Psychology – Haute Vallée

Intent (Aims & Purpose)

The GCSE Psychology course is offered as an optional subject for learners to complete in key stage four. The course was first offered by Haute Vallée School in 2024 and is rarely offered by other schools. The course is assessed through two untiered terminal exams, so all students have the opportunity to attain even the highest grade. OCR’s GCSE Psychology specification is designed to inspire and engage learners by providing a broad, coherent, satisfying and worthwhile course of study which develops an understanding of the ideas and values that characterise ‘self’ and others. Learners will be equipped with a psychological literacy that enables them to apply their knowledge and skills in their everyday lives, including making informed decisions about further study and career choices. The course aims to encourage learners to use specialist vocabulary, psychological concepts and conventions to engage in the process of psychological enquiry. By acquiring knowledge and understanding of psychology, learners should develop an understanding of psychological issues, the contribution of psychology to individual, social and cultural diversity and how psychology contributes to society. OCR enriched the qualification by working with ‘Time to Change’, England’s biggest programme to challenge mental health stigma and discrimination, run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness. The six main unit topics include: criminal psychology; development; psychological problems; social influence; memory; sleep and dreaming. These topics provide a good range of the different aspects of psychology, the key debates and investigative protocols.

Implementation

Year 9 starts with two lessons per week, which increases to three lessons per week in Years 10 and 11. The curriculum is delivered using ICT to enable immediate support for learners through the use of Immersive Reader and other learning tools to remove barriers that could negatively impact learners. Learning resources are shared through Microsoft Teams, Class Notebook and Teams Assignments so that, even when learners are absent, all resources are available online. The course textbook is also available online. The learning environment allows students to focus on learning, with resources and materials that reflect the ambitious intentions for the course. Each of the six main units is themed to help learners remember content in the long term and integrate the new knowledge into their schemata. The unit is introduced with either an online video interview or visitor that has career experience in a field related to the topic, such as a forensic psychologist or an educational psychologist. This is to increase learner engagement as well as providing an insight into careers in Psychology. Each unit consists of content covering: key concepts; at least two theories and explanations; at least two core research studies; and applications. Neuropsychology and research methods content is integrated into the delivery of the six main units. The curriculum is implemented through the use of a variety of pedagogical techniques including: direct instruction; active learning; individual and paired work; group projects; use of multimedia resources; replication of practical research studies and role play. Subject matter is presented clearly and promotes discussion to improve students’ oracy skills. Learners’ understanding is checked systematically, addressing misconceptions and providing clear, direct feedback. Assessment is used to embed learning, check understanding and inform further teaching without creating unnecessary burdens for staff nor student. Assessment is categorised via three assessment objectives:

AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of psychological ideas, processes and procedures.
AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding of psychological ideas, processes and procedures.
AO3: Analyse and evaluate psychological information, ideas, processes and procedures to make judgements and draw conclusions.

Impact

The impact of the curriculum is ascertained through a range of quantitative and qualitative data. These include:

Online questionnaires allowing us to understand opinion and collect observations.
End of unit assessments to show progression of key knowledge, skills and understanding.

Feedback through Microsoft Teams and online assessment apps, such as Seneca Learning, Quizizz and Kahoot!

Learners develop detailed knowledge and skills across the curriculum, so that they are ready for the next stage of education, employment or training and gain qualifications to enable their future progress.

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3yr Psych Roadmap

Intent (Aims & Purpose)

Implementation

Impact

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