Psychology and Sociology School Trips to London

CURRICULAR LINKS

A WST tour to London will support the study of elements of the following exam board specifications:

EDEXCEL

GCSE – Psychology (1PS0)

• develop an understanding of the relationship between psychology and personal, moral, social and cultural issues, and develop an understanding of ethical issues in psychology

A-A/S Level – Psychology (9PS0)

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas, processes, techniques and procedures

OCR

GCSE – Psychology (J203)

• Study the psychological ideas, processes, techniques and procedures through looking at social influence, criminal psychology, research methods

A-A/S Level – Psychology (H167, H567)

• understand how society makes decisions about scientific issues and how psychology contributes to the success of the economy and society.

A-A/S Level – Sociology (H180, H580)

• Globalisation and the digital social world

AQA

GCSE – Psychology (8182)

• analyse and evaluate psychological ideas, information, processes and procedures

GCSE – Sociology (8192)

• how sociological knowledge and ideas change over time and how these ideas inform our understanding of the social world

A-A/S Level – Psychology (7181, 7182)

• Research methods in sociology

A-A/S Level – Psychology (7191, 7192)

• The cognitive approach: the study of internal mental processes, the role of schema, the use of theoretical and computer models to explain and make inferences about mental processes.

WJEC

GCSE – Sociology

• How human beings acquire their identity and examine the process of passing on culture from generation to generation and in diverse settings.

A-A/S Level – Sociology

• Appreciate the significance of theoretical and conceptual issues in sociological debate

A-A/S Level - Psychology

• Principles of research and application of research methods

PSYCHOPATHOLOGY VISITS

Freud Museum Tour and Discussion Sessions

The centrepiece of this museum is Freud's study, still preserved just as it was during his lifetime containing the most famous piece all, Freud's psychoanalytic couch. On Mondays and Tuesdays a guide will escort you around the museum and can provide your group with tailored discussion sessions based on pre-set worksheets on a range of psychoanalytic topics. Self-guided audio tours are available Wednesday-Sunday, which last around 90 minutes, (a guide can be requested subject to availability).  

Bethlem Royal Hospital 

Bethlem Royal Hospital was the first institution in the UK to specialise in the care of the mentally ill.  The newly rehoused and expanded Archives and Museum offer an unparalleled resource for the history of mental healthcare and treatment at  Bethlem, Maudsley, and Warlingham Park Hospital.

For Psychology groups we can arrange a short introductory talk followed by a 90 minute self-guided tour of this excellent ‘Museum of the Mind’ using in house A-Level Psychology resources which allow consideration of each section including; 

• Bethlem's history
• Labelling and diagnosis 
• Freedom and constraint
• Temperament
• Treatment methods
• Recovery

 'Sleep' Educational Sessions 

One of the UK’s most renowned experts and authors on Sleep Disorders can offer our groups a range of highly informative and curriculum linked sessions focusing on a range of relevant study themes. We can develop a talk to suit your studies but our recommended topics include;

The Biological clock, Sleep and its Disorders

Armed by understanding the changing views on sleep, what controls it and the biological clock, this session will explore the significant sleep disorders (assessment and treatment): insomnia, narcolepsy and the parasomnias. 

Importantly, the third edition of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders was revised and updated March 2014. For insomnia there was a significant departure in its classification from previous editions. 

Sleep and Mental Disorder

Most mental disorders are associated with disturbed sleep. It is know that suffering from poor sleep for an extended period can increase the risk of developing a disorder like depression. Sleep deprivation can trigger mania. It is not known what the relationships are, whether poor sleep leads to a mental disorder or a poor sleep is a symptom of a developing mental disorder. This workshop explores the relationships.

Insanity, sleep and the law: Jekyll and Hyde

The law, in most jurisdictions, provides a defence against a crime if the ‘criminal’ behaviour was in some way involuntary. A murder committed whilst sleepwalking would be an example. Sleep medicine has categorised many sleep disorders amongst them the parasomnias - unwanted behaviours during sleep.  This workshop will explore both how the defence arose, and how our modern brain-based scientific view of the workings of the brain and mind attempt to absolve an individual from criminality. Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella Jekyll & Hyde provides a curious template.

