A Level Politics

Vision statement

We hope that students studying Politics at The Swan will become not just masters of the subject content but also Politics nerds in their own right, interested and engaged in the real-life world of politics as well as scholars. Students will understand their rights and their ability to make a difference on a local, national and global level. They will learn how to appreciate and respect a variety of different points of view and ways of understanding the world and its people. They will want to know what they have the power to change, and question what they are told they cannot. Most importantly, they should become independent learners and thinkers. The study of A level Politics will develop skills of analysis, argument and debate. In addition to this, A level Politics students will be encouraged to take advantage of the varied enrichment opportunities that Oxford has to offer, for example: lectures, debates and essay writing competitions, and to participate in political activity. 

Our Students on Politics

What makes you feel most confident about studying Politics?

• Being able to connect my own experiences, knowledge and theories to topics studied in politics

• The confidence of the class and the good level of discussions

• Good teaching

What do you enjoy most about studying Politics?

• The debates

• The content

• Its relevance to today’s politics

• Learning new political viewpoints

What has surprised you about studying Politics?

• I find the topics more engaging than I thought I would

• It’s not as hard as I thought it was at the start of term

• Information about the political parties and their histories

A typical Politics Lesson

• Our students start with a retrieval practice activity, designed to connect their learning from previous topics to the current lesson’s content

• The students work from comprehensive booklets which have been specifically designed by Swan teachers for our students’ needs

• This often involves reading as a class to ensure understanding, as well as paired discussion tasks, and independent work

• There are frequent references to current political developments, including up-to-date opinion polls, by-elections, and news articles

• Explicit exam question practice and the development of exam skills, for example forming chains of reasoning, source analysis, and developing evaluation skills, are regularly built in to lesson time

Edexcel Politics specification