Criminology (Vocational)

Welcome to Kingsmead’s most popular Sixth Form course – Criminology!

The purpose of the WJEC Level 3 Applied Certificate in Criminology is to provide students with an introduction to criminal justice and to give a context for why people commit crime. Not all types of crime are alike. In Criminology you will study a very varied range of criminological topics from the murder of Stephen Lawrence to the criminological theorists of Freud and Bandura.

Questions that Criminologists frequently consider include; What different types of crime take place in our society? How do we decide what behaviour is criminal? What is the difference between criminal behaviour and deviance? How do we explain why people commit crime? What happens to those who commit a crime? Why and how do we punish people? What organisations do we have in our society to control criminality? These are the questions we will be asking throughout the course and researching to find the answers to key questions about crime and the behaviour of criminals.

However, it isn’t all theoretical! A unique element of studying Criminology at Kingsmead is that we have our very own forensic house where a terrible murder has taken place! From here you will get to survey the evidence. Is the strand of hair you find relevant? Could it be an inadvertent clue left behind by the killer?... Or is it a red herring? What about the fingerprint on the frame of the door? An innocent guest from days before... Or a suspect? Does their alibi match up with the evidence? You decide.

Lessons in Criminology are varied engaging and thought provoking. You will be taken through the units of study over two years, in chronological order but all units have synoptic links with each other. For example, in Unit 3, we look at the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 in detail. This forms part of a case study looking at miscarriages of justice, when policies and procedures fail and what happens in criminal cases when the media plays a big part. It also has links with Unit 1, where we look at campaigns for either a change in the law or a campaign for justice. This again links with another unit, (Unit 2) where we look at how society plays a pivotal role in crime and the effects of crime on individuals.

Here we would watch the ITV Hillsborough drama, to get a real feel for the events that happened, why they happened and to analyse the event. It is vitally important to use different types of media in lessons as a tool to engage and teach students, as some crimes we look at happened many years ago. To aid students, questions and discussion points would be built into this lesson, allowing all students to stop and reflect on the drama, which is very hard hitting. Knowledge learnt, would then be put into practice through the form of a written report or an exemplar exam question, drawing on previous learning and synoptic links to Units 1 and 2.

Criminology at Kingsmead opens a wealth of opportunity. An understanding of criminology is relevant to many job roles within the criminal justice sector, social and probation work and sociology and psychology. Studying Criminology at Kingsmead School, gives you the opportunity to pursue a general or a more specialised Criminology degree at university or even enter an apprenticeship with the Police.

To find out more information, please contact Mrs Van Den Broecke (s.vandenbroecke@kingsmeadschool.net or m.russell@kingsmeadschool.net)