Welcome to the website for the Sociology department at Simon Balle School.
The site contains information for current students and their parents as well as prospective students and parents.
We follow the OCR specification at Simon Balle, details of which you can find on this website. We hope the information provided gives a flavour of the work students who choose A level Sociology will experience.
Students who choose Sociology should be curious about the world and the way it functions. The course will enable you to develop your knowledge and understanding of contemporary society and the way in which institutions, individuals and groups interact. Through the exploration of the key themes of family, crime and deviance and social stratification, students will actively engage in critical inquiry and sociological research.
Are you interested in…
- Exploring and analysing contemporary social issues?
- Investigating your own personal identity, roles and responsibilities in society?
Following an A Level Sociology course can lead to opportunities in…
- Journalism
- Social work
- Teaching
- Media
- Law
Specification: OCR AS H181, A2 H581
Entry Requirements: GCSE Grade B in English Language.
Vision for the Social Sciences Student
The Simon Balle social scientist will be ready to move confidently into higher education and/or work having received a stimulating and challenging social science education. They will have achieved to their highest potential as a result of an outstanding learning and teaching experience.
To be equipped to engage fully with life and study in twenty first century society the Simon Balle social scientist will be confident in:
- Creative problem solving using a wide range of sources and digital technologies,
- Analysis and interpretation of data,
- Investigative research; with the ability to ask the big questions,
- Application of theories to gain an understanding of contemporary issues,
- Taking an inter-disciplinary approach and be innovative in their use.
To have the attitudes and attributes to exploit the widest range of opportunities available, the Simon Balle social scientist will be:
- Resilient and reflective,
- A motivated self-manager,
- A confident and effective communicator, engaged in debate and argument,
- A critical thinker, with an awareness of different schools of thought,
- Ethically aware with an acceptance of diversity.
