Type of Qualifcation: AS/A2
Exam Board: AQA
Requirements: GCSE Grade 5 in English and Grade 4 in Science

• Paper 1: Education, Theory and Research Methods

This subject is assessed by exams, there is no coursework. A Level students will complete three modules consisting of 3 x 2 hour papers.

Anyone who has an interest in contemporary social and political affairs such as changes in society relating to marriage, divorce, educational policies, crime and deviance and belief systems.

Sociology studies society from different theoretical viewpoints and students will be required to compare and contrast these alternative perspectives in a balanced and informed manner. Students who enjoy discussion and debating will enjoy this subject. Students develop evaluative and analytical skills that are transferrable to many other subjects and careers.

Stretch and challenge – Aiming for the best grade.
Students are encouraged to research and further investigate all topics covered, using text books, documentaries, sociology websites and news and current affairs programmes. Attendance at sociology conferences is encouraged. Students improve their learning by engaging in their own primary research covering topics and methods they will be studying.

Sociology forms the basis for training in many of the following fields: human resources, teaching, criminology, social work, armed forces, local government, health care and business management.

Course Booklet 2021

Type of Qualifcation: A Level
Exam Board: AQA
Requirements: GCSE Grade 6 or higher in Mathematics, English and Science

A Level: 2 years

Paper 1: Social influence, Memory, Attachment, Psychopathology

Paper 2: Approaches in Psychology, Biopsychology, Research methods

Paper 3: Issues and debates in Psychology

Optional content: one from each option

Option 1:Relationships, Gender or Cognition and Development

Option 2:Schizophrenia, Eating Behaviour or Stress

Option 3:Aggression, Forensic Psychology or Addiction

At A Level: three papers. The exams last 2 hours each and consist of multiple choice, short answer and extended writing questions.

Anyone interested in why people behave the way they do. Psychology is the scientific study of the Mind and Behaviour. Psychological theories and knowledge are based on relevant, accurate research and form the basis for practical applications that affect our lives in all areas of performance, for example in education, childcare, sport, medicine and the workplace.

 

Psychology develops skills of numeracy and literacy, and therefore combines well with science and arts/humanities subjects.

 

Stretch and challenge – Aiming for A*

 

• Wider reading or more in-depth independent research, and students are expected to feed back to peers

• The ability to analyze theories and research with respect to relevant issues, debates and approaches to psychology, and to understand research as a scientific process.

• The expertise in designing psychological research and applying statistical tests in order to analyze data.

Psychology is relevant for any career involving contact with people e.g. Social Work, Education, Advertising, Medicine, Business, management and specialisms in Psychology.

Course Booklet 2021

Type of Qualifcation: BTEC
Exam Board: Pearson
Requirements: GCSE Grade 4 in English and Biology

The BTEC Level 3 Extended Certificate aims to provide students with an introduction to the health and social care sector. It covers a wide range of topics including elements of Psychology, Sociology and Law. These topics can be applied to real life settings from early years to residential care. This qualification is the equivalent to one A level.

Students will cover physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development across the human lifespan as well as explore what it is like to work in the health and social care sector, including the roles and responsibilities of workers and organisations such as the CQC and NMC. Students will also focus on the principles and practicalities that underpin meeting individual care and support needs.

50% Exam, 50% Coursework

Mandatory Units:

Unit 1 – Human Lifespan Development – Exam (1.5 hours, 90 marks)

Unit 2 – Working in Health and Social Care – Exam (1.5 hours, 80 marks)

Unit 5 – Meeting Individual Care and Support Needs – Coursework

1 Optional Unit (TBC based on students):

Unit 10 – Sociological Perspectives – Coursework

Unit 11 – Psychology Perspectives – Coursework

Unit 12 – Supporting Individuals with Additional Needs – Coursework

Unit 14 – Physiological Disorders and their Care – Coursework

This course is designed for students who wish to continue post-16

education through applied learning in the health and social care sector, with the aim to progress on to higher education, an apprenticeship or a job role. There are opportunities to develop employability skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, adaptability and self-development.  The course suits students who work well independently and enjoy learning about human interactions.

