In the 2024 General Election only 41% of 18-24 year olds who were eligible to vote did so.

Derby Cathedral School’s politics curriculum aims to help students to form a well-balanced and highly informed understanding of the political systems in the city, country and world in which they live. 

Through carefully planned activities, students will learn to scrutinise political processes and structures in detail. They will develop the skills of critical source evaluation. They will be able to make well-evidenced comparisons between the political systems of the US and UK systems of government. Finally, students will gain an understanding of a broad range of ideologies underpinning the study of politics. 

Through the use of regular discussion and debate, politics students at Derby Cathedral School will be given the opportunity to develop, articulate and defend their political opinions. Even more importantly, they will be able to listen to, understand, and appreciate the different views of others. Our curriculum and teaching aims to produce politically aware, informed and engaged future citizens who understand and promote the importance of democracy so that in future elections their generation is empowered to engage much more fully with democratic processes.

 

Staffing

Head of History and Politics

Mr M Adler  

Lead Teacher of Politics

Mr J Keene

 

Homework

In A Level Politics, homework is not only designed to consolidate and revisit knowledge students have started to learn in school but also to give them the opportunity to apply this knowledge. Students may be asked to undertake a range of activities to support their retention and application of knowledge. These include tasks that involve memorising/utilising key information from their learning by:

  • Completing or preparing for a factual knowledge test
  • Creating mind maps, topic guides, flash cards and summary revision resources
  • Answering essay questions based on the question strings used in the exams. 

KS5 A Level AQA Politics Scheme of Work

Overview

The AQA A Level Politics course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of political systems, ideologies, and key issues in both the UK and the USA. The course is divided into three main modules: Government and Politics of the UK, Government and Politics of the USA and Comparative Politics, and Political Ideas. Each module is assessed through written examinations.

 

Module 1: Government and Politics of the UK

This module explores the structure, functions, and processes of the UK government and political system.

Main Topics:

  • The Constitution:
    • Nature and sources of the UK constitution
    • Constitutional reforms since 1997
  • Parliament:
    • Structure and role of the House of Commons and House of Lords
    • Legislative process and scrutiny
  • Prime Minister and Executive:
    • Powers and functions of the Prime Minister
    • Role of the Cabinet and civil service
  • Judiciary:
    • Role and independence of the judiciary
    • Judicial review and its impact on government
  • Devolution:
    • Devolution in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and England
    • Impact of devolution on the UK political system
  • Democracy and Participation:
    • Electoral systems and reforms
    • Political parties, pressure groups, and their influence

Assessment:

  • Written Examination:
    • Duration: 2 hours
    • Format: Essay questions and source-based questions
    • Content: Students will analyze political structures, processes, and issues, and evaluate different political interpretations.

 

Module 2: Government and Politics of the USA and Comparative Politics

This module examines the political system of the USA and compares it with the UK.

Main Topics:

  • The Constitution:
    • Principles and amendments of the US Constitution
    • Federalism and its implications
  • Congress:
    • Structure and functions of the House of Representatives and Senate
    • Legislative process and oversight
  • President:
    • Powers and roles of the President
    • Executive orders and vetoes
  • Supreme Court:
    • Role and impact of the Supreme Court
    • Judicial review and landmark cases
  • Comparative Politics:
    • Comparing political systems, constitutions, and electoral processes of the UK and USA
    • Analysis of political culture and participation in both countries

Assessment:

  • Written Examination:
    • Duration: 2 hours
    • Format: Essay questions and source-based questions
    • Content: Students will compare and contrast the political systems of the UK and USA, and analyze key political issues and developments.

 

Module 3: Political Ideas

This module explores key political ideologies and their impact on political systems and policies.

Main Topics:

  • Core Ideologies:
    • Liberalism: Principles, key thinkers, and impact
    • Conservatism: Principles, key thinkers, and impact
    • Socialism: Principles, key thinkers, and impact
  • Other Ideologies:
    • Feminism: Principles, key thinkers, and impact
    • Nationalism: Principles, key thinkers, and impact
    • Multiculturalism: Principles, key thinkers, and impact
    • Ecologism: Principles, key thinkers, and impact

Assessment:

  • Written Examination:
    • Duration: 2 hours
    • Format: Essay questions and source-based questions
    • Content: Students will analyze and evaluate different political ideologies, their principles, and their impact on political systems and policies.

