Criminology

The criminology curriculum fits with our whole school aims because it is accessible for all students and supports them with a variety of destinations and future careers.

The Criminology course at The Grange School is designed to give the opportunity for students to be awarded the WJEC Applied Diploma. It is graded A*-E with the Diploma giving equivalent UCAS points as a conventional A-level.

The first unit (1: Changing Awareness) will enable the students to demonstrate understanding of different types of crime, influences on perceptions of crime and why some crimes are unreported. The second unit (2: Criminological Theories) will allow students to gain an understanding of why people commit crime, drawing on what they have learned in Unit 1.

The third unit (3: Crime Scene to Courtroom) will provide an understanding of the criminal justice system from the moment a crime has been identified to the verdict. Students will develop the understanding and skills needed to examine information in order to review the justice of verdicts in criminal cases. In the final unit (4: Crime and Punishment), students will apply their understanding of the awareness of criminality, criminological theories and the process of bringing an accused to court in order to evaluate the effectiveness of social control to deliver criminal justice policy.

The units are taught sequentially and have a synoptic element with some topics coming up later in the course. The course is well resourced with the latest WJEC approved textbooks available to students together with Napier press workbook for each unit. In addition, the students have access to a wide range of teacher created resources such as title pages, revision tools and power points. Tools such as exemplars and scaffolding documents help to promote progress in both high achievers and lower ability students.

Unit 1 and 3 are formally assessed through open book-controlled assessment tasks undertaken exam conditions over several days in an IT room. Conversely Unit 2 and 4 are assessed through a two-hour external examination. This means the course is suitable for different types of learners. The nature of Unit 1 and 3 also helps to promote self-organisation, independent learning and wider reading. Units 2 & 4 meanwhile foster those skills more relevant to formal examinations. Holistically, the course helps prepare students to cultivate all those skills needed to excel at university and beyond.

This course was introduced in 2021 and during its first year had a starting intake of over 20 students.

The course is implemented in such as way as to gain expertise in criminology alongside other areas such as criminal justice, law, psychology and sociology. Alternatively, the qualification allows students to gain the required understanding and skills to be able to consider apprenticeships or employment within the criminal justice system, e.g. the Crime Prosecution Service, law sector, the National Probation Service and the Courts and Tribunals Service.