Politics
Politics Curriculum
At Hayes School, our commitment is to provide moments of joy, support pupils to thrive beyond our gates, and nurture community and character through a curriculum that is conceptual, inclusive and responsive. Our values — kindness, endeavour, inclusivity and responsibility — shape every aspect of this curriculum. They ensure that every pupil, particularly the most disadvantaged and vulnerable, is known, supported and challenged to achieve highly and to flourish in school and beyond.
Purpose
The Politics curriculum aims to equip students with the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding for discussion of key ideas of society, state, economy, and human nature that are referred to as Politics. It is designed to give our students recognised vocabulary, and political awareness so that they can understand and communicate viewpoints within Politics. The curriculum is designed to enable students to evaluate political participation and government systems in the UK and the USA. Students are equipped with a clear understanding of the political ideologies which shape political discourse in twenty-first century Britain. Students will explain or analyse similarities and differences between UK and US political systems using comparative theories, further equipping students for future critical analysis of politics in their futures.
Specification Information
Edexcel Politics Route A
Academic End Points
| Year 12 | By the end of Year 12, students develop a secure understanding of the core political ideologies of conservatism, liberalism, socialism and anarchism, including their key principles, internal tensions and major thinkers. They learn how these ideologies shape political discourse and how to evaluate differing viewpoints using evidence, conceptual vocabulary and structured argument. Students gain detailed knowledge of UK political participation, including democracy, franchise reform, pressure groups, rights development and the operation and impact of electoral systems such as FPTP, STV and AMS. They study voting behaviour across major elections, analysing the influence of class, partisanship, socio‑economic factors and the media. Students acquire deep knowledge of the UK Constitution, Parliament, the Executive and the Supreme Court, including sovereignty, devolution, legislative processes and checks on executive power. They also learn how political parties function, how ideological traditions map onto party competition, and how contemporary political events illustrate the theories they study. |
| Year 13 | By the end of Year 13, students gain a deep understanding of the US Constitution, including its principles, structure, amendment process, federalism, separation of powers and the debates surrounding its democratic strengths and weaknesses. They learn the powers, functions and evolving significance of the US Presidency, including formal and informal powers, the Executive Office, and how presidents interact with Congress, the courts and foreign policy. Students develop detailed knowledge of US Congress, its bicameral structure, legislative and oversight functions, party influence, gridlock, representation, and how it compares to the UK Parliament. They study the US Supreme Court, including judicial review, judicial philosophies, landmark rulings, civil rights protection, race relations, and comparisons with the UK Supreme Court. Students also learn about US democracy and participation, covering elections, primaries, campaign finance, political parties, polarisation, voting rights, and interest groups, alongside comparisons with UK pressure groups. Throughout Year 13, they build sophisticated comparative political analysis skills, using rational, cultural and structural theories to evaluate similarities and differences between UK and US political systems, institutions and democratic performance. |
