At Ellesmere Port Catholic High School, the Psychology Department seeks to provide students with a foundation for the scientific understanding of behaviour and mental processes. The department encourages students to go beyond their immediate experience of the subject and use evidence from research and theory to help explain the behaviour of individuals and specific groups. The aim of the department is to provide students with a deeper understanding of current issues. Mental health is a major concern in the UK and worldwide and our aim is to provide students with a deeper understanding of some of these issues including depression, phobias, OCD and schizophrenia and many more. We aim to prepare students for life beyond the classroom by helping them to develop a deeper understanding of the reasons why people behave in certain ways and the treatments to combat these issues. We also aim to create critical thinkers among our students; the ability to analyse and evaluate their own views and those of others in the light of evidence is an essential skill. Through practical and discussion-based learning, we aim not only to teach about current issues but also to provide students with the research skills to further develop their own learning.