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Politics
Politics is the study of power and the relationship between those who govern and those who are governed. Politics is changing so rapidly that anyone who wants to take their place in the modern world, in their career or just in discussion and wise decision-making, can benefit from learning how it functions. The study of politics will enable students to go beyond the headlines and understand why and how decisions are made while improving their powers of argument, analysis and judgement.
Updated VCM details will be available from 18/01/24
Year 12 Term 1
Term 1
What?What are we learning? What’s interleaved? What’s challenging? The first term introduces students to the course and the study of politics more generally. There are two strands that run throughout the year, taught concurrently by respective teachers UK Politics In term 1 students are introduced to the key concepts of political science (see vocab list) through a study of the nature, forms and limits of democracy in the UK. Students will learn about:
This requires them to think critically about concepts they have often taken for granted or never thought about from divergent points of view. Ideologies In term 1 students are introduced to the concept of ideology and its relation to the study and understanding of politics. This term they will become familiar with the classical and modern strands of liberalism, and the extent of (dis)agreement between them on the questions of:
Challenge is found in the nature of the content, given they will not have studied political ideology before. |
Why?Why do we need to deliver this (vision statement)? Why now? The content of A-Level Politics is set by Ofqual and for year 12 study there is no optional content.
UK politics is important to ground students in a firm understanding of the politics of the UK in order to enable their further study. Unit 1 (UK politics) essentially poses the overall question ‘is the UK’s democracy “fit for purpose”, and this topic helps establish the fundamental principles of representative liberal democracy.
For ideologies we begin the study at the start of the course in order to equip students with the critical and diverse understanding of contested political concepts, which will help them in their analysis and evaluation of politics more widely. Liberalism comes first as it ties in most effectively with the study of democracy in the UK.
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How?How will they achieve this? How will all access this (inclusion for all/ SEND)?
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How well?What should they be able to know? What should they be able to do? How do they know they have done this well? Because they can….begin to experiment with/practise writing persuasively to a Level 3 standard, and showing increasing confidence in discussing diverse and critical approaches to political controversy. What should they be able to know? See core knowledge What should they be able to do? Write persuasive paragraphs, be able to come to clear evaluative conclusions to established political debate Learning checkpoints and assessment: throughout, small scale as students adapt to A Level requirements, after each specification bullet point. |
Where next?
Where do we go from here?
Both units continue into term 2.
Year 12 Term 2
Term 2
What?What are we learning? What’s interleaved? What’s challenging? The second term builds on the knowledge and understanding begun in term 1 as students continue to think critically about the nature of UK politics and ideologies. There are two strands that run throughout the year, taught concurrently by respective teachers
UK Politics In term 2 students build on their knowledge of democratic principles to investigate the range of electoral systems used in the UK. Students will learn about:
Students will be expected to know the key features of each system, where and why they are used, and evaluate their strengths/weaknesses relative to the democratic principles from term 1.
Ideologies In term 2 students will look at conservativism as a reactionary ideology relative to the liberal enlightenment. This term they will become familiar with the traditional, one-nation and new right strands of conservativism, and the extent of (dis)agreement between them on the questions of:
Challenge is found in the nature of the content, given they will not have studied political ideology before. |
Why?Why do we need to deliver this (vision statement)? Why now? The content of A-Level Politics is set by Ofqual and for year 12 study there is no optional content.
UK politics is important to ground students in a firm understanding of the politics of the UK in order to enable their further study. Unit 1 (UK politics) essentially poses the overall question ‘is the UK’s democracy “fit for purpose”, and this topic requires students to consider whether the UK electoral system is effective or in need of reform.
For ideologies students move on to conservativism to help build their understanding of the foundation of diverse political thought. It will also help them consider how conservatives would be wary of calls for reform in UK politics, whereas liberals would be more supportive.
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How?How will they achieve this? How will all access this (inclusion for all/ SEND)?
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How well?What should they be able to know? What should they be able to do? How do they know they have done this well? Because they can….begin to experiment with/practise writing persuasively to a Level 3 standard, and showing increasing confidence in discussing diverse and critical approaches to political controversy.
What should they be able to know? See core knowledge above
What should they be able to do? Write persuasive paragraphs, be able to come to clear evaluative conclusions to established political debate
Learning checkpoints and assessment: throughout, small scale as students adapt to A Level requirements, after each specification bullet point. |
Where next?
Where do we go from here?
Both units continue into term 3.
