Psychology is the study of mind and behaviour and helps students to develop an understanding of self and others; to understand how this explains everyday social phenomena; and to appreciate the contribution of psychological research to this process.

Our key principle in Psychology is to develop well-rounded and informed global citizens through encouraging an understanding of psychological issues, the contribution of psychology to individual, social and cultural diversity, and to show how psychology contributes to society.  The study of Psychology helps to promote students' understanding, respect and tolerance of a range of beliefs, opinions and cultures.

Curriculum Aims

The purpose of our curriculum design is to inspire students in the field of Psychology, whilst embedding critical thinking, analysis and application skills, that can then be taken through to further study Psychology at university level or applied to many career areas such as marketing, business, sport, the police and clinical psychology.

Our curriculum aims for Psychology are framed around the exam specifications we follow and is rich, broad and varied and carefully sequenced.  Our students will gain extensive, relevant knowledge and understanding of the relationship between Psychology and personal, moral, social and cultural issues within local contexts and the wider world.

They will also understand how psychological research is conducted, including the role of scientific method and data analysis and develop an understanding of ethical issues in Psychology. 

Our students will develop as reflective thinkers through a critical approach to psychological evidence. They will understand how society makes decisions about scientific issues and how the sciences contribute to the success of the economy and society.

Curriculum Design

Our Psychology curriculum starts with a focus on research methods and approaches, which are further developed as learning progresses through students researching key studies and conducting their own research. The approaches and research methods form the building blocks of all areas in psychology. Students will start to apply these approaches to explain why people are criminal and why mental health disorders occur, building upon the complexity of these explanations and comparing different approaches to explaining behaviour as they move through their A Level studies.

Please click the link to view our Psychology Curriculum Year Overview

Future Pathways and Next Steps 

Through the study of Psychology we aim to unlock each students' potential and inspire them to achieve excellence by being the best they can be. This can lead to a wide range of future opportunities, some of which include:  

University Degrees: Biology, Child Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Counselling, Criminology, Psychology, Sports Science, Zoology

Apprenticeships: Communications Apprentice, Teaching Assistant

Careers: Counsellor, Forensic Psychologist, Life Coach, Mental Health Nurse, Neuroscientist

Students can find out more about the subject and careers above by logging into their Unifrog account at https://www.unifrog.org/sign-in and using the Subject Library and Careers Library tools.