Sleep and drugs- How does the Brain accommodate the Mind?

This workshop will attempt to answer the question by considering how sleep and drugs affect our mind/mental state. Sleep is a time when our normal perceptions, thinking and reactions to the 'real' world are altered. Similarly, though through quite different mechanisms, drugs or psychiatric medicines also affect our minds. Whilst this workshop is unlikely to answer what is fundamentally a philosophical question it will try (and at least explore the state of the science). 

CRIME AND DEVIANCE VISITS

The Royal Courts of Justice 

Bring your learning to life with a visit to the Royal Courts of Justice for a visit unlike any other. The National Justice Museum, based in the Royal Courts of Justice, home to the highest courts in the land, offers a range of workshops are suitable for KS5 and University level students. They immerse students in the legal system giving them the chance to take on roles such as a judge, barrister, defendant, witness or juror. They use real court cases and archive materials to explore topical themes and issues.

Your group can choose from a wide range of quality learning experiences, including:

Court In Session

This two hour session takes place in a working court room and around the courts. Students will:

• Be introduced to the Royal Courts of Justice and what happens there
• Prepare and enact a trial based on an ex-offender’s experiences
• Explore roles in a court room and meet a legal professional where possible
• Discuss and debate real sentencing options
• Discover key spaces in the Royal Courts of Justice

Motion To Appeal

This two hour session takes place in a working court room and around the courts. Students will:

• Be introduced to the Royal Courts of Justice and what happens there
• Prepare for and debate an appeal case which has been heard at the Royal Courts of Justice (this can be a broader debate or one that focuses on a particular point of law)
• Explore roles in a court room and meet a legal professional where possible
• Discover key spaces in the Royal Courts of Justice

The Old Bailey Talk and Court Sessions 

The visit begins with a talk, where your groups are shown where the public hangings took place, and other historical points of interest. After discussing the court’s history, the group are then given the day’s programme of the 18 courts with advice of the more interesting trials and any top criminal barristers in action.  The court opens for its afternoon session at 2pm and groups can leave whenever they like. 

The Supreme Court

The Supreme Court hears cases of the greatest public or constitutional importance affecting the whole population. Guided tours last approximately 50 minutes, including each of the three courtrooms (when not in use) and areas not usually accessible to the public. Observing court sessions is possible but space is limited and so often is not possible for groups.

Holocaust Learning at the Imperial War Museum  

This excellent exhibition is best explored with an audio guide to help students navigate their way through a chronological narrative of the Holocaust and deepen their understanding of events in Nazi-occupied Europe and beyond.

The Clink Prison Museum Tours 

Dating back to 1144, this site is one of England’s oldest and most notorious prisons. In this this guided educational experience, view archaeological artefacts, handle torture devices, and hear all about the misfortunes of the inmates.  Tour lasts 45 minutes with free time to explore after.

Jack the Ripper Walking Tour

As the night sets in and the long shadows fall set off into the crooked, cobbled alleyways of Spitalfields and Whitechapel to follow in the footsteps of the World’s most infamous serial killer. An exciting and 90 minute crime hunt through London’s Victorian East End entering the mind-set of this infamous murderer.

Tower of London 

Ethical consideration of attitudes towards crime.

Museum of London

Understand punishment changes since Roman Britain         

THEMED WALKING TOURS             

Freud in Hampstead 

Explore the memories of the Freud family in Hampstead. Sigmund Freud escaped Nazi occupied Vienna in 1938 to 'die in freedom' and his home in Hampstead became a magnet for other European refugees. This walking tour profiles Sigmund and his friends, his daughter Anna whose work with children continues, and his son, Ernst, an architect whose modernist houses remain as testament to his talent. The tour ends at the Freud Museum.

