BTEC Tech Award Child Development 

Child Development provides an engaging, robust and broad introduction to the early years foundation stage for those learners interested in the sector. 

It is important to note that this is not a childcare course, but rather a in depth insight into how children develop, the importance of play and the adult role in supporting holistic development from 0-5 years. 

Component 1: Children’s growth and development 

This unit aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of child development . You will learn about five different areas of development – physical, cognitive, communication and language, emotional and social, how these areas are linked and the importance of the  holistic observation of milestones. 

Component 2: Learning through play 

In Component 2 students will build on their prior knowledge by considering how a child will gain skills and knowledge over time. This will include learning the stages and organisation of play. Students will then discover how adults can promote learning through play activities based on the age of a child. 

Component 3:  

Students will start by studying the individual circumstances that may impact on learning and development. Students understand that the focus in this component is the individual circumstances that may impact on learning and development, i.e. physical circumstances, cognitive/intellectual circumstances, communication and language circumstances, and social and emotional circumstances.  

 Students will then learn how the environment can be adapted to meet the needs of children with individual circumstances who require support to play, learn and develop. Finally, they will learn how to adapt activities for children with individual circumstances to promote their learning and development. 

Assessment 

Learners must complete three components above. Two are internally assessed and the third is an external exam. 

 

Hospitality & Catering  

WJEC 

Hospitality and Catering is an exciting new course designed to develop in learners the knowledge and understanding related to a range of hospitality and catering providers; how they operate and what they have to take into account to be successful. There is the opportunity to learn about issues related to nutrition and food safety and how they affect successful hospitality and catering operations.  

A qualification in Hospitality and Catering will prepare you to become more aware of the skills required to go into Hospitality and catering for large-scale events. In this qualification, learners will also have the opportunity to develop some food preparation and cooking skills as well as transferable skills of problem solving, organisation and time management, planning and communication. Through the two units, learners will gain an overview of the hospitality and catering industry and the type of job roles that may be available to assist them in making choices about progression.  

Employment in hospitality and catering can range from catering assistants to chefs, hotel or bar managers and food technologists in food manufacturing. All of these roles require further education and training through apprenticeships or further and higher education.  

Assessment  

Unit 1: The Hospitality and Catering Industry (externally assessed) This will be an online assessment that will test you on the skills and knowledge that you have learnt over the 2 years. Duration: 90 minutes  

Unit 2: Hospitality and Catering in Action (internally assessed) This will be a practical exam where you will have been tasked to produce a variety of dishes and outcomes to a set brief in exam conditions. You will also be producing a research folder showing your planning and management of ingredients. 

 

IMedia 

OCR Cambridge National 

Digital Media is a key part of many areas of our everyday lives. Production of digital media products is a requirement of almost every business so there is huge demand for a skilled and digitally literate workforce. The Cambridge National Creative iMedia (2022) will help students develop specific and transferable skills such as research, planning, and review, working with others and communicating creative concepts. The hands-on approach of this course has a strong relevance to the way young people use the technology required in creative media.  

1. Mandatory unit content  - Unit R093: Creative iMedia in the media industry  

This is assessed by taking an exam. In this unit you will learn about the media industry, digital media products, how they are planned, and the media codes which are used to convey meaning, create impact and engage audiences.  

Topic area 1: The media industry 

Topic area 2: Factors influencing product design 

Topic area 3: Pre-production planning 

Topic area 4: Distribution considerations 

2. Mandatory unit content  - Unit R094: Visual identity and digital graphics  

This is assessed by completing a set assignment. In this unit you will learn to how to develop visual identities for clients and use the concepts of graphic design to create original digital graphics to engage target audiences. 

Topic area 1: Develop visual identity 

Topic area 2: Plan digital graphics for products 

Topic area 3: Create visual identity and digital graphic 

3. Optional unit content  - Unit R097: Interactive digital media  

This is assessed by completing a set assignment. In this unit you will learn how to plan, create and review interactive digital media products. 

Topic area 1: Plan interactive digital media 

Topic area 2: Create interactive digital media 

Topic area 3: Review interactive digital media 

Assessment 

Learners must complete the two core (mandatory) units, and one optional unit which include an externally assessed exam unit and two internally assessed units of courseworkwork.  These are of weighted; Unit R093 (externally assessed exam) 40%. 

 

Key Stage Three Computer Studies 

Computer studies is aimed at preparing students for a range of IT/computing-related subjects, including topics from computer science, iMedia (IT) and business. Students will be made aware of which topics relate to which of the three subjects to inform their options for GCSE-level study in years 10 and 11. 

Year 7 

The curriculum in Year 7 aims to provide students with a solid grounding in various IT and Computing related skills. The students will be confident of the benefits and dangers when using the Internet. 

Internet Safety: 

• Using the school IT system 

• e-safety and basic security 

• Identifying misinformation online 

• Learning key IT skills, such as Word processing. 

Web Design: 

• How the World Wide Web (WWW) works. 

• User interfaces (GUIs) 

• HTML and CSS coding to create a website 

Programming in Scratch: 

• Programming theory (variables, iteration) 

• Programming practical 

Year 8 

Building upon the skills and knowledge developed in Year 7, students will be introduced to a text-based programming language and the various items of hardware which make up a computer system. The students will also be taught to effectively use industry standard graphic design software. 

Programming in Python 

• Programming theory 

• Flowcharts 

• Solving problems in Python 

Computer hardware and data representation 

• Hardware (input, output, processing and storage) 

• Binary numbers 

• How sound, images and text are represented in binary 

Digital graphics in Fireworks 

• Vector and bitmap graphics 

• Creating a cartoon scene 

• Animation 

Year 9 

The students follow a curriculum which combines elements of the GCSE Computing, BTEC Enterprise and Cambridge National iMedia courses. It aims to ensure that the students can then make an informed decision over which option is best suited for them to take at Key Stage Four. The students will study the following topics 

• Programming in Python and HTML 

• Digital graphic design 

• Entrepreneurs and Small, Medium Enterprises 

Assessment 

Students will be assessed regularly through a combination of practical tasks and exam-style questions. These will be undertaken in the classroom environment. 

 

GCSE Computer Science 

GCSE Computer Science is an interesting and relevant subject that is attractive to employers, particularly in areas such as science, engineering and business. It is also highly regarded by colleges and universities. 

Students who study GCSE Computer Science have the option of progressing to A-level Computer Science, BTECs, apprenticeships and degrees. Computer Science can lead to careers in software, cyber security, IT, science, engineering, finance and business. 

At Redruth School we follow the OCR GCSE in Computer Science. 

Computer Science topics 

• How hardware works (CPU, storage and memory). 

• Programming using the Python language. 

• Algorithmic thinking and problem solving. 

• How images, sound and text are represented in binary. 

• Converting between binary and other number systems. 

• Networks and cyber security. 

• Software design and testing. 

Assessment: 

Students will be assessed by two external exams. These exams are each worth 50 % of the final grade.  

• Computer Systems (J277/01) 

• Computational Thinking, Algorithms and Programming (J277/02) 

How Can I Help my Child?

• Encourage them to use the on-line text book and revision activities to help them complete home works and prepare for assessments. 
• Purchase the recommended revision guides. 
• Use the EBI comments to improve future work. 
• Make use additional classes or activities that are offered to get some extra help where needed.