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Academic Psychology
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PSYCHOLOGY

Psychology is the study of the human brain, the human mind and behaviour.

Psychologists study human behaviour by observing, measuring and testing, in order to arrive at conclusions that are rooted in sound scientific methodology.

Psychology 
is a science

ETHOS AND AIMS

As the scientific study of human behaviour, Psychology is connected to every aspect of life.

The complex nature of the human person makes psychological experimentation particularly challenging and our students will be encouraged to engage in depth with questions of ethics and methodology, applying the scientific method and adopting measures of statistical analysis. 

All students of Psychology at Hurtwood  become critical thinkers, who are able to apply what is learnt in the classroom to maximum effect both academically and practically. The skills acquired in A Level Psychology benefit students throughout their lives and many of our students go on to study Psychology at university. 

CURRICULUM

At Hurtwood we follow the AQA Specification.

In the A1 year students study a range of topics that include Attachment, Memory, Social Psychology and consider mental illnesses such as OCD, depression and phobias through the various psychological approaches.  They are given the opportunity to design, conduct, analyse and write up thier own research and to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses.

These skills are developed further in the A2 year when they are applied to research into Forensic Psychology, Gender and Schizophrenia.   Key skills contributing to success in A Level Psychology include data analysis and interpretation, critical thinking and the application of scientific methodology and mathematical analysis to human behavioural research. The Research Methods topic is a core part of the subject and approximately 10% of marks in the A Level come from mathematics."

How we teach
psychology

EXTRA CURRICULAR

The nature of Psychology means that every day it is possible to link a news-item to an aspect of the subject, keeping the subject topical and relevant to daily life.

Extra curricular opportunities vary each year, but have included visits from forensic psychologists and real-life offenders, talks from mental health professionals, a theatre visit to 'The Psychology of Serial Killers' and our annual 'Brain Day' visit from Dr Guy Sutton, including a brain dissection.

TASH GROOTHEDDE2
A STUDENT VIEW

Tash Groothedde

Everyone’s so interesting and so driven, which I really like.

Student Profile
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