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Social Sciences - Business, Economics, Media & iMedia, Health & Social Care and Psychology

Curriculum Intent

To develop students’ understanding of what drives human behaviour and how people interact within larger groups, and equip them with the skills to analyse and interpret information about society and its institutions.

DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL SCIENCES	MS N LEWIS
EMAIL	NLEWIS@CAPITALCITYACADEMY.ORG

Social Sciences

The Social Sciences Courses at Capital City Academy are devoted to studying how societies function and how individuals interact with the larger group. In Social Sciences we aim to challenge students on key questions of how we engage with people and the society. The courses seek to answer the questions about what drives human behaviour, the importance of money within a society, the key factors that influence our health and well-being and research skills to analyse and interpret information about human behaviour and activities. The Social Science Department offers a group of 9 different qualifications for Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5, to cater for a range of learners. There are GCSE courses in Business and Media Studies,technical/vocational courses in Business, Health and Social Care and iMedia and A Level courses in Economics and Psychology.

Technical/Vocational Qualifications in Social Sciences at Level 2 and Level 3

The Vocational and Technical courses are in the disciplines of Business Studies, Health and Social Care, and iMedia. These are designed to train learners to develop skills related to specific professions and to gear them up for employment with academic skills, technical knowledge and independence. The courses are offered to students from Year 9 and are studied all the way up to Year 13. Level 2 courses are typically done from 9-11 or as a skills building year in Year 12. The Level 3 courses are delivered across Year 12 and 13 as Extended Diplomas and they are equivalent in size to three ‘A’ levels..

Students should emerge with a range of skills which prepare them to work in industry or to devise and develop their own employment opportunities. At the end of these courses, students should be proficient in their communication, enterprise and presentation skills. Students are also provided with a strong basis for further study in higher education.

General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) Social Sciences

These courses are options for students from Years 9-11 and are graded from the highest Grade 9 to Grade 1. The courses are delivered via direct teaching and are assessed through external examinations. At the moment, the GCSE is offered in Business Studies.

Students who select a Social Science course will be provided with the skills to produce extended responses under timed conditions.They will learn how to assimilate information from different areas of study and to demonstrate their understanding in a written form under timed conditions.

Students who complete the GCSE course would have a foundation knowledge in a Social Science subject and they should be able to communicate this knowledge in written examinations. The courses also allow students to access the Post 16 curriculum in the subject area.

Advanced Level (A Levels) Social Sciences

These courses in Social Science are designed for learners in Year 12 and 13. Students must have Grades 9-6 in Maths, English and Science along with strong pasess other options. Maths, English and Science are important as they demonstrate the students’ ability to understand data, analyse information within a context and to communicate understanding under exam conditions.

These courses are assessed via external exams which require extended writing and analysis of statistical information. The delivery of these courses aim to boost the students’ academic writing skills, their investigative technique and challenges their ability to process large amounts of information. The subjects do require students to demonstrate their learning with the independent development of knowledge organisers.

Students who complete these courses will have a platform for further learning at tertiary level. Often the requirements of the A Level course allows easy access to Year 1 university skills. Students would have developed organisation skills to assimilate and synthesise vast content.

Business Studies

In the Business courses , students will be prepared for exams in the nature of business concepts, business terminology, and the integrated nature of business activity. They will be taught to understand the impact of business on individuals and wider society. We hope to develop a love of business and enterprise. We aim to develop students as enterprising individuals with the ability to think commercially and creatively, to demonstrate business acumen, and draw on evidence to make informed business decisions and solve business problems. Through studying these qualifications, students will be able to apply knowledge and understanding to different business contexts. These include businesses ranging from small enterprises to large multinationals and businesses operating in local, national and global contexts. Students will be independent , critical and reflective thinkers. They will have a strong knowledge base in elements of accountancy, finance and marketing. Students should be able to communicate either understanding on the external exams, course work , presentations and work experience. From this, students can access the higher level courses in Sixth form and University.

At GCSE, there are two units of learning with the ultimate goal of allowing the learners to apply knowledge and understanding to contemporary business issues and to different types and sizes of businesses in local, national and global contexts. Students will develop an understanding of how these contexts impact on business behaviour and they will be given the skills to apply business concepts to familiar and unfamiliar contexts. They will develop and apply quantitative skills relevant to business.

Level 2 Technical Award Enterprise in Business is delivered in Year 12 for one year only. Students will develop preliminary understanding of business functions and environment. They will experience the workplace setting via work experience. They will develop their communication skill both verbally and in writing.

At Level 3, students across two year will use an enquiring, critical approach to make informed judgements about business. They will investigate and analyse real business opportunities and issues. They are to learn how to construct well-argued, well-evidenced, balanced arguments which demonstrate their understanding of business. They will be asked to develop a business plan and present a product such as for an event.

Health & Social Care

Health & Social Care courses use a learner-centred approach to the curriculum. The curriculum is a flexible, unit-based structure and the learners are able to apply their knowledge in project-based assessments. Furthermore, the Health & Social Care curriculum focuses on the holistic development of the practical, interpersonal and thinking skills of the learners which are required to be able to succeed in employment and higher education.

