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Government and Politics
Curriculum intent
The Politics department intends to deliver a rich, deep and challenging curriculum that will develop an understanding of contemporary political institutions and theory. Politics students will follow the Edexcel specification which reflects the demands of a modern and evolving political environment, both in the United Kingdom and the United States. The Politics department aims to develop students’ understanding the wider political context so that they are able to understand their position in society and the world around them.
Implementation
At Key Stage 5, students are taught for two 120-minute lessons and one 80-minute lesson per week and follow the Edexcel Politics A Level specification. In their first year, students focus their studies on UK Politics, UK Government and political ideologies. These topics are split over the three lessons per week. In their second year, students build on their comparative skills in order to compare the political systems of the UK and USA.
The Politics Department follow a school-wide approach to ensuring that students acquire a deep knowledge, both in their class and homework. Strategies in developing this deep knowledge include weekly news reviews, mastery techniques, knowledge retrieval activities, and emphasis on the “Bigger Picture” of students’ learning. Additionally, students’ lessons are both engaging and challenging, with lessons focussed on enriching the understanding of students to an A* level. Students are introduced to academic reading so as to improve their understanding of higher order thinking and concepts, whilst introducing them to challenging abstract written styles that can develop their own.
Impact
By the end of their study, students will know and understand the key aspects of UK and American politics and governance. They will be able to comparatively analyse the key concepts and aspects in order assess the similarities and differences between political institutions.
Successful students of Politics have the potential for future study primarily in Politics, Law, and Journalism. They are provided with extensive analytical skills and will have developed a sound understanding of writing concisely, deploying key statistics and data in order to argue persuasively – a vital skill required of students in any Humanities subject.
