Social Sciences is a thriving department and is one of the most popular options with pupils, particularly at key stage five.

It is also wide ranging and four different qualifications are offered.

Key stage four

At GCSE, we offer two qualifications: Sociology and Health and Social Care.

For Sociology, we follow the AQA specification (8192). 

For Health and Social Care, we follow the OCR specification (J811). 

Key stage five

We offer four Social Sciences courses at post sixteen: as well as Sociology and Health and Social Care, we also offer Psychology and Criminology, which is the most popular course in the Sixth Form.  Often pupils opt to study a combination of Social Science courses and find that they complement each other and interconnect well.  Equally, many pupils at St Peter’s opt for Maths and a Science and often choose one of the four courses outlined as their third option. 

Criminology is a Level 3 Applied Diploma; we follow the WJEC’s specification (2015) 601/6248/X.

Health and Social Care is a Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate; we follow the OCR specification (2016) 05831.

For Psychology, we follow the AQA specification (7182).  

For Sociology, we follow the OCR specification (H580). 

If you have a query about any of the Social Sciences, please contact the office at office@st-peter.solihull.sch.uk and ask for your email to be forwarded on to Mrs Ferry.

Outline of the courses

Read below to see the content of our Social Science courses and what kind of pupil would enjoy studying them.

Sociology

Sociology is the study of our society and the ways in which our behaviour is influenced externally, namely through our education, family, friends, the media and our religious beliefs. In Sociology, we aim to understand these influences in our society and the inequality that it creates. By understanding the causes of inequality in society, we can then bring about change with Sociology informing the polices of governments and organisations worldwide. As well as inequality, key topics studied across the Sociology curriculum include Crime and Deviance, Social Stratification, Youth Subcultures and Globalisation in the Digital World. Topics studies are therefore incredibly current, helping our pupils as they become adults in the 21st Century. We believe that our Sociology pupils at St Peter’s gain an invaluable insight into human behaviour, learning about other cultures and beliefs and understanding how best to debate and tackle issues of inequality in our society.  Sociology pupils develop their critical thinking skills and learn to analyse and discuss key topics. This gives our pupils several key transferable skills, crucial for further and higher education.

Health and Social Care

Health and Social Care is a course designed to give pupils the skills they need to follow a vocation and career in the Health and Social Care sector of employment. The career links in this sector are vast, not just including Childcare, Nursing and Midwifery but also Paramedics, Physiotherapy, Social Work, Teaching and Nutrition.  Our Health and Social Care courses cover a wide range of skills and knowledge needed for these job roles, including communication, building positive relationships, health and safety, diversity, mental health and physiology and anatomy. Health and Social Care at St Peter’s enables pupils to develop their knowledge and skills in the Health and Social Care Sector but also provides pupils with the opportunity to improve transferable skills needed for further and higher education. These skills include resilience, conducting independent research, responding to feedback and carrying out practical interactions with service users in Health and Social Care. Our pupils complete their Health and Social Courses with an understanding of current Health and Social Care policy and legislation, knowing how to meet the core standards and values in Health and Social Care professions, caring with humility, integrity and the individual needs of their service users at the heart of what they do.

Criminology

Have you ever wondered why one person turns to crime and another person doesn’t? Have you pondered over the nature/nurture question? Are you curious about legislation and our criminal justice system? Do you believe that all crime should be punished? If so, these are exactly the kind of questions we explore in Criminology. The Applied Diploma in Criminology is available to Year 12 and 13 pupils in our Sixth Form. It is a hugely popular subject due to the interesting topic matter, the high quality of teaching and learning and the destinations it can lead to. Topics studied include: Changing Awareness of Crime; Criminological Theories; Crime Scene to Courtroom and Crime and Punishment. The course examines criminological theory and research as well as real-life crime cases. Not only is the content of the course interesting and engaging, but this subject also helps pupils develop a wide range of valuable cross-curricular skills including reading for meaning; comparing and contrasting; analysing sources; evaluating methods and writing clearly and coherently.

Psychology

Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and behaviour. Psychology provides explanations for all areas of human interaction and reaction, allowing us to truly understand ourselves and each other. In studying Psychology, we can address complex social phenomena such as understanding riots, why we forget faces but can remember phone numbers, as well as critically analysing the various explanations for increasing mental health disorders in society today. We discover the brain and its relationship with our behaviour, challenging perspectives so that we can learn more about ourselves via brain matter, rather than cross-examining our childhoods and vice versa.  With our own society feeling fragmented at times, increasing awareness of mental health issues and considering the fall-out from the pandemic, it’s never been a more important time to study such a diverse and fascinating subject.  The A level Psychology qualification offers an engaging introduction to the subject; pupils will learn the fundamentals of Psychology and develop skills valued by Higher Education and employers, including critical analysis, independent thinking and scientific research. This course compliments other A-level courses from the Social Sciences, Sciences and the Humanities, preparing you for higher education in Psychology or more general higher education courses. With further training, you could go into a job related to Psychology and people such as a Counsellor, Nurse or Psychologist. You could also specialise in a particular area of Psychology such as education or mental health depending on the area that interests you.