Intent

The premise of GCSE Sociology is to develop the students ‘sociological imagination’ and for them to understand the social world and our behaviour in it. The course follows the AQA syllabus with students studying the core topics of Education, Families, Crime and Deviance and Social Stratification which are underpinned by key theoretical perspectives and methods, exploring issues such as inequality, the distribution and use of power and experiences of different social groups in society. 

Students will develop their analytical, assimilation and communication skills by comparing and contrasting perspectives on a variety of social issues, constructing reasoned arguments, making substantiated judgements and drawing reasoned conclusions.

By studying sociology, students will develop transferable skills including how to:

• Investigate facts and make deductions
• Develop opinions and new ideas on social issues
• Analyse and better understand the social world.

Implementation

The aim of the Sociology curriculum is to equip students with the appropriate knowledge and skills needed to be able to understand and explain the causes of human behaviour and the impact of this behaviour on wider society. This is done using quality first teaching which ensures students understand underlying Sociological principles and can apply them in a variety of familiar and unfamiliar contexts.

It is important that students are able to think analytically and reach logical conclusions based on scientific evidence. Students are constantly challenged to work collaboratively and think independently when engaging in all lessons and class debates. Lesson materials are engaging to promote topical discussion and encourage students to develop an enquiring mind. As a knowledge-based curriculum we believe that knowledge underpins and enables the application of skills; both are entwined.

Content is delivered to students and then built upon through a variety of practice questions, with regular quality feedback being given to support student progress. The knowledge acquired then allows students to develop their analytical and critical thinking skills.

Cultural Capital is embedded throughout the sociology curriculum. Our students are introduced to a wide variety of viewpoints from some of the most influential Sociologists throughout history. We study the impact that their work has had on the world we live in and students are encouraged to make links between their studies and real-life examples. They are expected to analyse the relative contributions of competing theories in order to discuss their impact on our understanding of human behaviour and society as a whole. In addition to the course aims, our curriculum design includes revisiting and building on existing knowledge.

We ensure the level of challenge is high enough for the most able, with scaffold and support available for students who need it. A wide range of resources and teaching strategies are used to ensure that students have a comprehensive knowledge of the specifications and are capable of going beyond what is taught in lessons. Techniques to help develop long-term memory and help students master subject content are embedded in the curriculum. These are focussed on embedding challenge, metacognition, memory techniques, numeracy and literacy into our curriculum.

The curriculum is implemented through using a variety of teaching strategies and skills practice. Assessment is carried out throughout the two years through regular and timely formative assessments in class as well as summative assessments linked to the individual unit of study.

Impact

• The course challenges student thinking and develops their understanding about how social processes and structures in society work and how societies influence us and shape our lives.
• The course is contemporary, topical and relevant using documentaries, news reports and articles to make links with the theoretical content of the course. Students are aware of current affairs and their link to the topics we study.
• Students develop their opinions along with their evaluative and critical skills.
• The course is a good foundation to lead onto studying A Level Sociology but also compliments other A-Level choices that students may make.