Animal Care

Department Staffing & Roles:

Mr T Finnigan – Head of Faculty

Mr R Laughton – Class Teacher

The animal care course is a BTEC level 1 / level 2 Tech Award accredited course from Pearson. It is broken down into three components and is designed to give an introductory overview to some of the key principles, knowledge, understanding and skills relevant to the animal care sector. Learners will have access to a range of species throughout the course to learn practically for all aspects.

The components include:

  • Component 1: Animal Handling – Assessed internally through three assessment tasks. This includes an independently researched report into the behaviour of two animals from different species. A comprehensive plan for handling and restraining two animals. Then finally, the pupil will be filmed demonstrating safe animal handling and restraint for two animals. The pupil must be filmed as evidence to achieve a grade.
  • Component 2: Animal Housing and Accommodation – Assessed internally through four assessment tasks. This again involves an independently researched report considering how accommodation meets the welfare needs of different animals. The following assessment will require learners to demonstrate their ability to safely prepare, maintain and clean out accommodation for a minimum of two animal species that have very different requirements, for example a rabbit and a bearded dragon.
  • Component 3: Animal Health and Welfare – Assessed externally through an exam. This assessment covers all aspects of animal health and welfare and will equip learners with a good understanding of the relationship between looking after the wellbeing of the animal and the effect this has on maintaining animal strength and vigour. The component also gives an understanding of how animals are used in society and how they are protected by legislation.

This will be studied as a BTEC level 2 qualification. BTEC qualifications are recognised by employers and education institutions providing a good progression route into more advanced qualifications. It also serves as a foundation to a level 3 BTEC in animal management (delivered in nearby colleges) or an apprenticeship.

Year 10

Component 1:

  • Understand animal behaviours and their impact on how animals are handled and restrained.
  • Undertake preparation for safe animal handling and restraint.
  • Demonstrate safe animal handling and restraint.

Introduction to Component 3:

  • Demonstrate knowledge of different animals’ needs, purposes and protection in society in order to support their health and welfare.
  • Know about common diseases, their symptoms and treatments and good animal care routines.
  • Demonstrate understanding of animals’ needs, purposes and protections in society in order to support their health and welfare.
  • Understand the way diseases are transmitted in order to support animals with appropriate care and how the elements of housing, care routines and healthcare ensure the ongoing health of animals.

Year 11

Component 2:

  • Understand factors affecting the selection of animal accommodation.
  • Prepare and check animal accommodation using safe working practices.
  • Be able to clean out animal accommodation using safe working practices.

Completion of Component 3:

  • Apply knowledge and understanding to consider appropriate care that meets animals’ individual health and welfare needs.
  • Make connections between the areas of disease transmission and treatment, routine checks, housing, legislative protections and care to ensure animals’ individual health and welfare needs are met.

Our curriculum ensures that we meet all of the eight Gatsby Benchmarks to provide our pupils with the skills and insight to develop their aspirations and explore careers they might be interested in. Animal care is a vocational subject which incorporates insight into healthy safety practices in the workplace and legislation that must be followed by all staff.

The aims of the course are to inspire and enthuse learners to consider a career in the animal care sector as well as:

  • Give learners the opportunity to gain a broad knowledge and understanding of, and develop skills in, the animal care sector.
  • Support progression into specialised Level 3 qualifications in animal management, or progression into an Apprenticeship. (Cronton College has excellent facilities for level 3)
  • Give learners the potential opportunity, in due course, to enter employment within a wide range of job roles.

At Ormiston Chadwick Academy our year 11 pupils follow a whole school intervention programme. This includes revision sessions 3pm to 4pm for pupils to catch up with missing work or revise with their teacher. We also have several Saturday Academies which run for 2 hours on a Saturday morning. This means that pupils who have no IT access at home will not be disadvantaged and can complete any work in school with the support of their teacher. Slots after school are also available for all pupils in our faculty’s computer club. Pupils can complete revision and homework with the support of our staff.

Currently there aren’t many external revision guides and resources for this course as it is new. However, Mr Finnigan has created revision booklets full of knowledge organisers for component 3 which is assessed by an exam to serve as a revision guide. Students will be given access to them in lesson and knowledge organisers will be available on Teams.

Our school offers pupils the chance to work closely with Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Hamsters, Chickens, Tortoises and Bearded Dragons. We have an outdoor learning area where some of the animals are housed safely. Pupils complete a lot of practical lessons in this area.

We are continuing to expand our connections with local animal care sectors and if anyone would like to help us, please contact the school and ask to speak to Mr Finnigan.