Newark Academy is now offering a Criminology to its sixth-form
A Newark school is proud to now offer criminology qualifications.
Newark Academy, on London Road, Balderton has given its sixth-form students the chance to take criminology as one of the new courses that started in January this year.
The course teacher and school’s associate school leader, Claire Howarth said that the module was welcomed by students with great excitement and curiosity.
The course touches on a range of topics, from sociology, psychology, and law to examining the causes of crime and the human mind, and also offers practical classes where students can put what they have learned to the test.
Claire, who has been a teacher for 30 years, started teaching criminology five years ago, when the course became more popular, and now has six students.
She said: “Everyone has a natural interest in crime and everyone tries to understand why people behave the way they do and because it is a new thing, they are fascinated by it and it is good that they have a chance to talk about it.
“It is also good to quash the misconceptions that they might think that people are naturally evil and then we can start looking at things like their upbringing and other things that might have led to it.
“I believe there is a growing interest in criminology as a lot of the students are always referring to Netflix movies, dramas and things that they have seen which kind of relate to their lives such as crime in the area.”
Charlie Chamberlain said that he has considered being a lawyer in the future and that taking a criminology course is quite helpful for the future and will ‘look good for future employees’.
He added: “The most interesting thing for me is the fact that it is different and it is about how you interpret different scenarios in the real world and the criminal minds — while the other subjects are a bit more black and white, like maths and biology, you follow a process.”
Student Erin Fitzpatrick wants to pursue biology in the future but hasn’t yet picked a career path, so she believes that her new course could tie in with forensic science.
She is also studying sociology at the school and her favourite part is the theories and the debates around it.
Lola Cranidge said: “Even before I got to sixth form I always had an interest in true crime, so criminology delves deeper into the causes of crime and punishments.
“For me, the most interesting thing so far is the reasons why people commit a crime because it can be their own mindset or how they were brought up.”
Applications to study criminology on the school’s sixth form for September 2025 are still open and anyone interested can contact Claire Howarth at CHowarth@newarkacademy.co.uk.
