Subject Curriculum – PSHE

Vision

To provide a focused and sequenced curriculum that supports students in developing the knowledge and skills they need across KS3-5 to deal with critical issues they face now such as emotional wellbeing and to prepare pupils to make informed decisions about the challenges, opportunities and responsibilities they will face in the future. To ensure statutory government guidance around Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is fully integrated into the curriculum and that staff are equipped to deliver strong and purposeful RSE lessons. To create a safe, positive, and inclusive environment where pupils can discuss sensitive and sometimes daunting topics and have complex discussions around critical issues. The Department for Education said "evidence shows that PSHE education can improve the physical and psychosocial wellbeing of pupils. Pupils with better health and wellbeing achieve better academically”.

PSHE Curriculum Intent

INCLUSIVE	PSHE helps create an inclusive environment in schools and communities by fostering understanding, respect, and empathy among students. It promotes understanding of diversity, through introducing students to diverse cultures, beliefs, backgrounds, and lifestyles. PSHE education encourages respect for differences in race, gender, sexual orientation, ability and promoting a sense of belonging for everyone. We equip students with the skills to address and challenge discriminatory behaviors, prejudices, stereotypes, and bias, and ensure students feel valued and supported, to foster a positive and inclusive atmosphere. PSHE also prepares students to communicate effectively and resolve conflicts peacefully, reducing the likelihood of bullying or exclusion based on differences.
SEQUENCED	PSHE is sequenced across KS3-5 through our Big Ideas to ensure pupils successfully develop the knowledge and skills they need to thrive now and in the future. At KS3, PSHE is delivered through an integrated curriculum with religious studies that rotates every half term, with three units: Living in the Wider World, Relationships and Sex Education, and Health and Wellbeing. At KS4, half termly drop-down days centered around each Big Idea allows us to continue to deliver important PSHE content, with external speakers, workshops, and tailored sessions. At KS5, PSHE is delivered through an assembly and follow up session, with each half term following a different Big Idea. Pupils also receive PSHE through Tuesday morning form time, and assemblies.
FOCUSED	The PSHE curriculum ensures that the knowledge pupils are learning at each Key Stage, is age appropriate and in line with government guidance, particularly in terms of the statutory guidance published in September 2020 for RSE. It also focuses on our Big Ideas to ensure pupils can link key themes.
COHERENT	PSHE provides coherent curriculum through equipping pupils with important knowledge and skills that is developed throughout KS3-5, through the continued study of six Big Ideas: Respectful Communities, Careers and Ambition, Healthy Relationships, Online Safety, Health and Wellbeing and Risk and Safety. Students are supported in understanding how the knowledge and skills developed in individual lessons relate to these Big Ideas, and how new knowledge builds on prior learning.

Big Ideas

Respectful Communities

Respectful Communities are safe environments where each person in the community is respected as a unique and contributing member. These are cohesive communities where people can tackle problems, provide mutual support and work together for a positive future free from discrimination, prejudice, or intolerance. This might be local, national, or international communities.

Careers and Ambition

Developing important interpersonal, enterprise and study skills to thrive in education and the workplace, to prepare for important events like GCSE options, work experience and application processes for post-16 and university and assess different career pathways and employment rights and responsibilities.

Healthy Relationships

Healthy relationships are relationships that are respectful, stable, healthy, and joyful. There are a variety of different types of relationships including romantic, friendships, and relationships with family. Managing conflict, identifying unhealthy behaviours, understanding how to seek support for abuse, and judging readiness for intimacy are important aspects of forming healthy and stable relationships. Understanding sexual health, the meaning of consent, and methods of contraception will also be important aspects of developing healthy relationships and preparing for sexual activity.

Online Safety

Being aware of online dangers like grooming, cyberbullying, sharing indecent imagery, social media, extremism, and developing strategies we can use to stay safe online, challenge online hate, build digital resilience and maintain a positive online presence.

Health and Wellbeing

Focuses on the importance of our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. This includes understanding changes in our physical and mental health that can occur with puberty and the potential impacts, how to deal with challenges to our mental health, taking responsibility for our physical health and knowing potential dangers to health like vaping, alcohol, and drugs and how to protect your health.

Risk and Safety

Risk and safety is about understanding potential risks and understanding how to protect yourself and remain safe. Potential risks cover road traffic, drugs, alcohol, vaping, peer pressure and involvement in gangs. Understanding how to make positive financial decisions for the future, through assessing potential financial risks, what makes products good value for money, the benefits of savings accounts and understanding how to effectively budget.

Embedding our Core Values:

Trust

PSHE education helps deliver trust by fostering open communication, integrity, and responsibility in students. It teaches students the importance of being open and honest in their relationships with peers, teachers, and family. Lessons on effective communication emphasize speaking truthfully and listening with respect, both key elements of trust. PSHE promotes Integrity and Accountability. Students learn about the value of doing the right thing, even when it's difficult. By encouraging responsibility for one’s actions and understanding the consequences of dishonesty, PSHE reinforces trustworthiness as a personal quality. PSHE teaches boundaries and consent. In topics related to relationships and personal safety, lessons teach students the importance of respecting boundaries and seeking consent. This fosters trust by ensuring that students understand how to respect others' choices and expect the same in return.

