Politics

Departmental Staff

Mrs F A Gunning, MA (Oxford) Head of History & Politics
Miss C Green, BA (East Anglia) i/c Politics 
G R Sanderson, MA (Oxford) Deputy Head 

Politics at RGS

Politics is taught only in the Sixth Form; there are currently 24 pupils at AS level and 20 at A2 and there are normally two Politics sets per year group. We follow the Edexcel specification, teaching UK Government and Politics at AS and American Politics, route C, at A2. The department has achieved excellent examination results, achieving 80% A*/B at A2 in 2011.

A significant number of students go on to read History, Politics, or combined honours courses at top universities. The department (including History) has also enjoyed regular success at Oxbridge, with three offers secured for 2009 to read History, and one to read Social and Political Sciences. In 2010 two students gained places to read History at Oxbridge and one student in 2011.

The department runs a variety of study visits for different year groups, including an annual visit to Parliament and biennial trip to Washington and New York. In the Sixth Form there is a Politics society run by the students themselves which involves guest speakers and presentations by both students and staff.  

For a summary of the course please click here.

Examination Boards

Politics

A-level: Edexcel specification, teaching UK Government and Politics at AS and American Politics, route C, at A2.

Examination Results: Politics

Departmental activities 2010-11

History

The highlight of the year was certainly the Sixth Form Politics study trip to Washington DC and New York back in October. We took 25 students on tours of Congress, the Supreme Court and Arlington Cemetery. The weather was wonderful and the walking extensive but the group covered much of the capital city’s attractions both political and cultural.

We then travelled up to New York via Gettysburg where the students were able to gain greater knowledge of the history as well as the politics of the country before spending a couple of days in New York City. Here they had tours of the United Nations building, the Empire State Building, down-town Manhattan and the Museum of Modern Art. All of which was of course interspersed with a great deal of shopping. The Sixth Form Politics students this year have also debated electoral reform, heard from American ex-Congressmen, heard from current MPs, toured HM Treasury, toured the new Supreme Court and enjoyed an extensive tour of Parliament. It looks to be another colourful year for the political world so it is an exciting time to be a Politics student.