A Level Psychology

Applications open: Monday 3rd November 2025

Applications close: Students should apply by 1st March 2026. Applications received after this date will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

How to apply: All students, both internal and external, should apply via Kent Choices. Please select your A Level subjects. There is no need to select EPQ as students can enrol on this directly in Year 12.

All internal applicants will be invited to a consultation with a member of the Senior Leadership Team in Term Three.

We invite all external applicants to book a consultation with a member of the Senior Leadership Team once they have received a conditional offer. You will be contacted with the information on how to do this.

Admission Arrangements for Entry into Year 12 Application Process

• Students should apply by 1 March.

• Students should accept the school’s conditional offer and rank their preferences.

• Priority will be given to existing students transferring from Year 11 who meet the below entry criteria.

• Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar operates a sixth form for a total of 400 students. 200 places overall will be available in year 12.

• The Published Admission Number (PAN) for year 12 is 20. This is the number of places which will be offered on an annual basis to eligible external applicants. If fewer than 180 of the school’s own year 11 pupils transfer into year 12, additional external pupils will be admitted until year 12 meets its capacity of 200.

• Students who apply after March 1st deadline will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

• Those who have studied in international schools abroad who have studied other types of qualifications will be considered on an individual basis. A wide range of subjects will need to be studied at Level 2. A meeting with the AHT for the Sixth Form will be held to identify that relevant comparable entry criteria are met. The school will be the sole arbiter of measures of equivalence when students have sat examinations other than GCSEs.

• Those who have not studied GCSEs should contact the school in advance of applying via Kent Choices.

• For variations and new courses that are not offered at GCSE, please visit our website: www.langton.kent.sch.uk

Entry Criteria

All students need to meet the following to gain a place in Year 12 at Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School:

a) A minimum of 8 GCSEs grades 9-5, including 6 grades 6s*

b) A minimum grade 5 in their best English and Mathematics

c) The specific entry requirements for the A Levels they wish to study

d) If a student meets a) and b) but not c) we may be able to offer them an alternative programme of study once the over-subscription criteria have been applied

*This requirement can be waived where there are special extenuating reasons why an applicant has not met this standard.

Oversubscription Criteria

Following the enrolment of internal students transferring from Year 11, all remaining places will be allocated to students who, based on GCSE grades gained in August, are meeting our general entry requirements. Where there are more students seeking places than the number of places available, the oversubscription criteria will be applied in the priority order set out below to rank eligible students (i.e., those who have met our above entry criteria), until the overall figure for the year group is reached. Before applying the oversubscription criteria, children with an Education and Health Care Plan which names the school will be admitted; published admissions numbers will be reduced accordingly.

a) Looked after children and children who were previously looked after but immediately after being looked after became subject to adoption, a child arrangements order, or special guardianship order and children adopted from state care outside of England and who meet the above entry criteria. A looked after child is a child who is (a) in the care of a local authority, or (b) being provided with an accommodation by a local authority in the exercise of their social services functions (see the definition is Section 221 (1) of the Children Act 1989).

b) Current Year 11 students from Simon Langton Girls’ Grammar School who meet the above entry criteria.

c) Children in receipt of Pupil Premium – a child is eligible for Pupil Premium where they have been registered for free school meals (FSM) at any point in the last 6 years and who meet the above entry criteria. This does not

include students who have only been eligible to receive Universal Infant Free School Meals. Pupil Premium is also afforded to Children in Local Authority Care or Previously in Local Authority Care; however, these children are prioritised in the relevant criteria above.

d) An application from the child of a current serving member of the Armed Forces Community (with supporting evidence)

e) External students who have met the above entry criteria.

Where two applicants have an otherwise equal priority under the oversubscription criteria, the following tie-break will apply:

i. Eligible students who are likely to achieve the highest academic grades based on GCSE attainment. This will be measured by ranked average predicted grade in their best 8 qualifications, the highest score being given the highest rank. The school will be the sole arbiter of measures of equivalence when students have sat examinations other than GCSEs. IGCSEs are considered to be equal to GCSE grades.

ii. The nearness of an applicant’s home address to school. Distance is measured in a straight line using the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) address point data. Distances are measured from a point defined as within the applicant’s home to a point defined as within the school as specified by NLPG. The same address point on the school site is used for everybody

The Psychology department at Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School is one of the most inspiring and dynamic in the county. The chosen A-Level specification covers all of the main disciplines within Psychology such as cognitive, social, evolutionary and biological and the teachers within the department are highly skilled at relating the content to students' own lives. The results achieved are excellent and are higher than those achieved in similar schools, as well as nationally. The department has also recently introduced 'The Mind Lab@SLGGS' which is a lab dedicated to psychological research and enquiry. The teachers have made strong links with two local universities and students from all year groups are taking part in cutting edge academic research. Sixth Form students are being given the opportunity to act as research assistants and also work in collaboration with academics to develop and run their own research projects.

Outline of the Course

Paper 1:

• Memory (eg why do we forget things? Can we trust eye-witness testimony?)
• Attachments (eg why do infants become attached to their parents?)
• Social Influence (eg why do we change our behaviour when part of a group?)
• Clinical Psychology and Mental Health (eg what are the most common mental disorders? Can they successfully be treated?)

Paper 2:

• Approaches (eg which approach to Pschology is the most scientific?)
• Biopsychology (eg can we understand human behaviour solely in terms of biology?)
• Research Methods (ie how do psychologists collect and analyse data?)

Paper 3:

• Issues and Debates in Psychology (eg what are the key issues faced by psychologists today?)
• Gender (eg is gender the product of genetic factors or upbringing?)
• Schizophrenia (eg why does schizophrenia develop and how can it be treated?)
• Aggression (eg why are some people more aggressive than others?)

Type of Assessment Duration Weighting

1 Examination: multiple choice, short answer and 2 hours 33.3%
extended writing questions

2 Examination: multiple choice, short answer and 2 hours 33.3%
extended writing questions

3 Examination: multiple choice, short answer and 2 hours 33.3%
extended writing questions

Minimum Entry Criteria

Desired: 7 in Maths and English Language or English Literature

Essential: 6 in Maths*and English Language or English Literature

* Applicants who have taken the Foundation Mathematics paper and achieved a Grade 5 will be considered on a case by case basis provided the entry criteria has been met in the other subject(s) that are listed. Please see the website for over-subscription criteria.

Psychology has links with Biology, Sociology and other subjects studied at university level, for example Anthropology. It is invaluable if you are considering studying the subject at degree level, but it is also useful for many other people-centred careers such as law, social work, nursing, teaching, police work, business or personnel management and counselling.