Year 12 Term 3
Term 3
What?What are we learning? What’s interleaved? What’s challenging? The third term builds on the solid knowledge and understanding of UK Politics established in the previous terms as students continue to think critically about the nature of UK politics and ideologies. There are two strands that run throughout the year, taught concurrently by respective teachers
UK Politics In term 3 students bring together what they have learned about UK politics in the final topic of the unit: elections and the media. This will enable students to use their knowledge of the features of UK political parties and electoral systems to investigate the causes of the outcomes of specific general elections. Students are required to understand the outcome of the 1997 election, as well as at least one pre- and one post-1997, though they should be familiar with a range of elections. We will specifically look at 1979 as an example of a government losing, and contrast it with 1983 where a previously unpopular government saw a significant increase in its seats. We will also look at 2017 as an election where all the predictions were wrong, as well as 2019 where many long-held assumptions about the British electorate were challenged. Following this, students will consider the impact of the media as our ‘public square’, and link back to the principles of democracy to assess whether the media helps or harms democracy.
Towards the end of the term students will begin unit two – UK Government. They will look at how the UK constitution has evolved since Magna Carta, and whether it remains fit for purpose in the 21st century. This will also give students an opportunity to link to live political debates about the nature and effectiveness of the protections of our civil rights.
Ideologies In term 3 students will look at socialism as a ‘scientific ideology’ with utopian and collectivist aims, in contrast to ‘reactionary’ conservativism and ‘individualist’ liberalism. As with previous ideology topics, students will focus on internal divisions and discussions in socialism, focusing on:
Challenge is found in the nature of the content, given they will not have studied political ideology before. |
Why?Why do we need to deliver this (vision statement)? Why now? The content of A-Level Politics is set by Ofqual and for year 12 study there is no optional content.
UK politics is important to ground students in a firm understanding of the politics of the UK in order to enable their further study. Unit 1 (UK politics) essentially poses the overall question ‘is the UK’s democracy “fit for purpose”, and this topic requires students to consider whether the UK electoral system is effective or in need of reform.
For ideologies students move on to conservativism to help build their understanding of the foundation of diverse political thought. It will also help them consider how conservatives would be wary of calls for reform in UK politics, whereas liberals would be more supportive.
|
How?How will they achieve this? How will all access this (inclusion for all/ SEND)?
|
How well?What should they be able to know? What should they be able to do? How do they know they have done this well? Because they can….gorw in confidence with writing persuasively to a Level 3 standard, and showing increasing confidence in discussing diverse and critical approaches to political controversy.
What should they be able to know? See core knowledge above
What should they be able to do? Write persuasive paragraphs, be able to come to clear evaluative conclusions to established political debate
Learning checkpoints and assessment: throughout, small scale as students adapt to A Level requirements, after each specification bullet point.
Learning checkpoints and assessment: throughout, small scale as students adapt to A Level requirements, after each specification bullet point. |
Where next?
Where do we go from here?
Both units continue into term 4.
Year 12 Term 4
Term 4
What?What are we learning? What’s interleaved? What’s challenging? The fourth term builds on the work of the previous term looking at the structures of the UK political system and ideologies. There are two strands that run throughout the year, taught concurrently by respective teachers
UK Politics In term 4 students continue their work on UK government by examining the process of devolving power from Westminster to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as the ongoing challenges of devolving power to England. Students will consider why each nation has followed its own path in the nature and extent of devolution, as well as understand the particular aims of devolution in each nation based on the circumstances. Finally students will debate whether the UK can remain a united unitary state, or whether federalism is necessary to maintain the union.
Following this they will move on to looking at the development and power of the executive as the government of the country. They will investigate the nature of, and limits to, prime ministerial power through a range of case studies, including Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. Students will also debate how powerful the Cabinet is, or whether we are now in a more presidential system of government
Ideologies In term 3 students will look at feminism as an ideology of liberation and social critique. As with previous ideology topics, students will focus on internal divisions and discussions in socialism, focusing on:
Challenge is found in the nature of the content, given they will not have studied political ideology before.
|
Why?Why do we need to deliver this (vision statement)? Why now? The content of A-Level Politics is set by Ofqual and for year 12 study there is no optional content.
UK politics is important to ground students in a firm understanding of the politics of the UK in order to enable their further study. Unit 1 (UK politics) essentially poses the overall question ‘is the UK’s democracy “fit for purpose”, and this topic requires students to consider whether the UK electoral system is effective or in need of reform.
