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Law

Law should appeal to those who want to develop both abstract thinking and practical problem-solving. Studying law offers the opportunity to develop a range of skills and explore many aspects of human life.

Department Vision:
To foster students’ interest and enjoyment in law, enabling them to develop knowledge and skills for the further study of law and related subjects.
Department Aim:
To develop an understanding of the law and how it works to protect the public, regulate relationships, construct agreements and bring resolution to disputes.
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Law is one of three A-level courses offered by the Department of Classics and Political Sciences. The course culminates in three exam papers and there is no coursework component.

There are three large modules, each comprising 25% of the final marks. In Criminal Law, students learn about thirteen crimes and ten defences. In Tort Law, students learn the rules for deciding if one has a legal obligation to another and how this applies to both ordinary life and to employment if the other suffers a ‘wrong’. In Human Rights Law, students study the nature, protection and constitutional position of human rights within the English legal system, studying specific rights in detail, the restrictions upon them and the process of enforcement through the courts. In all three modules, students are tested through their ability to apply their legal knowledge to scenario-based situations and to critically evaluate the present state of the law.

There are also three small modules which together make up the final 25% of the A-level marks. The Legal System module focuses on the civil and criminal courts, the legal professions and access to justice. In the Law Making module, students learn how Parliament operates and how it creates law, how judges interpret that law when considering individual cases and how the system of precedent attempts to ensure consistency and certainty in legal judgments. The Nature of Law module involves students exploring the nature of law in a wider context and developing their understanding of how the law interacts with morality, justice and society.

Law is one of the most popular A-level subjects in the school, with two classes running in in both Year 12 and in Year 13. The teaching staff has a high level of expertise; the Head of Department has written for Law Review and has had over twenty A-level Law teaching resources published by ZigZag Education. Law was the school’s most successful A-level subject in 2024 with 26% of the cohort gaining Grade A or A* (compared with national average of 16%), and 15 students going on to study Law at University.

Learning Ladders

Click on the Learning Ladder to see a larger version. The Learning Ladder shows the subjects or topics that students will learn about each year. Click on any 'Year' roundel to view an in-depth Learning Journey for the year you have selected. This shows in more detail, what students will learn each term, with links to useful resources etc. (this applies to all roundels)

LAW KS5

View the Learning Ladder and the Learning Journey for this subject here.

Career Options in Law

These are some examples of career paths available if you study this subject:

Lawyer, Solicitor, Magistrate, Barrister, Barristers’ Clerk, Court Legal Adviser, Licensed Conveyancer, Chartered Secretary, Human Resources Manager, Trading Standards Officer, Accountant, Police Officer, Probation Officer, Patent Attorney, Insurance Underwriter, Bank Manager, Customs Officer, Local Government Worker