Skills developed:

·         cognitive and problem-solving skills: use critical thinking, approach on-routine problems applying expert and creative solutions, use systems and technology

·         intrapersonal skills: communicating, working collaboratively, negotiating and influencing, self-presentation

·         interpersonal skills: self-management, adaptability and resilience, self-monitoring and development

If you have a genuine interest in people and want to make a real difference to people’s lives – whether that be as a social worker, nurse*, midwife*, teacher, paramedic* or nursery practitioner, Health and Social Care BTEC is a great choice for you.

 

*Please note: some students wanting to go into nursing / midwifery/ paramedic science should check university websites to see if they accept this course as different institutions have different views*

Course Booklet 2021

Type of Qualifcation: BTEC
Exam Board: Pearson
Requirements: Grade 4 in Maths, Science, English

Psychology is the scientific study of minds and behaviour. As such, it is a part of our everyday lives. An understanding of human behaviour is fundamental to many jobs in society and these areas are explored in depth in the course.

Students will explore how psychological research is carried out as well as understanding the different psychological approaches including cognitive, biological and behavioural ideas. They will also investigate the causes of addiction and stress as well as explore treatment methods for a range of mental health conditions.

Course Requirement: An interest and passion for learning about people and desire to debate and discuss different viewpoints. A minimum of a Grade 4 in Science, English and Maths.

Mandatory Units   1 – Psychological Approaches and Application (External Assessment)   2 – Psychological Research (Internal Assessment)   3 – Health Psychology (External Assessment)

Optional Units- (Internal assessment) 1: Bu 1 unit out of the following: -       Sports Psychology -       Criminal Psychology -       Psychopathology -       Child Development Students are assessed through written exams and project work as well as detailed pieces of course work and reports.

This course is designed for students who wish to continue post-16 education through applied learning in the psychology sector, with the aim to progress to higher education. There are opportunities to develop employability skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, adaptability and self-development.

The course suits students who work well independently and enjoy learning about human interaction and child development as well as more specialised areas such as sports psychology and criminology.

The subjects and transferable skills taught in BTEC Applied Psychology directly relate to the world of work and would give you a competitive advantage in psychology careers. Some options would include Child Care, Counselling, Mental Illness Work, Health Care, Teaching and Education, Sports Psychology/Sports Therapy, Physiotherapy, Management, Biology, Work in the Criminal Justice Sector.

The independent study skills developed on this course are advantageous for higher education due to the level of independent research required.

Course Booklet 2021

Type of Qualifcation: BTEC National Extended Certificate
Exam Board: Pearson
Requirements: Grade 5 GCSE in English & Maths

This course examines the Travel and Tourism industry in the UK as an essential part of our economy and a key source of income for our country. In Unit 1, learners will investigate and learn to analyse statistics of what makes this such an important industry. In Unit 2, a variety of different destinations will be researched, what different features do they have and what makes them attractive, including overseas destinations. For Unit 3, the importance of Marketing for destinations and venues will be discovered, including the opportunity to develop a marketing campaign for a particular attraction or venue. In Unit 9, students will discover a variety of different local, national and international visitor attractions, with the chance for some off site visits. You will investigate what visitor attractions mean by visitor experience and how these attractions develop, diversify and use technology to meet the needs of different types of visitors.

This is a BTEC course and so the majority of the course is coursework based.

 

·         Unit 1: The World of Travel & Tourism, Written Exam 1hr30mins

·         Unit 2: Global Destinations, Controlled Assessment, 2 weeks prep phase with a pre-release and a 3 hour written report

·         Unit 3: Principles of Marketing, Coursework

Unit 9: Visitor Attractions, Coursework

If you have an interest in the world of travel and tourism, business or Geography, this is the course for you! For many students, BTEC is a much better method of study with rigorous assessment but less exam pressure. The course covers a wide range of business and geography principles as well as investigating the industry specifically so will suit a wide range of interests and can be used to develop into a wide range of future study with many transferable skills such as data analysis, report writing, researching, analysis and evaluation. You need to be happy with completing a range of different written assessments and completing some numerical analysis such as reading information accurate from a graph and interpreting data.

·         Further study in Travel & Tourism, Business, Marketing, Hospitality and more

·         Corporate hospitality

·         Cabin crew

·         Hotel & restaurant management

·         Marketing executive inc social media marketing

·         Travel agency

·         Theme park management

·         Visitor attraction manager

·         Cruise ship steward

·         Travel planning

Customer service (airline, airport, rail services, tour operator…)

Course Booklet 2021