In the Social Sciences Department (which includes Psychology), our core principle is to offer a quality education to every student. We believe that a quality education is one rich in knowledge, coherent in sequence and based on a broad and balanced range of subjects. Our subject leaders are curriculum experts, and they actively work to provide each student a meaningful journey through their subject. This helps all of our students to enjoy, achieve and succeed in their learning, both now and in the future. 

We are equally ambitious for all areas of learning, and for all students. In lessons, we understand that students learn best when they are taught new ideas and new vocabulary explicitly, and are then given opportunities to practise. We spend time making sure that our students don’t just know the content and key vocabulary of the curriculum, but can also remember it later and apply it to new situations and contexts. 

We assess each student’s knowledge at key points to help us understand what they can remember, and what they need to learn next. This assessment takes a variety of forms: from a low stakes recall, questioning, class or live teacher  marking, through to both summative and formative assessments/exams.

Psychology helps students to gain knowledge and understanding of the key approaches to studying human behaviour and application of which to a range of different topics and research methods. Students will develop their analytical, assimilation and communication skills by comparing and contrasting approaches on a range of human behaviours, constructing reasoned arguments, making substantiated judgements and drawing reasoned conclusions.

By studying Psychology, students will develop transferable skills including how to: investigate facts and make deductions; develop opinions and new ideas to analyse and better understand human behaviour.

Most importantly we want students to be able to look critically at the social world, questioning the status quo. While also having the social currency of a successful exam result to transition into their chosen pathway.