Riots, Reggae, Muruls and Markets: Brixton

Once London's premier suburban shopping centre with a unique surviving set of arcaded markets and early picture palaces, Brixton was transformed in the mid-twentieth century by the vibrant Caribbean community. This walking tour follows its changing fortunes and recent transformation which has brought a wonderful series of public murals, cafe culture, and even a new currency.  

Cosmopolitan London: Brick Lane

The East End has always been known for its diversity and has attracted numerous immigrant groups. On this tour we will discover how each group has contributed to the area. French street names, old synagogues, a soup kitchen and an exotic indoor market building built by Jews from eastern Europe; Mosques, textile businesses and restaurants run by the current Bangladeshi Community.

Jewish East End 

This is the classic tour to explore the late 19^th century Jewish community. They may no longer live in Spitalfields but the streets and buildings still evoke memories of the synagogues, schools and soup kitchens. Not forgetting Yiddish theatre and the street markets in and around Petticoat Lane. Stories of other immigrant communities of the area, such as the Huguenots and Bengalis are also woven into the tour.

Jack the Ripper Walking Tour

As the night sets in and the long shadows fall set off into the crooked, cobbled alleyways of Spitalfields and Whitechapel to follow in the footsteps of the World’s most infamous serial killer. An exciting and 90 minute crime hunt through London’s Victorian East End entering the mind-set of this infamous murderer.

CSI Walking Adventure: Murder, Mystery and Science 

Come prepared with your best walking shoes - this fascinating walking adventure provides a historical and scientific lens for a vibrant and bustling metropolis: our guides will introduce you to London's most infamous murder mysteries, medical museums tucked out of sight, and crime-themed curiosities - all while waxing lyrical about real-life forensic and crime science. This event proves to be memorable, thrilling and educational.

Magic as a Perception

Foray into popular psychology – taking in optical illusions, word-association games, and a simple way to enhance your memory in this exciting interactive session with an award-winning magician and comedian. Take a closer look at what psychology teaches magicians and vice versa. You will explore how a magician can exploit the brain’s thinking to read and influence minds. There will be lots of opportunities to participate in simple tricks/experiments and to learn magic to then go home to present to friends and families. A great daytime or evening activity.

When Maths Meets Psychology 

Thanks to TV shows like Derren Brown's Tricks of the Mind psychology is as popular as it has ever been. But when maths meets psychology, as it often does, the combination can be fascinating. This is a talk about human intuition, how it can sometimes lead you astray, and how maths can help you to think critically and behave more rationally. On the way you'll encounter a TV gameshow and some telepathy that is worthy of Derren Brown himself.

Is this how Derren Brown Does it?

Everyone loves a bit of mind control, but was Derren Brown really using pure psychology when he revealed his dinner host's PIN number and won at poker against all the odds? In a fascinating hour, you’ll see some stunning tricks that certainly look like telepathy. Two of them have even featured on Derren Brown's TV shows. But these tricks are actually based on maths.  And by the way - the less maths you know, the better!

FEAR RELATED VISITS

Jack the Ripper Walking Tours

Full description above.

The Ghost Bus Tours 

This theatrical 70 minute bus tour uses on-board actors is designed to entertain and educate while taking in sites of murder, torture, execution and supernatural activity while a creepy conductor provides the commentary.

London Dungeon 

A thrilling experience that brings together an amazing cast of theatrical actors, special effects, stages, scenes and rides in a truly unique and exciting walkthrough experience.

OTHER PSYCHOLOGY THEMED VISITS

Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising 

Discover how well-loved brands evolved through their creative use of packaging and advertising - and how our purchasing decisions evolved with them. The history of consumer culture is revealed decade by decade in a ‘time tunnel’, from the naive charm of the Victorian era to the sophistication of today.

Psychology Exhibitions at the London Science Museum 

This fantastic museum offers five object rich galleries to intrigue your KS4 and KS5 Psychology students.  We recommend 30-40 mins in these areas including…

• Psychology: Mind Your Head
• The Science of Art & Medicine
• In Future
• Who Am I?   

