Sixth Form
Government & Politics
This subject appeals to students in the Sixth Form who are interested in how power is acquired and used in the world and who have a well developed interest in current affairs.
As such, it complements the study of subjects like history superbly. It is also excellent preparation for anyone who wishes to study Law at university.
People who choose to study Politics and Government must be prepared to watch the news and current affairs programmes on the television and read newspapers regularly. This is because you are expected to be able to give relevant, up to date examples to back up arguments in essays. We study the British political system for AS and the American political system for A2, comparing it with the British system.
As with history, we organise visits to complement the curriculum. We regularly take students to visit Parliament and on a visit to Berlin had the pleasure of touring the new Reichstag building with its amazing glass dome. During Easter 2006 twenty girls visited America and visited the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court.
This term we attended a conference in London dedicated to looking at the impact of the May 2010 election and the impact of coalition politics.
Students' views on Politics
'This subject is really interesting because it enables you to learn a lot about current affairs and it improves your debating skills. This is important to me as I want to study law at university. I enjoy learning about the American political system as it is in the news so often nowadays and it so different from ours.'
- A current A2 student
'Politics is fascinating and I loved every minute of studying it. Like history it helped me learn how to write a really good essay which is useful in my Business Management course.'
- A recent past student
