Politics
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Intent and Vision
In Politics, we have the Ravens Wood vision at the heart of our curriculum planning and it has informed the learning journey of our students. Our vision in Politics is for all students to understand how people and politics interact and develop a powerful knowledge of the individual in the political process and their relationship with the state. In so doing we are looking to create insightful and informed citizens who understand and are able to critically articulate the strengths and weaknesses of our constitutional, parliamentary and democratic arrangements. Alongside this, we want students to be able to confidently articulate the greatest ideas in the history of political thought and to be able to explain areas of agreement and disagreement within western ideologies. Finally, we want students to be able to compare UK and US politics as a way to shed new light and ideas on our government.
Key Concepts that Underpin the Curriculum
- Democracy and participation
- Political parties
- Electoral systems
- Voting behaviours and patterns
- History of political thought
- Constitutional monarchy
- Branches of government
- Comparative politics
- Analytical, comparative and evaluative writing
- Analyses and evaluations of political source materials
Key Features of Learning
We believe the best way of doing this is teaching students through a diverse range of pedagogical methods to ensure full engagement, challenge and differentiation. Lessons are grounded in the theoretical and the practical, real-world spheres of politics, meaning that students are constantly invited to incorporate contemporary examples, debates and issues, as well as their own lived experiences. Through data, news reports, academic articles, texts and sources, students develop important skills of analysis and evaluation.
How Does our Curriculum Shape Learners?
Our curriculum helps students to develop independently-minded, critical thinkers who are informed and engaged citizens of twenty-first century Britain. Our students can articulate and defend the very best aspects of our politics, constitutional arrangements, political ideas and branches of government, but can equally critique and explain the weaknesses, fractures and future challenges our country faces.
The Learning Journey: End Points for Each Academic Year
| Year 13 |
By the end of Year 13, students will have studied the government and politics of the USA, including the US Constitution, the US executive branch (the presidency), the US Congress and the US Supreme Court. They will also have embedded a firm understanding of US-specific political concepts and problems, including the role of the Supreme Court in advancing minority rights in the twentieth-century and contemporary debates about the role of government in everyday US. Throughout their studies, students will have developed a thorough understanding of comparative theories of politics to support the comparative aspect of the unit – ultimately, all students will be able to confidently compare US and UK politics. |
| Year 12 |
By the end of Year 12, students will have studied UK politics, including concepts of democracy, referenda, voting systems, forms of political participation and the main UK-wide political parties. Alongside this they will have developed a confident knowledge and understanding of UK government, including the UK’s complex constitutional arrangements, the fusion of the executive and the legislative branches, the legislative process in Parliament, the role of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the UK Supreme Court. Finally, they will have studied, engaged with and debated the key thinkers and areas of agreement and disagreement within Liberalism, Conservatism, Socialism and Anarchism. |