Attenborough Studio at the Natural History Museum

Visit this high-tech studio to watch a 45 minute interactive film entitled 'Who do you think you really are? The film will involve you in a revealing story of evolution from Earth's early history using large-screen projection, personal handsets and webcams.  Time exploring the museum afterwards is a must too!

ZSL London Zoo & Animal Learning and Intelligence Workshop

This world famous zoo in the centre of London, allows students to observe the animals and also add-on a choice of educational sessions.

In the Animal Learning and Intelligence workshop, students will explore the reasons why we consider certain animals “intelligent” or “not intelligent”, and the theories surrounding how animals learn. They will discover how ZSL uses the science of learning behaviours to benefit animal welfare at the zoo - including the opportunity to observe a live animal training session, and to try out animal training techniques on each other! 

The Jewish Museum

This museum encourages understanding of the social psychology of the Holocaust. Educational workshops  are available including ‘Never Again Auschwitz’ and ‘Witness the Witness’ which include the rare opportunity to meet a Holocaust Survivor.

The Wellcome Collection 

Explores the connections between medicine, life and art in the past, present and future. The venue provides insight to anyone seeking to understand medicine and its role in society - past and present.

Themed Walking Tours 

Karl Marx 

Take a walk through the story of the life of the most influential thinker of modern times. Visit the places in and around Soho where Marx lived and worked.  Your expert guide will unravel unravelling the complexities of Marx’s life and ideas, Friedrich Engels and their followers. The tour covers his early years, his studies, his revolutionary journalism, his hopes; dreams, ailments and tragedies, as well as reviewing his political and intellectual influence and impact. 

The Abolition of Slavery 

The ‘Clapham Sect’, including William Wilberforce made their homes around Clapham Common in the late 1700s and campaigned for many causes including the abolition of slavery. This green and suburban tour provides an insight into 18^th century campaigning but also the arrival of West Indian immigrants on Empire Windrush in 1948, a women’s hospital and famous English writers including Grahame Greene and Noel Coward. Tours can be tailored to your needs.

Suffragettes: The Battling Belles of Bow 

For sociology trips London offers great opportunities to learn about the evolution of feminism. Follow in the footsteps of Sylvia Pankhurst who chose east London as the starting point for her campaign for women's suffrage and seeing the plight of the working women and mothers also established a creche, restaurant and model toy factory in the area. East End women were key to the success of the Suffragette movement and the route highlights their supporters and their workplaces including the famous Bryant & May Match Factory, site of the Match girls' strike of 1888. Walks can be tailored to your group.

Suffering to Salvation 

This walk considers the spaces and places in which women lived, worked and campaigned. From Victorian prostitution and charitable missions to the daily life for women, this walk takes in a range of women's experiences in the East End and offers an alternative perspective on the area.

Upstairs Downstairs 

Belgravia is one of the most exclusive areas of London, but at the end of the 19th century it was also home to an army of domestic servants, most of them women and girls. The basement stairs and attic windows of the grand houses are a reminder of when those in service lived at the top but worked at the bottom. This tour gives centre stage to the work and lives of cooks, maids and tweenies.

Riots, Reggae, Muruls and Markets: Brixton

Once London's premier suburban shopping centre with a unique surviving set of arcaded markets and early picture palaces, Brixton was transformed in the mid-twentieth century by the vibrant Caribbean community. This walking tour follows its changing fortunes and recent transformation which has brought a wonderful series of public murals, cafe culture, and even a new currency.  

Cosmopolitan London: Brick Lane

The East End has always been known for its diversity and has attracted numerous immigrant groups. On this tour we will discover how each group has contributed to the area.  French street names, old synagogues, a soup kitchen and an exotic indoor market building built by Jews from eastern Europe; Mosques, textile businesses and restaurants run by the current Bangladeshi Community.

London, Sugar & Slavery Exhibition: Museum of London Docklands 

Examine London’s involvement in transatlantic slavery in this thought-provoking permanent exhibition. In the setting of this historic sugar warehouse, challenge long-held beliefs that abolition was initiated by politicians and be touched by the real objects, personal stories and vibrant art and music that have left their legacy on the capital today. We advise 1hr to 90 minutes stay.

