The aim of Psychology is to provide students with the fundamental skills and knowledge that are valued by higher education and employers, including critical analysis, independent thinking and research. In addition, students should gain an understanding about themselves and others in a variety of different contexts.

The new specification aims to develop maths skills which can be applied to the psychological research of different behaviours. Ensuring students have a secure knowledge of these mathematical skills and are able to apply them to novel scenarios is an important part of the curriculum. With this, students are taught how psychological research is conducted, including the role of scientific enquiry and data analysis. Students then apply this to their own ethicalscientific enquiries.

Many of the topics are governed by the specification. However, where there are choices between topics, the department has chosen areas that the students can relate to and apply to contemporary society, for example Cognition and Development, Forensic Psychology and Schizophrenia. Students are taught about the main approaches in Psychology as well as Psychology as a Science. Core topics include Attachment, Social Influence, Memory, Psychopathology and Issues and Debates within Psychology.

Students are expected to analyse findings from research and use this to create detailed evaluation points about psychological theories and concepts.

Psychology is only taught at KS5 at Waddesdon. However, some new students coming from other schools have studied Psychology as KS4. The KS5 curriculum builds on what they learn about the foundations of Psychology and relevant topic areas and increases in demand in terms of critical analysis and application to novel scenarios.

A-Level Overview

Students are taught the following topics in Years 12 and 13:

Paper 1:

• Social Influence
• Psychopathology
• Memory
• Attachment

Paper 2:

• Research Methods (double weighted)
• The Approaches
• Biopsychology

Paper 3:

• Forensic Psychology
• Schizophrenia
• Cognition and Development
• Issues and Debates in Psychology

Every year we aim to plan an educational visit to support students in their understanding of A Level Psychology as well as providing opportunities to broaden their experience of psychology in the real world. Previous visits have included seminars hosted at Warwick University from a variety of psychologists in different fields of research, London Zoo to support students’ understanding of phobias and their treatment, and a visit to the Tavistock Centre, London, to focus on mental health explanations and treatments.

We also regularly invite guest speakers into school to talk to students about relevant topics on their A Level syllabus. We are privileged to have developed a strong relationship with Jean-Marc Lawton, lead examiner and author of the AQA approved Psychology textbook. For the last two years, he has served as the keynote speaker at our A Level Psychology Revision Conference.

Students are also encouraged to read, watch, and engage with a variety of texts to supplement the course across the syllabus.

We stretch and challenge our students through a wide range of academic resources and independent learning opportunities. Students have access to both online and paper textbooks, curated reading recommendations, and extended reading materials available on Teams. We promote high-quality digital learning through platforms such as PsychBoost and Tutor2U, and encourage independent revision using AI-supported self-assessment. In addition, students benefit from access to Psychology resources, including specialist websites and Psychology Review, alongside a full bank of past papers. All materials, guidance, and revision tools are centrally organised on Teams to support ongoing academic development.

Across all topic areas, there are several journal articles, newspaper reports and further reading that are provided for students to help further their understanding and encourage a thirst for knowledge. This also supports the students in seeing the Psychology; developing their understanding and application of psychology in the real world.