Social Sciences Pathway

The Social Sciences Pathway is specifically tailored for students aspiring to careers in areas such as:

• Civil service
• Clinical psychologist
• Counsellor
• Criminal justice system
• Criminologist
• Educational psychologist
• Finance
• Forensic psychologist
• Health and social care
• Health care assistant
• Health psychologist
• Intermediary for people with disabilities
• Intermediary in courts
• Intervention co-ordinator (prisons, mental health and schools)
• Lawyer
• Mental health nurse
• Mental health worker
• Nurse (disability and Paediatric)
• Outreach worker (in many fields)
• Physiotherapist
• Police officer
• Policy maker
• Politics
• Project worker
• Psychologist
• Rehabilitation worker
• Researcher
• Social science teacher
• Social worker
• Sociologist
• Speech and language therapist
• Support worker
• Teaching assistant
• Therapist
• Youth worker/childcare

To support our Pathways model, our elite STRIVE programme provides you with access to industry experts and Higher Education partners. 

Throughout this programme, you can access support in writing your UCAS personal statement, CV, completing application forms and rehearsing job and university interview skills. 

It’s all about developing valuable life skills, including resilience, self-confidence, responsibility and leadership. It’s also a great opportunity to make new friendships with like-minded students.

For those students wishing to apply to competitive degrees, you’ll be given scheduled sessions with our sixth form leaders to guide and prepare you through the whole process, including interviews and help applying for Summer Schools.

For those wishing to pursue courses with admissions aptitude tests, bespoke sessions will be made available to prepare you and support your application.

No matter which ED6 Pathway option you chose, our skills development programmes are designed to give you highly authentic, highly beneficial, industry recognised skills development opportunities. 

These will enhance both your UCAS application and future sandwich degree placement and employment opportunities.

Shadowing Opportunities

Opportunities to shadow teaching in primary schools and in Y13 opportunities to shadow teaching in your Y12 subjects. This will provide the opportunity to get hands-on experience in teaching as you will be involved in the daily activities and routines of a teacher. This gives students the opportunity to understand the challenges and rewards of working in a social science setting.

EDC employs a registered nurse who works on our in-college hospital training ward so you can gain an insight into the daily activities and routines of healthcare professionals. This gives students the opportunity to understand the challenges and rewards of working in the medical profession.

EDC also has a nursery onsite with can provide opportunities for students wishing to work in the early years sector. This provides students with the opportunity to experience what it is like to work with children and the challenges and rewards that come with it.

Volunteering Opportunities

Opportunities to work with elderly and vulnerable individuals in collaboration with local charities and care homes in non-clinical activities. This allows students to develop their communication skills, empathy and an understanding of care for the elderly and vulnerable people.

First-Aid Training

First aid training will be available for students to learn basic life-saving skills, fostering a sense of responsibility and provides the opportunity to learn a hands-on introduction to emergency care.

Essential Skills 

At ED6 the social science pathway will provide you with essential skills that are required in the social science sector at university and in employment:

• Strong essay writing skills
• Excellent critical thinking skills
• Excellent data interpretation and analysis
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent research skills
• Excellent problem-solving skills
• Understanding of complex social issues
• Cross-cultural understanding
• Empathy

Here at ED6, we believe in nurturing well-rounded individuals, and our ambition is to create extracurricular and super-curricular offers reflecting this commitment.

Extracurricular Activities

Supporting the development of softer transferable skills which make a student a more well-rounded individual:

• EDC Sports Academies
• Volunteering Opportunities
• College Societies

Super-Curricular Activities

Subject and career-focused activities demonstrate dedication, genuine commitment and interest in your future field of study.

• Guest Lectures
• Empowering Females and Non-Binary People in STEM
• British Psychology Olympiad
• Social Science Research Club
• Essay Writing Club
• John Locke Institute essay competitions
• Open University - Open Learning Courses

Our goal is to build strong relationships with local, regional, and national employers to provide students with unparalleled opportunities to gain insights into the professional world.

We are aiming to schedule regular career talks, industry visits, and mentorship schemes which allow students to network with professionals and learn about the demands of their chosen field. We are hoping that these links will yield valuable opportunities for internships and external work placements which will bridge the gap between academic study and practical application.

An additional goal of the ED6 Pathway Programme is to generate and maintain robust connections with leading universities across the UK; but primarily in the North-East of England. 

The intent is for students to benefit from tailored guidance on UCAS applications, personal statement workshops and mock interviews with university representatives. Students will also be able to take advantage of subject-specific taster days 

We are also looking for these partnerships to collaborate with us to tailor the development of our existing pathways to make them as robust as possible – including assistance with producing an academic calendar with events and lectures.

These experiences give students a clear understanding of university life and expectations, ensuring they are fully prepared for their transition to higher education.