Politics Curriculum Area by Trinity Sixth Form Academy

Welcome to Politics

probinson32 — 2026-06-17 12:04:16 UTC

There's never been a more urgent need to understand how decisions are made by the people who govern us. Decisions affecting climate change, education, housing, poverty, the NHS, war in Europe and the Middle East - the list is endless, and they all affect you! For this reason, there's never been a more exciting time to study politics. If you want to understand how your life is affected by these decisions and how you can influence the decision-makers, then politics is the A-level for you!

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Activity 1 Investigate Key Terms

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Use the resource booklet and the key words sheet in Activity 1 and Challenge posts to research the meaning of the key terms.

Activity 2 Investigate your MP

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Use the resources in the activity 2 Resources column to find out who your MP is, what their role is and how they have voted on key issues you care about.

Activity 3 Pressure Groups

probinson32 — 2026-06-17 12:05:05 UTC

Watch the video showing members of the pressure group Greenpeace engaging in activism to raise awareness.Then use the resources in the next column to research a pressure group.

Activity 9 What's in the news?

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1. Summarise the story you have chosen in 100 words.
2. Why did you choose this story?
3. Does this story have links to any other story in the news? Explain the links.
4. How does the issue in the story affect the lives of ordinary people?
5. Over the next two weeks, follow the story to see how it develops.

Activity 4 Should the voting age be lowered to 16?

probinson32 — 2026-06-17 12:05:36 UTC

Read the source in the resources column setting out arguments for and against lowering the voting age.

Activity 10 Do we live in a democracy?

probinson32 — 2026-06-17 12:05:41 UTC

Read the article in the resources link and answer the questions below.
1. What are the three issues mentioned by Monbiot in the first paragraph that show there is no effective way to hold the government to account?
2. Who is the 'unelected adviser' referred to in the first paragraph and what was the issue with him?(you will need to answer this from your own knowledge!)
3. Why is funding of political parties undemocratic?
4. How much have the Conservative Party received in donations from billionaires in the last 10 years?
5. Monbiot argues that the influence rich people have has replaced our democracy with 'plutocracy'.What does this mean?
6. What examples of outright cheating in elections does Monbiot outline?
7. Who is in charge of making sure that elections are fair?
8. What does Monbiot argue is wrong with our electoral system?
9. How is Parliament seen to be outdated?
10. Give three ways the prime minister is able to abuse their powers.
11. Why is the House of Lords seen as undemocratic?
12. What is 'participatory democracy'? Research this term.
13. Monbiot concludes by saying "Our political system has the outward appearance of democracy, but it is largely controlled by undemocratic forces."Does he make a convincing argument to support this conclusion?Explain why/why not.
14. What would you change about British politics to make sure your voice is heard?

Activity 5 How does the Liaison Committee hold the government to account?

probinson32 — 2026-06-17 12:05:49 UTC

The Prime Minister appeared before the Liaison Committee this week. Use the link in the resources section to find out about this important committee. Answer the questions to discover why it's so important.

Activity 8 What can be done about members of the House of Lords whose relatives became rich from the slave trade?

probinson32 — 2026-06-17 12:05:57 UTC

Read the article in the resources column and answer the questions below.
1. Do you think it is right that the statues of Edward Colston and other slave traders are being removed? Explain.
2. The House of Lords is unelected - you become a Lord by being nominated by the Prime Minister or by inheriting your title from your family. Should this be changed?Explain what , if anything, you would change.
3. Francis Baring is a hereditary peer. Who did he inherit his title from? Why is his ancestor a controversial figure?
4. What should be done about Francis Baring and other relatives of slave traders?
5. How much money in compensation was Douglas Hogg's slave trading relative paid when slavery was abolished (ended)?How much is that sum worth in today's money?
6. When slavery was abolished 3000 slave traders in Britain were paid compensation for the loss of their slaves. The total compensation paid to these slavers was the equivalent of three billion pounds. Should we be concerned that many of those families are still some of the richest people in the UK? What should be done about their wealth?

Activity 7 What should be done about Victorian statues of slavers?

probinson32 — 2026-06-17 12:06:04 UTC

1. Professor Geoffrey Palmer from a university in the USA says statues of slave traders should not be pulled down as they remind us of Black History. Were the protesters right to tear down the statue of slave trader Edward Colston?
2. Why do you think the Victorians put up statues to remember slave traders?
3. Mayor of London Sadiq Kahn says he is conducting a review of all statues and street names in London. Why do you think this has not happened before now, given that London is ethnically very diverse?
4. Sadiq Kahn suggested the names of people he thinks should have statues erected to remember them. Can you name three people you think should have a statue and explain why?
5. Should the statue of Winston Churchill be removed from Parliament Square?

Activity 6 The Death of George Floyd

probinson32 — 2026-06-17 12:06:11 UTC

Watch the video below and read the piece in the resources column, then answer the questions below.
1. What happened to George Floyd?
2. What did he campaign against in his local community?
3. How have people across America and the world responded?
4. Do you think this will be a turning point against racism in the USA?Explain your view.
5. In the video , the political commentator Van Jones said that George Floyd's killing was a lynching. Conduct some research into lynchings. Do you agree with Van Jones?
6. The film maker Spike Lee has said that history is repeating itself. Why do you think he says this?

Activity 1

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Activity 1 Challenge Resources

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Activity 2 MP Investigation

probinson32 — 2026-06-17 12:06:59 UTC

Use the worksheet and the hyperlinks to investigate your MP!

Activity 3 Pressure group research task.

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Activity 4 Should we lower the voting age to 16?

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What are the arguments for and against?
What is your opinion?
Read the source and answer the questions.

Activity 5 How does the Liaison Committee hold the government to account?

probinson32 — 2026-06-17 12:07:27 UTC

1.Who chairs the Liaison Committee?
2.How is membership of the committee determined?
3.How many times does the PM appear before the committee each year?
4.Why is it considered to be the most challenging committee to appear before?
5.How many times has Boris Johnson failed to appear before the committee so far?
6.Challenge: What other ways does Parliament try to hold the government to account?

Activity 6 The Death of George Floyd

probinson32 — 2026-06-17 12:07:35 UTC

Watch the video on the reaction to the death of George Floyd in the challenge column and read the Simple Politics piece below, then answer the questions in the challenge column.

Activity 7 What should be done about Victorian statues of slavers?

probinson32 — 2026-06-17 12:07:41 UTC

Watch the video in the link below. Then read the article in the challenge column and answer the questions.

Activity 8 What can be done about members of the House of Lords whose relatives became rich from the slave trade?

probinson32 — 2026-06-17 12:07:55 UTC

The house of Lords is part of our Parliament and is responsible for making laws. There are over 800 members of the House of Lords and 92 of them are called hereditary peers. This means they inherit their place in the Lords from their family. Some of these hereditary peers have inherited titles that were given to the relatives who were slave traders.
Read the article below and answer the questions in the challenge section.

Activity 9 What's in the news?

probinson32 — 2026-06-17 12:08:02 UTC

Use the link below to visit the BBC Politics page.
Choose a news story and answer the questions in the Challenge column.

Activity 10 Do we live in a democracy?

probinson32 — 2026-06-17 12:08:08 UTC

Read the article and answer the questions in the Challenge column.

Politics Year 12 curriculum map

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Politics Year 13 curriculum map

probinson32 — 2026-06-22 08:55:33 UTC