The V&A Museum of Childhood - with Sociology Session 

Visit this fantastic museum's exhibitions and explore a broad range of subjects relating to childhood, fashion, play and social issues. Major exhibitions, such as War Games, are large and feature around a hundred objects, interactive interpretation and multimedia.  For A' level Sociology groups a 30 min or 1 hour talk is available in the afternoons on 'The Social Construction of Childhood'. 

The Royal Courts of Justice 

For psychology trips, London brings learning to life. Head on an educational visit to the Royal Courts of Justice, for a learning experience unlike any other. The National Citizenship and Law (NCCL) specialises in providing a range of innovative activities for students of all ages to suit your classroom based learning, all within the magnificent setting of one of Britain’s most prestigious working courtrooms. Your group can choose from a wide range of quality learning experiences, including:

Court In Session

This two hour session takes place in a working court room and around the courts.  Students will:

• Be introduced to the Royal Courts of Justice and what happens there
• Prepare and enact a trial based on an ex-offender’s experiences
• Explore roles in a court room and meet a legal professional where possible
• Discuss and debate real sentencing options
• Discover key spaces in the Royal Courts of Justice

Motion To Appeal

This two hour session takes place in a working court room and around the courts. Students will:

• Be introduced to the Royal Courts of Justice and what happens there
• Prepare for and debate an appeal case which has been heard at the Royal Courts of Justice (this can be a broader debate or one that focuses on a particular point of law)
• Explore roles in a court room and meet a legal professional where possible
• Discover key spaces in the Royal Courts of Justice

Medical Ethics Forensic Session  * Exclusive to WST *

From a call to bury the skeleton of a 7-ft tall giant to the possibility of a corpse research laboratory (read: a body farm) in your own backyard - this unique hands-on session in medical ethics will bring students close to the harrowing issues that are shaping modern science. What specimens should scientists have access to? What is the dark side of gene splicing and human genetic engineering? Explore these topics and more with one of our extremely qualified instructors - all from top-tier research Universities in London - who will be able to help your students navigate the blurred waters of ethical and unethical.

Highgate Cemetery: Karl Marx's Burial & Memorial Site Tour 

Take a private group tour of this tranquil grounds situated in the heart of London. In the East Cemetery, lies the grave of Karl Marx with a monument featuring a gigantic bust. Since then, many people who have been inspired by his thinking have been buried nearby. Ironically his ideological antithesis, the liberal political theorist Herbert Spencer (1820-1903), is buried almost directly opposite.

‘People's City: 1850s-1940s Gallery' at the Museum of London   

By the 1850s, London was the world’s wealthiest city but success came at a price. Population growth created a divided city of rich and poor. This was a time of conflict when workers united to fight for their rights, imprisoned Suffragettes went on hunger strike and communist and fascist groups emerged as the nation moved closer to war. It was also a time of wealth and glamour. The social divide is reflected in the galleries and highlights include Charles Booth’s Interactive Map of Poverty, 1887 and the material highlighting the struggles of the Suffragettes.

Sleep Disorder Educational Sessions

One of the UK’s most renowned experts and authors on Sleep Disorders can offer our groups a range of highly informative 90 minute sessions focusing on a range of relevant study themes.  Our recommended topics include;

• Sleep disorders
• Sleep and Mental Disorder
• Jekyll & Hyde, insanity, sleep and the law.
• Sleep and drugs- How does the Brain accommodate the Mind?

Please see the Psychology Tab for full descriptions

Walk Eat Talk Eat 3-hour Food & Drink Walking Tour

What better way could there be to explore the diverse cultures and communities which make up London than taking walking tour through the streets of the city where you get to sample the great range of cuisines on offer. You can try both modern and traditional dishes, British treats and foods from across the world. There are three different tours to choose from all of which centre around a few different food and drink stops where you may sit down and dine at the venue, pick up the food and taste it outside, or just walk and talk with the food. It really is a fantastic experience!