Politics
Making sense of the world around us by questioning and seeing different perspectives.
What we study
The Politics Department gives students the opportunity to make sense of the modern political system both in the United Kingdom and further afield. Following the linear Edexcel specification, the first year of the course primarily focuses on the political processes of the United Kingdom and comprises two units: ‘UK Government’ and ‘UK politics’. The purpose of the course is to study the UK political system to develop the students’ understanding of how political power functions, of the complex issues that confront politicians and of the difficult decisions they frequently have to make.
In the second year of the course, we combine a topic focusing on Global politics with a parallel topic introducing core and non-core political ideologies. The former looks at issues such as the role of the United Nations, how global organisations have tackled world issues such as poverty, the environment and conflict and understanding the role of the superpowers, the USA and China. The ideologies topic covers socialism, conservatism, liberalism and nationalism. These two units enable the students to deepen their understanding of the wider world, both in terms of abstract ideas and of the importance of global power. This blend of topics naturally brings an important and intellectually stimulating comparative approach to the study of politics which will equip students well for a wide range of degree courses.
An important feature of the politics course is that it is constantly being updated to stay in touch with live issues and debates.
Beyond the curriculum
The Politics department has its own Politics Society which meets weekly to discuss significant developments. We have regular visitors from the world of politics as well as academics who speak on a range of topics that go beyond the confines of the curriculum. We also regularly join with St Paul’s School to engage in political debate on current issues.
As a department we organise many events that coincide with national political occasions. In 2024, for example, we held a school mock election where students of politics organised and participated in a school-wide vote and in 2026 we held a ‘Question Time’ to debate major issues of popular concern before the local and devolved elections.
There is also a Model United Nations club which meets weekly and is student-led. The students organise conferences in school and also debate with other schools nationwide. They represent a wide range of countries and global issues to understand further how global decisions are made.
Each year, students participate in a wide variety of university essay competitions such as the R.A. Butler Prize for essays in Politics and International Studies.
Every year we also run a trip to Parliament and the Supreme Court where students get the opportunity to tour the buildings and meet the school’s local MP.
Where it might lead
Studying politics can lead to fulfilling careers in law, the civil service, journalism and a wide range of other professions.
There are a diverse range of politics courses on offer at universities in the UK , Europe and beyond. Every year many students opt for politics to add richness and diversity to their A level choices, particularly helpful if applying to US universities.
Qualification
A level
Board
Edexcel
Mode of Assessment
100% examinations