Intent
Across RET schools the politics curriculum is both academic and ambitious. It aims to develop
- knowledge and an informed understanding of contemporary political structures and issues in their historical context, both within the United Kingdom (UK) and globally.
- a critical awareness of the changing nature of politics and the relationships between political ideas, institutions and processes.
- knowledge and an informed understanding of the influences and interests which have an impact on decisions in government and politics.
- knowledge and an informed understanding of the rights and responsibilities of individuals and groups.
- the ability to analyse critically, interpret and evaluate political information to form arguments and make judgements.
- an interest in, and engagement with, contemporary politics.
All schools follow the Pearson specifications (A level at key stage 5 at BFS, BKS, STA and AS level at key stage 4 at THS)
Implementation
Students will be taught to:
- demonstrate knowledge and understanding of political institutions, processes, concepts, theories and issues (AO1).
- analyse aspects of politics and political information, including in relation to parallels, connections, similarities and differences (AO2).
- evaluate aspects of politics and political information, including to construct arguments, make substantiated judgements and draw conclusions (AO3).
Key Themes/Concepts
All students study
- democracy
- participation
- political parties
- electoral systems
- voting behaviour
- media
- constitution
- parliament
- Prime Minister and executive
- relationships between the branches
A level students will study all of
- conservatism
- liberalism
- socialism
and at least one of
- anarchism
- ecologism
- feminism
- multiculturalism
- nationalism
Links to KS4:
Knowledge and skills from KS4 subjects such as Citizenship, History, Geography, Religious Studies & PSHE are related.
The A level course provides excellent preparation to further study the subject in higher education.
Extra-Curricular: