The Humanities Learning Village is led by Mrs Helen Eastlake (Assistant Principal) who will be responsible for the over support and academic progress of up to 240 students in the learning village when the Academy takes year 7. She also has overall responsibility for transition of our students from their feeder schools. Each Learning Village has two strands: pastoral and learning.

The learning strand is led by Mr Paul Donald the Director of Learning who oversees learning and academic progress of all students undertaking History, Geography, RE, Citizenship, Sociology and Psychology as well as Health & Social Care.

Year 9  (KS3)

Students currently receive forty hours teaching time through which they explore a range of local and global issues, consider their own roles and responsibilities within the Academy and wider community, and work through a range of challenging projects which focus on sustainable futures and human rights around the world. Students are also encouraged to get involved in projects which will allow them to take informed and responsible action in a topic of their choice.

Year 10 & 11 (KS4)

KS4 offers a wider focus to topics of interest and importance to our students; Crime and Justice in the UK has been a topic of particular interest. Year 10 students enjoyed the experience of an off-timetable event organised by external organisers in September that involved working with representatives from across the emergency services and engaging with their experiences. Other topics of interest that students will be learning more about during this year include healthy lifestyles and relationships, diversity, politics and a current affairs-based project which will focus on the global dimension of rights and responsibilities.

Mock United Nations, Stuttgart (Germany) - October 2011

In October we will be taking seven students to Stuttgart, Germany to take part in a Mock United Nations conference. The students attending this conference will be planning and delivering papers, based on important global issues, to schools from other countries. The purpose of the visit is to develop students’ skills of research, representation and political literacy; students will be expected to plan for their visit by researching the issue that is given to them. This should be considered from a foreign perspective; arguments and ideas will then be put forward on how to tackle the issue that they were presented with. This is a great opportunity for our students and we look forward to seeing how their ideas for the conference develop!

Bar Mock National Trial Competition - November 2011

Along with ten other students, I had the opportunity to take part in a regional heat of the National Bar Mock trials which took place at Chelmsford Crown Court on Saturday 12th November 2011. Weeks of preparation were necessary as we had to analyse the two cases that were given to us and prepare cases for both prosecution and defence. Each student had a different role such as Barrister, court usher and witness where we individually had to learn our part so that we had a solid case. As a barrister I had to produce opening speeches, examinations in chief and cross examinations which I delivered in court when competing with other schools from across England. The whole event was very formal so we got a real insight into how a Crown Court operates and how a case is fought out. Although we did not win the competition, our team worked hard and won an extremely difficult case against an opposing school. This experience was particularly beneficial for those of us who wish to have a career in Law - Toslima Islam (Year 13)

Unit 1 – AS

Cognitive Psychology – The nature of human memory and how researchers have investigated differences between long term and short term memory. Students also investigate the usefulness of eyewitness testimony and factors that influence accuracy of recall.

Research methods – students consider the need for effective research and the methods, research designs and analysis of data needed for effective psychological research.

Developmental Psychology – students study the nature of early social development by looking at the nature of human attachment.

Unit 2 – AS

Biological Psychology- students learn about the body’s response to stress, and a range of approaches used to cope with stress

Social Psychology – students study the nature of obedience to authority and compliance.

Psychopathology – students consider a range of abnormal behaviours through the study of definitions of abnormality and the treatments used in the discipline.

 Unit 3 – A2

Gender – students consider a range of approaches used to explain differences between the sexes in terms of behaviours and norms.

Relationships – students consider the nature of human relationships and the impact of culture, and evolutionary theories in explaining differences in attitudes and expectations in relationships

Aggressiveness – students consider a range of explanations for aggression

 Unit 4 – A2

Students look at Schizophrenia in-depth to gain a greater insight into psychopathology, further develop their understanding and application of research methods in Psychology and go on to study psychology of the media and look at issues of fandom and media influences.

Course Outline

Sociology is the study of societies; how they work , how they change, how they shape people’s ideas and behaviour and how, in turn, people interact and shape their societies. A common question in this course is "Why do groups of people do the things that they do?" There are many answers to this question depending on a sociologist’s viewpoint.

 Course Content

 The course follows the OCR specification, and includes the following topics:

Family

Education 

Mass Media  

Crime & Deviance  

Youth

Assessment

1 hour exam (worth 25% of final grade): covers investigating society, collecting and using information and evidence, culture, socialisation, identity;

1 hour 30 mins exam (worth 50% of final grade): covering the topics of Family, Education, Mass Media, Work, Crime & Deviance, and Youth;

1 hour exam (worth 25% of final grade): based on pre-released research material that students then critically review

Summary

Sociology is popular with students who have enquiring minds and enjoy questioning the ways in which society can influence and shape our lives. There are still many unanswered questions in Sociology, so it suits students who can look at issues from a range of viewpoints. Sociology can be thought-provoking and challenging because it forces people to rethink some of their common-sense views and assumptions.  Sociology supports the development of a broad range of skills, including literacy, numeracy and creative skills. It is a very useful qualification for students with an interest in working with people 

Possible Careers

Sociology opens up a number of paths for students either at GCSE or if students wish to continue their study at A Level as well. Some possible careers include teaching, journalism, law, social work, care work, media work (e.g. TV / Radio) and politics; the possibilities are endless!