Politics lessons aim to encourage debate and to inculcate a critical, questioning approach to the world and to the individual’s role in society.
Pupils can expect to have their views challenged and must be willing to explain their approach. Discussions frequently continue after boys leave the classroom!
Politics is an A-level course and is, therefore, taught only in the Sixth Form. It naturally leads on to highly regarded university courses, including PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) and Law.
Laying stress on the practice of Politics as well as the academic nature of the subject, teachers seek to produce an understanding of conflicting views, while encouraging boys to give each other mutual respect, regardless of their differences. We ensure boys are able to articulate their position and that they learn to justify it in a logical, but not dogmatic, manner.
By the time they complete the course, pupils will typically have gained a considerably increased awareness of how society functions and of their place in it, acquiring a greater interest in events beyond the parochial. They will appreciate the complexity of the issues faced by governments and the reality that simple, widely accepted solutions rarely exist.
Politics at QE makes extensive use of ‘flipped learning’: pupils research at home using web resources and then attend class prepared to analyse, discuss and assess what they have learned. To this end, news articles and other relevant reading materials are regularly shared via email. All course materials – PowerPoint presentations, extension reading, video lessons and topic guides – are available to pupils on the eQE portal.
Pupils visit Parliament, attend conferences featuring leading politicians and academics, run mock elections and referendums, and organise speakers and debates for the thriving Politics Society. QE Politics students are frequently inspired to become involved in political community matters – in School, at university and beyond.
