Sociology Curriculum Overview
Curriculum Intent
At Chingford Foundation School, our Sociology curriculum enables students to understand the world they live in by exploring social structures, cultural diversity and inequality. Students investigate how society influences individuals, how institutions shape life chances, and how social patterns change over time.
Sociology empowers students to think critically about issues such as crime, inequality, education, family life, gender, ethnicity and social policy, using evidence to evaluate different viewpoints. Students learn to question assumptions, understand multiple perspectives and engage respectfully with complex, sensitive material.
The curriculum reflects our four pillars:
- Knowledge – Students develop a secure understanding of key sociological concepts, theories, research methods and contemporary social issues.
- Independence – Students analyse data, evaluate arguments and construct well-reasoned judgements.
- Empowerment – Students understand how society works and how individuals and communities can create social change.
- Inclusion – The curriculum explores diversity, equality, discrimination and human rights, encouraging students to value different identities and experiences.
Sociology prepares students to become reflective, informed citizens who understand the complexities of modern life and their role within it.
Key Stage 4 (GCSE Sociology – AQA)
GCSE Sociology gives students an introduction to sociological thinking, enabling them to explore how society is structured and how people’s experiences differ based on class, gender, ethnicity and age.
What Students Study
1. The Sociological Approach
Students learn key concepts such as:
- Society, culture, norms and values
- Socialisation and identity
- Power and authority
- Social issues such as inequality, discrimination and poverty
They are introduced to major theoretical perspectives including Functionalism, Marxism, Feminism, Interactionism and New Right.
2. Research Methods
Students explore:
- Primary vs secondary data
- Quantitative and qualitative methods
- Questionnaires, surveys, interviews, observations, experiments, ethnographies and case studies
- Sampling methods and pilot studies
- Practical, ethical and theoretical issues
- Positivist and interpretivist approaches
These skills support progression to KS5 and connect to Psychology and Business Studies.
3. Families
Students examine:
- Changing family structures/family diversity (nuclear, extended, blended, same-sex, single-parent)
- Functionalist, Marxist, Feminist and New Right views of the family
- Gender roles and domestic labour
- Marriage, divorce and cohabitation
- Childhood and children’s experiences
- Cross-cultural and historic changes to both families and childhood.
This unit links closely to students’ own school experience and to RS, Geography and PSHE
4. Education
Students investigate:
- The purpose and functions of education
- School as a social institution
- Achievement differences by class, gender and ethnicity
- Internal and external factors affecting success
- Educational policy, selection and marketisation
- The impact of disadvantage on life chances
This unit links closely to students’ own school experience and to RS, History and PSHE.
5. Crime and Deviance (Year 11)
Students explore:
- Social norms, deviance, crime and social control
- Reasons for crime (poverty, gender, ethnicity, age)
- Theories of crime from different perspectives
- Types of crime using examples
- The criminal justice system
- Effectiveness of punishment
6. Social Stratification
Students study:
- Social class and inequality
- Life chances and social mobility
- Poverty and discrimination
- Gender and ethnic inequalities
- Notions of meritocracy, social justice and fairness
How GCSE Sociology Is Assessed
Students sit two written exams, each 1 hour 45 minutes:
| Paper | Content | Weighting |
|
Paper 1 - The Sociological Approach |
Social Structures (Families, Education) | 50% |
|
Paper 2- Crime & Deviance |
Social Stratification, Research Methods | 50% |
Questions include multiple-choice, short answers, 12-mark extended responses and data interpretation.
Key Stage 5 (A Level Sociology – AQA)
A Level Sociology builds on GCSE content and extends students’ understanding through deeper theoretical and analytical study.
What Students Study
Year 1 content:
1. Education with links to Methods in Context
- Role of education in society
- Class, gender and ethnic differences
- Policy changes, marketisation and globalisation
- Research methods strengths and limitations applied to educational issues
2. Families and Households
- Social change and family diversity
- Demographic trends (birth rates, ageing population, migration)
- Gender roles, domestic labour and childhood
- Policies and their impact on families
3. Research methods (with methods in context)
- Different types of data including primary, secondary, quantitative, qualitative
- Different research methods including their strengths and limitations
- Identifying practical, ethical and theoretical issues within research
- Applying knowledge from research methods to issues in education
Year 2 content:
4. Theory and methods
- Different research methods including strengths and limitations
- The relationship between positivism, interpretivism and sociological methods; the nature of ‘social facts’
- Consensus, conflict, structural and social action theories
- Theory debates: objectivity, values, science, globalisation, modernity vs postmodernity
5. Crime and Deviance
- Theories of crime (Functionalist, Marxist, Feminist, Interactionist)
- Social distribution (class, ethnicity, gender)
- Globalisation and green crime
- Punishment, surveillance and justice
6. Beliefs in Society
- Theories of religion (Functionalism, Marxism, feminism)
- Religious organisations (churches, sects, cults, NRMs)
- Religion, social change and secularisation
- Globalisation and diversity
- Science, ideology and belief systems
These topics develop strong connections with Psychology, Business, RS, History, Geography and Politics.
Skills Developed Through Sociology
Across KS4 and KS5, students develop essential transferable skills:
- Critical thinking
- Independent research
- Data interpretation
- Essay writing and structured analysis
- Evaluation of theories
- Understanding of diversity and equality
- Ethical awareness
- Real-world application of knowledge
These skills support further study in Law, Criminology, Psychology, Politics, Social Work, Education, Journalism and more.
