“I really enjoyed learning about how society works and exploring different perspectives on social issues. It has helped me think more critically and understand how society impacts individuals and their lives. I feel proud to have been a Xaverian student because the College has helped me grow and develop key skills which will be essential in the future. As part of the ‘Crime and Deviance’ unit, we are looking at stop and search policies, and if there is a bias in the system that benefits certain ethnic groups and not others. We are using the Stephen Lawrence murder as an example of this. Students can relate a lot of the topics covered to their own experiences and this makes the course really interesting, for example talking about the education system, labelling, class inequalities and the impact the Covid pandemic has had on students.

We have been to Manchester Metropolitan University to have university-style workshops, look around campus, and experience university life. We have also been on visits to Barcelona, the Law courts for mock trials and the Police museum, and we had a fascinating Q&A with working judges. We have recently had a guest speaker come into College from The Poetry Place, who gave a talk to Year 12s. His poetry explores masculinity, political discourse, racial identity, faith and spirituality, experiences of inner-city young people and their challenges in context to historical and relevant current social issues.”