Government and Politics AS and A2 was introduced a few years ago and is proving increasingly popular. The examination results have been consistently excellent at all levels, year on year, with girls from the school achieving scores that are in the top 10 nationally.

The Government and Politics curriculum

Girls are introduced to Government and Politics in year 10 in their Learning for Life studies to help inform their A level choices.

Years 12 and 13: AS and A2 studies are examined by Edexcel.

AS comprises the study of the nature British democracy and political institutions including parliament, PM and cabinet, judiciary and Europe. 

A2 comprises the study of political ideologies including liberalism, conservatism, socialism, nationalism, fascism, communism, feminism and anarchism.

Pupil comments:

Politics remains the best thing I did academically.  It
was quite a feat to start from scratch and develop such a good knowledge of
all things political, and I think the choice of a year of political science
and a year of political philosophy was the perfect balance.  Clearly we were
extremely lucky to have such an intimate class - smaller than I have at
university and a real bonus in getting to grips with the subject. I still go back
to my old notes and files to help me out.  In fact, I suspect I shall never
be as politically on the ball as during those two years and the thing I
miss about Wycombe Abbey was having such a thorough and up-to-date knowledge
of current events - I constantly wish for it!  I just did some work
experience at The Times and it has been cemented that some sort of political
journalism would be my job of choice - should this come to fruition I may
have to call on you and Mrs. Raraty for a cup of tea in High Wycombe and an
update on what is going on in order to prepare me!

Camilla Groom

(Clarence Leaver 2002, now in Third year reading History and Politics at Edinburgh)

The AS specification is concerned with developing an understanding of, and interest in, current affairs and modern political developments in Britain and the wider world.

The AS and A2 level course in Government and Politics aims to encourage you to:

·        develop a critical awareness of the nature of politics and the relationship between political ideas, institutions and processes;

·        acquire knowledge and understanding of the structures of authority and power within the political system of the United Kingdom, and how these may differ from those of other political systems;

·        acquire knowledge of Government and Politics and of the rights and responsibilities of individuals in order to encourage your participation within society;

·        develop a critical awareness of political events and issues, an understanding of the main political viewpoints and the ability to argue a case with relevance and coherence.

The course will thus encourage you to develop the skills of analysis and evaluation, political argument and explanation, leading to reasoned conclusions.

Content of the course:

Unit 1 – People and Politics

This unit will introduce you to the study of Politics by looking at the central ideas of citizenship, democracy and participation, and by examining the representative processes in the UK.  It will consider the various electoral systems in the UK today, the increasing use of referenda, the role of pressure groups and the policies of the three main political parties in the UK.

Examination of 1 hour, consisting of two short questions and one essay question from a choice.

Unit 2 – Governing the UK

This unit examines the way in which the UK is governed, within the context of the European Union.  It provides an introduction to the major institutions of the UK government, examining their relationships with one another, and considers their effectiveness.  For instance, it will examine the role of Prime Minister and Cabinet in relation to Parliament, the role of the Judiciary and how effectively it defends civil liberties.  It will also explore the modified nature of the UK constitution and the implications this has for the executive, legislature, judiciary and citizen in their relationship to each other.

Examination of 1 hour, consisting of two short questions and one essay question from a choice.

Unit 3 – The changing UK system

This unit will consider the changing nature of the UK political system, examining specific UK institutions in their EU context. 

It considers the impact and desirability of political and constitutional change.  For instance, how far has the EU membership eroded parliamentary sovereignty?  How far has the Blair government fundamentally altered the nature of the UK constitution?