Public Services (Protective Services), BTEC Level 3

Hello and welcome to Reigate College’s Public Services (Protective Services) Department.

My name is David Eckersall and I’m Head of BTEC Public Services. I’m looking forward to meeting you in person and welcoming you to the department at the start of the academic year. In the meantime, I’d like you to complete a series of tasks over the coming weeks and months.

Public Services will be a new course for most of you so it’s really important to make sure you’re as prepared as possible before you start. These tasks have been designed to introduce you to the subject and for you to complete on your own at home. There’ll be the chance to share what you’ve learnt when you join in September.

The tasks are organised in three distinct steps and should all be completed by Choices Day on 27 August 2025. This is to give you the best insight into what the courses will be like and/or help prepare you for them.

Please note, some Course Leaders (for example for Music) may release their tasks earlier, as they may form part of the College’s audition process. If this applies to you, you’ll be notified separately.

New Starters Course Tasks and Activities

	Release date	Suggested Completion Dates
Explore your Subject	1 June	1 July
Get Going	1 June	1 August
Aim High	1 June	1 September

Explore your Subject

Explore and Investigate: Information to engage students with the subject (and targeting students who may be undecided)

The Protective Services are here to help, support and protect members of all communities. They have to deal with a wide range of incidents in an efficient, professional and effective manner. Knowledge of the way they work is essential for all units within BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Uniformed Protective Services.

TASK 1:

The Protective Services can be divided into 5 groups of services.

For each group below, provide two examples of a service

The Emergency Services – Eg. Police
The Armed Services – Eg. Navy
Central Government – Eg. Department for Education
Local Government – Eg. Recycling and refuse centre
Voluntary Services – Eg. Mountain Rescue

TASK 2:

Whilst the Protective Services are divided into 5 different groups, they often work together to manage incidents.

Research and give examples of how the different groups of Protective Services have worked together to plan for and respond to the following incidents:-

Northern England flooding November 2019 to February 2020
COVID 19
Terrorist incidents such as the Streatham attack 2020

Useful websites:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jan/21/north-west-england-and-wales-badly-hit-by-floods-from-storm-christoph

https://www.forces.net/news/coronavirus-how-military-helping

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-55364225

Get Going

Getting Started: Developing skills important for the subject

Obedience and conformity are essential qualities when in the Armed forces and a topic that is discussed in detail in Unit 2 BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Uniformed Protective Services.

TASK 3:

Watch the following video about the Milgram Experiment and answer the question below:

What do you think the implications are for an experiment like this in relation to:

The participants in the experiment
The UK Protective Services such as the British Army, RAF and Royal Navy
The nature of human beings and what they are capable of

Aim High

Aim High: Complete work set for the start of the course

An introduction to criminology is Unit 13 in BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Uniformed Protective Services. Learning about different theories of criminality and why crime is committed is a key feature of this unit. It is important for those who work within the Police Service and justice system to understand these theories and apply them in their work.

TASK 4:

Research the following criminal theories…

Biological Positivism (Lombroso)
Psychodynamic Theory (Freud)
Behavioural Theory (different theorists…..Bandura, Sutherland, Bowlby, Skinner)

Evaluate these theories. Include the following:

Useful links:

http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/professionals/oyap/roots/volume5/chapter03_rational_choice.aspx

https://www.history.com/news/born-criminal-theory-criminology

https://www.simplypsychology.org/Sigmund-Freud.html

https://www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html

Expeditions are an integral part of the Armed Services training in preparation for combat. Unit 11 Expeditions is part of BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Uniformed Protective Services. Researching historical and more recent expeditions forms part of the unit.

TASK 5:

Research one of the following explorers…

Ellen MacArthur, Ernest Shackleton, Sir Edmund Hillary, Roald Amundsen

Look at the following areas regarding their expedition…