 

General Assessment Methods

  • Source Analysis: Students will critically analyze political sources, understanding their context, purpose, and reliability.
  • Essay Writing: Emphasis on constructing well-argued, coherent essays that demonstrate a deep understanding of political themes and issues.
  • Examinations: Structured to test both knowledge and analytical skills, with a mix of essay and source-based questions.

This scheme of work ensures that students gain a thorough understanding of key political systems, ideologies, and issues, preparing them for further study and fostering a deep appreciation of politics.

 


 

Independent Study and Revision

The Politics department have planned in opportunities within the curriculum to practice the skills required to respond to longer written questions.  

The politics faculty understands that spaced retrieval will help students to develop flexible knowledge and we promote the regular recall of key knowledge. 

All students are provided with text books/revision books where possible and additional resources are available to purchase.

Wider reading lists and suggestions of activities for students to complete in their independent study periods are regularly shared with students. 

 

Subject Enrichment

Opportunities to further enrich the subject include visits to parliament, the opportunity to meet our local MP, weekly debating society and the chance to get involved in school elections as well as elections for the Derby Youth Mayor. We also encourage students to engage with political parties on a national and local level and support them joining a party of choice. 

 

Super-Curricular and Literacy

The best preparation for a course in politics is to keep up with current events. This means regularly watching the news and reading broadsheet newspapers (either online or print). Students should try to read a diverse range of newspapers and watch a variety of TV news stations, so they can weigh up different points of view and political agendas. For example, students could read The Times, The Telegraph and The Guardian, and watch Sky, BBC, CNN and GB news channels. 

See if you can identify which side each newspaper takes and which political views they hold.  
Should you trust everything you read? 
https://www.anewseducation.com/post/the-uk-media-explained
 
To see where you stand on the political spectrum, use a site like this and try the quiz: 
https://www.politicalcompass.org/  
 
UK Politics 
Here are some useful introduction videos to Parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Lords:

https://learning.parliament.uk/resources/what-is-the-house-of-commons-video/ https://learning.parliament.uk/resources/who-is-in-the-house-of-lords/  
 
Have a go at this game as a way of understanding how members of Parliament do their jobs: 
https://learning.parliament.uk/resources/mp-for-a-week/  
 
We advise looking at the 2019 General election:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2019  
 
Some background reading on elections:

https://www.parliament.uk/elections  
https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/elections-and-voting/general/  
 
We love this site because we love elections, and it goes through all the factors involved in deciding who won each one since the Second World War: 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/basics/4393311.stm  
 
And this analysis of the results is very useful: 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50774061       

This booklet is quite detailed but still useful: 
https://assets-learning.parliament.uk/uploads/2019/12/How-it-Works-booklet.pdf  
 
After reading the above, think about making notes and answers to the following questions: 

  • What do you think are the most important issues facing Britain and the world right now? What do you think should be done about them? 

  • What do you think are the main factors that influence people to choose a political party to vote for? 

  • If the 2019 General Election was run again at the end of 2023, do you think the result would be the same? What factors would people take into consideration before voting? Who would you vote for if you could? 

Research Task:

Make profiles of the following Prime Ministers of Great Britain: Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson, Theresa May, David Cameron, Gordon Brown and Tony Blair. Find out their main beliefs, policies, achievements and failures. 
 
USA politics: 
Have a look at some of these articles on how the race to be the President of the USA in November 2020 turned out: 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c5m8rrkp46dt/us-election-2020  
 
Research Task:  

The election was fought between the Republican, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden of the Democrats. Find out a little about both men, their beliefs, policies, and the types of people who supported them.  
Biden has been in office for over three years now, find out what he has achieved so far, and what he is likely to do next: https://inews.co.uk/opinion/we-all-thought-joe-biden-was-too-old-to-run-for-president-but-his-record-rivals-barack-obamas-2292841

Things to watch: 

As well as keeping up with the news and current affairs, there are many other programmes that you can watch that will help prepare you for studying Politics, some examples are: 
The Thick of It (UK) 
The West Wing (USA) 
These are available on Netflix, BBC iPlayer and other online platforms.