Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education (PSHE) allows pupils to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to manage their lives. As part of a whole-school programme of Personal Development, PSHE allows pupils to develop the attributes and qualities people need to thrive as individuals and members of local, national and global communities.
PSHE education assists in the personal development of young people. It helps build their confidence, self-esteem and personal identities. Our pupils will understand how to make personal choices, understand what influences decisions and develop key employability skills, self-understanding, empathy, and resilience.
Further information about our vision, focus and provision can be found in our PSHE Overview document.
Relationship and Sex Education (RSE)
Relationship and Sex Education is lifelong learning about physical, moral and emotional development. It is about the understanding of the importance of positive and loving relationships, respect, consent and care. Our aim is to provide a stimulating and supportive learning environment in which pupils can develop their feelings of self-worth and confidence especially in relation to others. It is also about the teaching of sex, sexuality, and sexual health in a way that is age appropriate. It is not about the promotion of sexual orientation or sexual activity. RSE includes elements which are statutory requirements for all pupils to cover.
If you have any questions about the RSE curriculum, please contact the subject lead for PSHE or our school lead on Personal Development.
Advice & Guidance
There are a wide variety of websites that can provide you with help and guidance. Check out our PSHE Links page to access many useful sources of advice and guidance.
Units taught in Year 7
AUTUMN |
SPRING |
SUMMER |
Identity and Diversity What are the British Values and how far do we think Modern Britain reflects who we are? |
Safety online and offline What risks might we come across in life? What do we need to be aware of? Including bullying and trolling |
Health and wellbeing How can we maintain our physical and mental health through periods of stress, and pressure? Including puberty and hygiene |
Relationships Education What are the signs of a healthy, platonic relationship and how can we communicate effectively within one? |
Careers What are we really good or passionate about in life and how can we turn that into a career? |
Contributing to our community How could we become more involved in the community around us, including the political system and activism? |
Main skills developed in Year 7
- Acquisition of information on a range of health issues that are relevant to age, maturity and understanding
- The development of emotional and social skills, including skills for learning, achieving, managing change and looking after health
- The exploration and clarification of values and beliefs, including respect, morality and an understanding of cultural diversity
- Developing a range of personal, listening and thinking skills within a variety of contexts
- Selecting evidence to support views
- Critically analysing information from a range of sources, including developing data analysis skills
- Developing relevant and specific vocabulary
- Talking and listening with peers
- Organising views into structured pieces of writing
Units taught in Year 8
AUTUMN |
SPRING |
SUMMER |
Identity and Diversity What are the origins of prejudice and discrimination and why are hate crimes on the rise in the UK? |
Safety online and offline What risks might we come across in life? What do we need to be aware of? Including knife crime, drug/alcohol abuse |
Health and wellbeing How we can maintain our physical and mental health through periods of grief, stress, and pressure, including divorce |
Relationships and Sex Education What is attraction, sexuality, and how can we appropriately manage the feelings we have? Including consent |
Careers What would we look for in a job and how do we find the right job for us? |
Contributing to our community How could we become more involved in the community around us, including the political system and activism? |
Main skills developed in Year 8
- Acquisition of information on a range of health issues that are relevant to age, maturity and understanding
- The development of emotional and social skills, including skills for learning, achieving, managing change and looking after health
- The exploration and clarification of values and beliefs, including respect, morality and an understanding of cultural diversity
- Developing a range of personal, listening and thinking skills within a variety of contexts
- Selecting evidence to support views
- Critically analysing information from a range of sources, including developing data analysis skills
- Developing relevant and specific vocabulary
- Talking and listening with peers
- Organising views into structured pieces of writing
Units taught in Year 9
AUTUMN |
SPRING |
SUMMER |
Identity and Diversity What makes a successful local, national and global community? |
Safety online and offline What risks might we come across in life? What do we need to be aware of? Including exploitation, trafficking and extremism |
Health and wellbeing How we can maintain our physical and mental health through periods of grief, stress, and pressure, including airbrushing and addictions |
Relationships Sex Education Consent, preventing STIs, and the importance of using effective contraception |
Careers What should we expect from the job market and expectations of the workplace? Including financial management, budgets and debt |
Contributing to our community How could we become more involved in the community around us, including the political system and activism? |
Main skills developed in Year 9
- Acquisition of information on a range of health issues that are relevant to age, maturity and understanding
- The development of emotional and social skills, including skills for learning, achieving, managing change and looking after health
- The exploration and clarification of values and beliefs, including respect, morality and an understanding of cultural diversity
- Developing a range of personal, listening and thinking skills within a variety of contexts
- Selecting evidence to support views
- Critically analysing information from a range of sources, including developing data analysis skills
- Developing relevant and specific vocabulary
- Talking and listening with peers
- Organising views into structured pieces of writing
Units taught in Year 10
Pupils in Year 10 have one lesson a fortnight. This is a Personal Development lesson, which also involves themes to develop a pupils’ social, emotional and mental wellbeing. As such, three units are planned by the RS department and three are planned by the PSHE department. These units are on Risk and Safety, Relationships and Sex Education, and Health and Wellbeing. The PSHE programme is supported by the Guided Discussion slot in tutor times and half termly assembly.
Main skills developed in Year 10
- Acquisition of information on a range of health issues that are relevant to age, maturity and understanding
- The development of emotional and social skills, including skills for learning, achieving, managing change and looking after health
- The exploration and clarification of values and beliefs, including respect, morality and an understanding of cultural diversity
- Developing a range of personal, listening and thinking skills within a variety of contexts
- Selecting evidence to support views
- Collating information from a range of sources
- Developing relevant and specific vocabulary
- Talking and listening with peers
- Organising views into structured pieces of writing
Units taught in Year 11
Pupils in Year 10 have one lesson a fortnight. This is a Personal Development lesson, which also involves themes to develop a pupils’ social, emotional and mental wellbeing. As such, three units are planned by the RS department and three are planned by the PSHE department. These units are on Risk and Safety, Relationships and Sex Education, and Health and Wellbeing. The PSHE programme is supported by the Guided Discussion slot in tutor times and half termly assembly. Pupils in Year 11 focus particularly on mental health around exams and effective metacognitive strategies for success.
Main skills developed in Year 11
- Acquisition of information on a range of health issues that are relevant to age, maturity and understanding
- The development of emotional and social skills, including skills for learning, achieving, managing change and looking after health
- The exploration and clarification of values and beliefs, including respect, morality and an understanding of cultural diversity
- Developing a range of personal, listening and thinking skills within a variety of contexts
- Selecting evidence to support views
- Collating information from a range of sources
- Developing relevant and specific vocabulary
- Talking and listening with peers
- Organising views into structured pieces of writing
How parents can help to support their child’s learning
- Encourage discussions about local and national issues with your child.
- Encourage your child to think and talk about their options post-16 and what they might like to do in the future.
- Talk to your child about your job and career path to show them how many different options there are.