Level 3 Health and Social Care

Our reformed Level 3 in Health and Social Care

In response to DfE’s review of post-16 qualifications, we currently reforming our Level 3 qualification in Health and Social Care for teaching from September 2026.

The qualification forms part of our suite of applied qualifications, which are designed for post-16 learners in full time education and aims to develop fundamental knowledge and practical skills through applied learning.

Reforming Health and Social Care

Our reformed qualification in Health and Social Care will build on its current strengths, whilst providing an opportunity for us to update and add areas of new content, for example in anatomy and physiology which we know is required to support progression to higher education courses in health science subjects.

The qualification will continue to offer exciting and interesting experiences that focus on applied learning and the development of skills such as critical thinking, analysis and communication through purposeful tasks set in meaningful contexts.

Timeline for development

The new specification will be published Autumn 2025 with first teaching from September 2026. Please note our current Certificate and Diploma will not be funded from September 2025 onwards.

Should you have any questions regarding our approach please email: qualificationdevelopment@eduqas.co.uk

The Level 3 Applied Health and Social Care qualifications for England are designed to provide learners with underpinning knowledge, understanding and skills of the health and social care sectors, providing a broad basis for further or higher education or for moving into employment within the sectors.

The new qualifications are built on a firm foundation of knowledge and understanding of practitioner roles and values, set within contemporary sector-specific contexts. The qualifications include a breadth and depth of learning, including the underpinning of core values within the sectors, in addition to the relationships between contemporary policies and service provision and the impact of financial challenges on service provision in the UK.

Although there are no formal entry requirements, the qualifications support progression from Level 2, particularly the new Level 1/2 Vocational Awards in Health and Social Care and Child Development and GCSEs in Sociology and related subjects. The qualifications are designed to be delivered over two years and are likely to be studied in schools or colleges alongside GCE A Levels and other qualifications.

Why choose Eduqas?

• Inspires learners to develop skills and understanding for the health, social care and early years sectors

• Develops knowledge of the key principles of care

• Focuses on the challenges of society, physical development and health promotion
  
  

This qualification is on the DfE 2020 Performance Tables. The Department for Education (DfE) has confirmed that those qualifications approved for inclusion in the 2020 performance tables will also be included in performance tables for 2021, 2021 and 2023.

View the 2020 list here.

Are you following the appropriate specification and sample assessment materials for Applied Certificate and Diploma in Health and Social Care?

Centres following the WJEC Level 3 Applied Certificate and Diploma in Health and Social Care need to ensure that they are following the appropriate specification and sample assessment materials, as these can be subject to change due to the DfE Performance Tables.

Teaching from 2017  All centres that started the Level 3 Applied Certificate or Diploma in Health and Social Care in 2017 must follow Version 1 of the Specification and use Version 1 of the Sample Assessment Materials.  This qualification had its first certification in 2019, with one re-sit opportunity in 2020.

Teaching from 2018  All centres that started the Level 3 Applied Certificate or Diploma in Health and Social Care in 2018 must follow Version 2 of the Specification and use Version 2 of the Sample Assessment Materials.