For ideologies students move on to conservativism to help build their understanding of the foundation of diverse political thought. It will also help them consider how conservatives would be wary of calls for reform in UK politics, whereas liberals would be more supportive.
|
How?How will they achieve this? How will all access this (inclusion for all/ SEND)?
|
How well?What should they be able to know? What should they be able to do? How do they know they have done this well? Because they can….gorw in confidence with writing persuasively to a Level 3 standard, and showing increasing confidence in discussing diverse and critical approaches to political controversy.
What should they be able to know? See core knowledge above
What should they be able to do? Write persuasive paragraphs, be able to come to clear evaluative conclusions to established political debate
Learning checkpoints and assessment: throughout, small scale as students adapt to A Level requirements, after each specification bullet point. |
Year 13 Term 1
Term 1
What?What are we learning? What’s interleaved? What’s challenging? This year students complete the course ahead of their final exams. In year 12 they have studied UK politics, core ideologies and a range of topics of global politics. As in year 12, year 13 runs across two tracks with respective teachers. UK Government Having begun a critical study of the UK constitution in term 5 and 6 of year 12, the students will complete their study by looking at the impact of devolution and final debates on constitutional reform:
The students will then move onto the study of the executive branch of UK government:
Global politics Having gained a solid understanding of the development of globalisation and global governance in year 12, students will consider the nature and extent of changes in the global order since 2000:
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Why?Why do we need to deliver this (vision statement)? Why now? The UK content of A-Level Politics is set by Ofqual and we currently study the global politics option unit UK government builds on the students’ previous study of UK politics in order to provide them with a critical understanding of the nature and effectiveness of government in the UK, and how that is influenced by UK politics. This term students start with the constitution as it is the foundation of our government system. They then look at the role and powers of the executive, in preparation for the role and powers of parliament in term 2. For global politics, students will have developed a critical understanding of the development, and effectiveness, of global governance structures. This term the students will focus on a historical consideration of how power has shifted in the global system since 2000, enabling them to critically assess claims about the fall of the importance of the USA and the rise of challenger powers. |
How?How will they achieve this? How will all access this (inclusion for all/ SEND)?
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How well?What should they be able to know? What should they be able to do? How do they know they have done this well? Because they can….Work towards consistently writing persuasively to a Level 3 standard, and showing increasing confidence in discussing diverse and critical approaches to political controversy. What should they be able to know? See core knowledge What should they be able to do? Write persuasive paragraphs, be able to come to clear evaluative conclusions to established political debate Learning checkpoints and assessment: throughout, small scale as students adapt to A Level requirements, after each specification bullet point. |
Year 13 Term 2
Term 2
What?What are we learning? What’s interleaved? What’s challenging? This year students complete the course ahead of their final exams. In year 12 they have studied UK politics, core ideologies and a range of topics of global politics. As in year 12, year 13 runs across two tracks with respective teachers
UK Government Building on students’ understanding of the role and power of the executive from term 1, students will investigate the role of power and its relationship with the executive:
Global politics Students will move on to investigate the growth and impact of regionalism on global politics, with a particular focus on the EU compared to other regional organisations:
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Why?Why do we need to deliver this (vision statement)? Why now? The UK content of A-Level Politics is set by Ofqual and we currently study the global politics option unit
UK government builds on the students’ previous study of UK politics in order to provide them with a critical understanding of the nature and effectiveness of government in the UK, and how that is influenced by UK politics. This term students will consider the apparent weakness of the UK parliament and the possibility of describing the UK as an ‘elective dictatorship’. This sets them up for their final unit on the supreme court as perhaps the only meaningful check on executive power in the UK.
For global politics, students will have developed a critical understanding of the development, and effectiveness, of global governance structures. This term the students will focus on how and why regional organisations have grown over recent decades, as well as the extent to which the EU is a regional body to be emulated or whether it is a unique outcome of European history. This topic will build directly on previous topics of globalisation and global government. |
How?How will they achieve this? How will all access this (inclusion for all/ SEND)?
|
How well?What should they be able to know? What should they be able to do? How do they know they have done this well? Because they can…. Work towards consistently writing persuasively to a Level 3 standard, and showing increasing confidence in discussing diverse and critical approaches to political controversy.
What should they be able to know? See core knowledge above
What should they be able to do? Write persuasive paragraphs, be able to come to clear evaluative conclusions to established political debate
Learning checkpoints and assessment: throughout, small scale as students adapt to A Level requirements, after each specification bullet point. |
Where next?
