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Sociology

Sociology is part of the social science department which also includes psychology (A Level only) and health & social care. We are a growing department, who teach only examined subjects across the whole spectrum of abilities. We help our students to achieve their best through high levels of support from our enthusiastic, experienced and expert teaching staff. We welcome students with a wide range of abilities and background because we want to prepare them for wider society by equipping them with the analytical skills to help them become reflective, logical and critical thinkers. Sociology is a fascinating subject which is highly topical and very relevant to the lives of young people living in contemporary Britain.

WHY CHOOSE TO COME TO OUR SCHOOL FOR THIS SUBJECT?

Sociology A level has been running as a successful and popular course at Silverdale for many years. Due to the increasing interest in studying the subject at degree level and A level, we decided to introduce the GCSE to give pupils the opportunity to explore this fascinating course much sooner in their school career. Sociology explores a range of issues which are of interest to young people such as the effects of social media, gender identity, causes of crime and the rise in knife crime, racial inequality and the causes of poverty. The GCSE in sociology gives a strong grounding in exploring some of these social issues and will benefit those wanting to pursue sociology or other social science subjects like psychology, health & social care and criminology in sixth form.

GCSE Sociology 

(AQA EXAM BOARD)

What will you learn?

You will study the following topics:

  1. The sociological approach
  2. Social structures, social processes and social issues
  3. Sociology of families
  4. Sociology of education
  5. Crime and deviance
  6. Social stratification
  7. Sociological research methods
how will this be assessed?

All pupils following a GCSE course will take:

2 written examinations x 1 hour 45 mins (100%) - in Year 11.

There is no coursework.

Beyond the classroom 

Students in Year 11 are given the opportunity to go on a trip to the National Justice Museum in Nottingham and take part in a workshop and mock trial as part of the crime and deviance unit.

Future pathways 

Your studies will help you to understand the society in which you live and how social issues affect social groups in different ways.

A good grade will allow you to take many Level 3 courses including sociology, psychology, criminology, health & social care, history, RS, business & economics, geography and English. The skills you will have gained are also valued by vocational courses and by employers. Many employers and universities are looking for evidence of people who have analytical skills and an understanding of how society works, especially in careers in medicine, law, teaching, nursing, journalism, marketing, policing and the armed forces.