Social Sciences
The aim of the psychology curriculum is to equip students with the appropriate knowledge and skills needed to be able to understand and explain the causes of human behaviour and the impact of this behaviour on the wider society.
Here at NBA we want students to be able to think analytically and reach logical conclusions based on scientific evidence.
The psychology curriculum goes far beyond what is taught in lessons, for whilst we want students to achieve the very best exam results possible, we believe our curriculum goes beyond what is exam able.
As a knowledge-based curriculum we believe that knowledge underpins and enables the application of skills; both are entwined.
Content is delivered to students and then built upon through a variety of practice questions, with regular quality feedback being given to support student progress.
The knowledge acquired then allows students to develop their analytical and critical thinking skills.
The psychology curriculum is designed to include the revisiting and building on existing knowledge. We ensure the level of challenge is high enough for the most able, with scaffold and support available for students who need it.
GCSE
The understanding of human behaviour from a biological, environmental and social perspective allowing our students to see the world in a who innovative light.
The transferable skills from psychology prepare our students to work in any area they aspire to be a part of.
A-Level
Psychology is designed to promote independence on every student, enabling them to reach their full potential, whilst preparing them for their future higher education and career choices.
This is achieved through embedding new concepts into wider, complex psychological debates whilst applying them to everyday human and animal issues and behaviour.
Cultural capital is embedded throughout the curriculum, our students are introduced to a wide variety of viewpoints from some of the most influential psychologist.
We study the impact that their work has had on the world we live in and students are encouraged to make links between their studies and real-life examples.
They are expected to analyse the relative contributions of competing theories in order to discuss their impact on our understanding of human behaviour and society as a whole.
Our curriculum in Psychology supports the ethos statement of the school.
Students are constantly challenged to work collaboratively and think independently when engaging in all lessons and class debates. Through teacher modelling, we encourage our students to demonstrate manners, respect and tolerance in Psychology lessons. This allows students to express themselves in a confident manner. Lesson materials are engaging to promote topical discussion and encourage students to develop an enquiring mind.
Our curriculum in psychology prepares our students for the world of work as psychology is useful for any job that requires lots of interaction or an understanding of human behaviour and development. Students with knowledge in psychology are sought after in business, management, teaching, research, social work and careers in medicine and healthcare. Whether they stop studying psychology at KS4 or continue into KS5 the knowledge gained from psychology prepare our students to work in any area they aim to be a part of.
By studying psychology, our curriculum enables our students to gain a deeper access to the human mind that gives new meaning to how our students express emotions, handle stress and, have a deeper understanding why certain situations affect some people more than others.