Where do we go from here?
Both units continue into term 3
Year 13 Term 3
Term 3
What?What are we learning? What’s interleaved? What’s challenging? This year students complete the course ahead of their final exams. In year 12 they have studied UK politics, core ideologies and a range of topics of global politics. As in year 12, year 13 runs across two tracks with respective teachers
UK Government Students will begin their final topic of UK Government, looking at the relationship between the various institutions in the UK, including:
Ideologies In term 3 students will look at socialism as a ‘scientific ideology’ with utopian and collectivist aims, in contrast to ‘reactionary’ conservativism and ‘individualist’ liberalism. As with previous ideology topics, students will focus on internal divisions and discussions in socialism, focusing on:
How should the economy operate?
Global politics Students complete their study of the growth and impact of regionalism on global politics, with a particular focus on the EU compared to other regional organisations:
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Why?Why do we need to deliver this (vision statement)? Why now? The UK content of A-Level Politics is set by Ofqual and we currently study the global politics option unit
UK government builds on the students’ previous study of UK politics in order to provide them with a critical understanding of the nature and effectiveness of government in the UK, and how that is influenced by UK politics. This term students will consider the apparent weakness of the UK parliament and the possibility of describing the UK as an ‘elective dictatorship’. This sets them up for their final unit on the supreme court as perhaps the only meaningful check on executive power in the UK.
For global politics, students will have developed a critical understanding of the development, and effectiveness, of global governance structures. This term the students will focus on how and why regional organisations have grown over recent decades, as well as the extent to which the EU is a regional body to be emulated or whether it is a unique outcome of European history. This topic will build directly on previous topics of globalisation and global government. |
How?How will they achieve this? How will all access this (inclusion for all/ SEND)?
|
How well?What should they be able to know? What should they be able to do? How do they know they have done this well? Because they can…. Work towards consistently writing persuasively to a Level 3 standard, and showing increasing confidence in discussing diverse and critical approaches to political controversy.
What should they be able to know? See core knowledge above
What should they be able to do? Write persuasive paragraphs, be able to come to clear evaluative conclusions to established political debate
Learning checkpoints and assessment: throughout, small scale as students adapt to A Level requirements, after each specification bullet point. |
Where next?
Where do we go from here?
Both units continue into term 4
Year 13 Term 4
Term 4
What?What are we learning? What’s interleaved? What’s challenging? This year students complete the course ahead of their final exams. In year 12 they have studied UK politics, core ideologies and a range of topics of global politics. As in year 12, year 13 runs across two tracks with respective teachers
Ideologies In term 3 students will look at feminism as an ideology of liberation and social critique. As with previous ideology topics, students will focus on internal divisions and discussions in socialism, focusing on:
Global politics In term 4 students will complete their study of global politics by investigating differing ideological approaches to understanding issues in global politics, namely realism and liberalism. Students will understand the development and key principles of these ideas, before applying them to the debates they have studied across the course. |
Why?Why do we need to deliver this (vision statement)? Why now? The UK content of A-Level Politics is set by Ofqual and we currently study the global politics option unit
UK government builds on the students’ previous study of UK politics in order to provide them with a critical understanding of the nature and effectiveness of government in the UK, and how that is influenced by UK politics. This term students will consider the apparent weakness of the UK parliament and the possibility of describing the UK as an ‘elective dictatorship’. This sets them up for their final unit on the supreme court as perhaps the only meaningful check on executive power in the UK.
For global politics, students will have developed a critical understanding of the development, and effectiveness, of global governance structures. This term the students will focus on how and why regional organisations have grown over recent decades, as well as the extent to which the EU is a regional body to be emulated or whether it is a unique outcome of European history. This topic will build directly on previous topics of globalisation and global government. |
How?How will they achieve this? How will all access this (inclusion for all/ SEND)?
|
How well?What should they be able to know? What should they be able to do? How do they know they have done this well? Because they can…. Work towards consistently writing persuasively to a Level 3 standard, and showing increasing confidence in discussing diverse and critical approaches to political controversy.
What should they be able to know? See core knowledge above
What should they be able to do? Write persuasive paragraphs, be able to come to clear evaluative conclusions to established political debate
Learning checkpoints and assessment: throughout, small scale as students adapt to A Level requirements, after each specification bullet point. |
