Professional Focus Paper
Course: Care
1.
Level: National 4
Who is this paper for and what is its purpose?
This paper is for teachers and other staff who provide learning, teaching and support as learners work towards
Care National 4.
Curriculum for Excellence is a unique opportunity to raise achievement and to ensure that all learners are better
prepared than they have been in the past for learning, life and work. This is because the new curriculum gives real
scope to build learning from 3-18 in a joined-up, seamless way. As a result, progression in learning can be much
stronger with a clear focus on attributes and capabilities, skills (including higher-order thinking skills), and
knowledge and understanding. These are delivered through the experiences and outcomes of the 3–15 Broad
General Education (BGE) and, at the senior phase, through programmes that build directly on the BGE leading to
qualifications. Because of a strengthened focus on the nature and quality of learning experiences, self-motivation is
likely to be increased and learners consequently more engaged and enthused. To ensure continuity and
progression, qualifications at the senior phase have been designed to embrace this unambiguous focus on highquality learning.
Curriculum for Excellence has the flexibility to meet the needs of all learners in their local circumstances, enabling
each to achieve their very best. For example, some centres may take the opportunity to offer qualifications over two
years which might involve learners bypassing qualifications at a given level, whereas others may enable learners to
work towards qualifications within one year. In both cases, the advice in this paper is relevant to the learning and
teaching approaches that learners will encounter. This paper, then, is intended to stimulate professional reflection
and dialogue about learning. It highlights important features of learning which are enhanced or different from
previous arrangements at this SCQF level.
How will you plan for progression in learning and teaching, building on the Broad General Education?
2.
What’s new, and what are the implications for learning and teaching?
Care National 4 consists of 4 Units.
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Human Development and Behaviour
Social Influences
Values and Principles
Added Value Unit
To achieve Care National 4, learners must pass all of the Units, including the Added Value Unit.
CARE
What are the key aspects of Care National 4?
Hierarchy of Units
The three Units of Human Development and Behaviour, Social Influences and Values and Principles can be
delivered as an integrated course.
The Health & Safety Unit has been removed although key concepts have been included in the delivery of the
Values and Principles Unit.
The First Aid component has been removed.
The hierarchy of Units allows flexibility in approaches to learning and teaching thus allowing learners the
opportunity to study at the most appropriate level. Careful planning will be required if learners are to move between
National 4 and National 5 as the course assessment is different at National 5.
Added Value Unit
The assignment in the Added Value unit Care: Investigating Services – replaces the current final external
examination. The assignment is designed to be open and flexible. The Added Value Unit will allow learners to
draw on and apply the skills and knowledge learned throughout the course as the assessment expects them to be
able to bring in their learning from all component Units.
Holistic Unit assessment
The assessment standards for all Units have been designed so that evidence can be collated holistically. Learning
and teaching approaches should ensure that learners are fully involved in identifying assessment opportunities. For
example, there could be relevant formative evidence to be included in their investigation. Evidence can be gathered
in a wide variety of ways giving learners personalisation and choice. Learners should be encouraged to evaluate
their learning and produce the evidence to support the respective learning. Their learning can be from a variety of
sources not just practitioner-led sessions.
What are the key features of learning in Care National 4?
Learning and teaching approaches should focus on the learners’ health and wellbeing, their ability to build
relationships based on a sound value base and on citizenship. The key focus should be on demonstrating
awareness and respect for others and acting as learning resources for one another.
Active learning
Learning and teaching approaches should encourage learners to be actively involved in their learning by working
collaboratively to discuss and present ideas. Learners will then begin to develop an understanding of the
knowledge and values required for working within a care setting.
Learning and teaching approaches should encourage learners to think of their learning as a single integrated
subject area (holistically) and not just three separate Units with an Added Value Unit at the end. The Units are less
prescriptive than before, which means that learning and teaching approaches can build on existing experiences
and outcomes in health and wellbeing, and other curriculum areas, which can then be further developed through
relevant contextualisation to a care situation thus enabling learners to show creativity and initiative when
demonstrating their knowledge and understanding.
CARE
Learning independently
Learners will benefit from being active, from taking responsibility for their learning and from learning independently.
Approaches will develop a basic understanding of the needs of individuals in receipt of care services and an
awareness of care services that could meet these needs. Learners will be expected to talk to people around them
to develop their knowledge in this area, learn collaboratively and apply their learning. Learners are expected to gain
an understanding of the importance of values and legislation in positive care practice and to be able to apply
psychological and sociological concepts to care issues and scenarios. Learners will be expected to work together
to gather information and discuss its relevance to a particular care issue or care setting.
Skills
Learning and teaching approaches should ensure a strong focus on the development of learners’ skills for learning,
skills for life and skills for work. Learners should have opportunities to learn to understand why people need to use
care services and to gain the knowledge and values for working in a range of care settings across health, social
and child care.
 What partnerships, with other stakeholders, could you develop to assist you with the delivery of learning
experiences?
 How will you contextualize learning experiences to ensure they are relevant to real-life care?
 How will you ensure that learners are developing skills for learning, skills for life and skills for work?
Learning and teaching approaches should demonstrate relevance to care practice: it is not about teaching theory.
The assessments for all Units are about real-life situations and learners need to be familiar with such contexts.
 What innovative ways would you suggest your learners use to develop their knowledge and skills and to
generate evidence for the Unit outcomes?
 How might you manage the integration of the Unit assessments, particularly when a single teacher is not
delivering all three of the Units?
 What kind of informal learning might your learners use to generate evidence towards their course assessment?
Task management skills
Learning and teaching approaches should develop learners’ task management skills as they are required to
investigate the needs of individuals requiring care and the services available to meet those needs. Learners will
have the opportunity to use a wide range of care contexts for the Added Value Unit while investigating basic
features of positive care practice. This will enable learners to build on their existing knowledge in some areas or to
develop new knowledge by exploring areas of care in which they previously had no interest.
 How will you encourage learners to develop and become more independent in their learning?
Links across the curriculum
Literacy skills are developed through learners working collaboratively and contributing to discussions as well as
listening to and considering others’ points of view. Learners develop their communication skills through the
presentation of their ideas and opinions. In investigative work, learners should independently select ideas and
relevant information, organise it into a coherent format and provide supporting detail. Skills in health and wellbeing
are developed when learners are establishing an understanding of their own and others’ mental, emotional, social
and physical wellbeing.
CARE
3.
Qualification information
The SQA website provides you with the following documents:
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Assessment Overview
Course Specification
Unit Specification
Support Notes
Course Assessment Specification
Unit Assessment Support Packages
Full information on arrangements for this qualification is available at the SQA website:
Care National 4: http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/45732.html
4.
What other materials are available on the Education Scotland website which staff
could use?
Support materials have been produced over the last year to support Curriculum for Excellence and further support
materials and events are planned. This downloadable list is updated quarterly with the most up-to-date details
available from the pages below.
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/learningteachingandassessment/curriculumareas/healthandwellbeing/index.a
sp
Published and planned support for Curriculum for Excellence:
http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/publishedandplannedsupport
T +44 (0)141 282 5000 E enquiries@educationscotland.gov.uk W www.educationscotland.gov.uk
Education Scotland, Denholm House, Almondvale Business Park, Almondvale Way, Livingston EH54 6GA
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