The Health & Social Care curriculum uses applied learning, collaborative knowledge and teaching of practical and technical skills. Learners are required to perform vocational tasks that support the development of appropriate vocational skills.The learners will be developing transferable skills such as communication, teamwork, research and analysis, which are valued in higher education and the workplace. They will also have the knowledge to pursue training in sectors such as emergency response, paramedics, policing, social work and teaching.

Level 2, which is taken by 9-11 year groups , students will be taught key aspects of working in health and social care, such as designing plans to improve individuals’ health and wellbeing. Through coursework guidance and examinations preparation, students will be guided on how to communicate their understanding of health and social care values which are important in different sectors of society. They will look closely at human growth and development, health and social care services, and factors affecting people’s health and wellbeing.

The delivery at Level 3 will focus on more specific aspects of Anatomy and Physiology , Human Development, Safe Practice in Health and Social Care, Current Research and research skills in Health and Social Care and Public Health. Students will have Work Experience in Health and Social Care so that there is a practical understanding of the demands of the sector.

Psychology

This popular course visits a range of ways of trying to understand human behaviour through different lenses. Students will study a range of topics which help them to make sense of people’s behaviour: The course seeks to help learners understand topical issues such as if people are born with their personality, what makes individuals a particular gender, how do people remember and why do they forget. Popular topics include OCD, Schizophrenia and other aspects of atypical human behaviour. At the end of this course students should have a qualification which counts as a Science for some University courses. They will also be capable of conducting and presenting complex research. Due to the expectation of being able to produce long written pieces during exam conditions, the students should be able to communicate in a coherent written way, which is a core skill at University level. Students who study this course will also have an access subject for a range of careers such as Speech therapy, Forensic Psychology, Nursing, Policing, Educational Psychology and Psychiatry.

Psychology is taught at A Levels at Capital and the subject is part of the Brent Consortium block of lessons. Students will develop an overview of key aspects of psychology but then have to develop the skills of judgement of ideas or theory and research evidence. Students will also be introduced to a range of important theorists who have shaped our understanding of human behaviour. They will also be developed in an understanding of Mathematical operations and an ability to use, interpret, analyse and apply statistical or other data. Additionally, the learners will develop an understanding of some biological structures and processes as they relate to behaviour. At the end of the second year, students will sit 3 externally set examinations.

Economics

This is a dynamic A Level course which seeks to develop an interest in, and enthusiasm for the impact of economics and economic policy on the social environment. It is meant to develop an understanding of concepts which will be used in different contexts relating to economics. It uses an enquiring, critical approach to study and demands that the learner develop an understanding of economics from different perspectives. At the end of this course students must be able to relate their understanding of economics to the world around them in a synoptic way. Their application skills should be evident and their ability to communicate their understanding developed. Students would be provided with a qualification which will allow them to further study marketing, economics and fields related to finance.

This is a consortium course which means that it is taught in a block of lessons with other Brent schools. Students will be prepared to take 3 exams at the end of Year 13. The students must learn how to apply economic theory to support analysis of current economic problems and issues, and encourage students to appreciate the interrelationships between microeconomics and macroeconomics. They will learn the importance of markets and development economics and how these affect global policy. The students will be taught to develop analytical and quantitative skills relating to statistical analysis and data interpretation.

Media & iMedia

LEAD TEACHER	JACQUELINE OPPON
EMAIL	JOPPON@CAPITALCITYACADEMY.ORG

iMedia

iMedia is an exciting technical qualification which is taught to students 9-11. This course is meant to be an enjoyable way of developing media, information technology and business skills. Learners are introduced to a range of pre-production techniques used in the creative and digital media, including client briefs, time frames, deadlines and preparation techniques. Students will have a range of skills to design, develop and analyse a media product based on specifications. Additionally, students will understand the perspectives and points of view of others and learn how to be respectful in accepting criticism of their product. Students will possess at the end the basic knowledge and communication skills necessary to deal with clients. They will also have the ability to self assess and be analytical. They should be equipped with the IT know-how to go on to further technical qualifications or to independently develop business ideas via a media platform.

Students will have one exam and they must produce coursework based on an assignment brief. The options include: aspects of digital graphics, game creation, digital animation and 2D or 3D characters. The learners will have supervised or directed study time and assessment activities based on technical knowledge related to information technology and media. These skills must be applied to assignment brief tasks provided by the examination board.

Media

The media play a central role in contemporary society and culture and have real relevance and importance in our lives today. At Capital City Academy, Media Studies provides rich and challenging opportunities to interpret and analyse the role of media in society. The media curriculum is designed to introduce learners to the key areas of the theoretical framework for studying media - media language, representation, media industries and audiences – in relation to diverse examples from a wide range of media forms: advertising and marketing, film, magazines, music video, newspapers, online media, radio, television and video games. Furthermore, the study of relevant social, cultural, political and historical contexts further enhances and deepens learners' understanding of the media, as they explore key influences on the products studied.

The curriculum in media is designed to enable students to:

demonstrate skills of enquiry, critical thinking, decision-making and analysis
acquire knowledge and understanding of a range of important media issues
develop appreciation and critical understanding of the media and their role both historically and currently in society, culture and politics
understand and apply specialist subject-specific terminology to analyse and compare media products and the contexts in which they are produced and consumed
make informed arguments, reach substantiated judgements and draw conclusions about media issues
appreciate how theoretical understanding supports practice and practice supports theoretical understanding
develop practical skills by providing opportunities for creative media production.