Kindness

PSHE education promotes kindness through encouraging students to understand and share the feelings of others. By teaching empathy, students become more aware of how their actions impact those around them, leading to more thoughtful and kind behaviour. Through lessons on friendships, family, and community help students recognize the importance of kindness in forming and maintaining positive, healthy, respectful relationships. PSHE also addresses bullying, emphasizing the value of kindness in creating a safe and supportive environment. It equips students with tools to recognize and challenge unkind behaviour, promoting a culture of support. By teaching students to care for their own and others' mental and emotional well-being, PSHE encourages kindness towards oneself and others, helping to foster resilience and self-compassion. PSHE also educates students on the importance of contributing positively to society, motivating them to practice kindness in everyday life, whether through community service or being respectful to peers. By embedding kindness into the Big Ideas of every lesson, PSHE helps cultivate a nurturing and caring environment, both inside and outside the classroom.

Endeavour

PSHE education teaches students the value of endeavour by fostering resilience, goal-setting, perseverance, and a growth mindset in students. PSHE teaches students how to set realistic, personal, and academic goals. By guiding them through the process of planning and working towards their objectives, PSHE instils the importance of effort and determination in achieving success. Through lessons on overcoming challenges, managing stress, and developing coping strategies, PSHE helps students understand that setbacks are a part of life. It teaches them to keep trying, even when things are difficult, reinforcing the importance of persistence. PSHE also helps students understand the value of self-discipline, focus, and motivation in working toward long-term goals. It teaches students to take responsibility for their actions and remain committed to their personal development. By encouraging creative and critical thinking in problem-solving, PSHE equips students with the ability to tackle obstacles in different aspects of life. This reinforces the idea that perseverance and determination are key to overcoming difficulties.

Long Term Plan Secondary PSHE

Subject Area: PSHE KS3	Term 1- Autumn Living in the Wider World	Term 2 – Spring Relationships and Sex Education	Term 3 – Summer Health and Wellbeing
Year 7	What is a community and how can we value each other? How can we effectively resolve conflict and maintain positive communication? What is a career? What are my goals and aspirations for the future? How can we prevent online bullying? How do we manage risky situations or emergencies? How can I manage money and make positive financial choices?	What are the roles and responsibilities of parents and carers in families? Why is love and commitment important for stable, long-term relationships? What is a healthy relationship? How can we manage the breakdown of relationships? Including divorce and separation. Introduction to online grooming - Breck's story How can I deal with peer pressure and make good choices?	What is emotional wellbeing? How can I make healthy lifestyle choices? (living and eating) What do I need to know about the menstrual cycle? What is body confidence and why is it important? What are the dangers of vaping?
Year 8	How can we challenge stereotypes, discrimination, and prejudice? How can we challenge gender stereotypes in the workplace? What are important employability skills? What is a digital footprint? How to be kind online? How can you manage pressure to join gangs including exit strategies? What financial risks might I encounter?	What do healthy vs. unhealthy relationships look like? How has the media impacted expectations of relationships? What do I need to know about sexual consent and the law? What do I need to know about biological sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation? What is forced marriage? Sexting and image sharing.	How can I maintain positive emotional wellbeing? What are the physical emotional changes of puberty? Including personal hygiene What is FGM? What are the risks of alcohol to health? What are the risks and influences on substance use? - vaping, caffeine, tobacco
Year 9	Why are British values and human rights important? How does parliamentary democracy work? How does voting, elections and political parties work? How can we identify and combat cyberbullying and online hate? What is the role of police in the justice system? What are different career pathways? How can I effectively manage money?	How can I display healthy behaviours in a relationship and recognise abusive behaviours? How can we judge for intimacy with romantic partners? Recap of consent What do I need to know about sexual heath? What are the main methods of contraception? What are the dangers of forming relationships online? - online grooming and predators. What are the dangers of pornography?	How can I deal with stress and manage emotions? How can we get support for mental health and build resilience? How can we show responsibility for our physical health? What are the different types of drugs and risks associated? What is an addiction?

Subject Area:

PSHE KS4 Drop Down days

Half Term 1 – Respectful Communities

Half Term 2 – Careers and Ambition

Half Term 3 – Relationships and Sex Education

Half Term 4 – Online Safety

Half Term 5 – Health and Wellbeing

Half Term 6 – Risk and Safety

Year 10

Challenging discrimination.
Understanding LGBTQ+ and challenging transphobia and homophobia.
Understanding what constitutes a hate crime and the impact of the Equality Act.
Encouraging DEI?

College speaker
Introduction to work experience and procedures.
Creation of a CV and cover letter.
How to find placements for work experience.

Building and maintaining strong, healthy relationships.
Managing conflict and the breakdown of relationships.
Laws around manipulation, coercion and capacity to consent in relationships.
Assessing readiness for intimacy

Being aware of potential dangers of the internet.
Understanding the implications of a digital footprint
Protecting information online.
Being kind online – use of language and preventing cyberbullying.
Dangers of forming and maintaining online relationships.
Misinformation and disinformation.

Seeking support for poor mental health
Challenging stereotypes and misinformation around mental health.
Managing and reframing negative thoughts.
Implications of drug use.

Understanding how to effectively budget – rent, bills, managing income.
Being financially prepared for the future – payslips, taxes, bank accounts.
Knife crime and dangers of carrying a weapon.
Being aware of radicalisation and extremism.

Year 11

Challenging discrimination.
Understanding what constitutes a hate crime and the impact of the Equality Act.
Understanding LGBTQ+ and challenging transphobia and homophobia.
Radicalisation and extremism.

Choosing pathways
Future careers
Post 16-options and processes for applications

Difference between love and lust in relationships.
Sexual Health – Contraception and STIs.
What affects fertility and what are the different routes to parenthood?

Being aware of potential dangers of the internet.
Understanding the implications of a digital footprint
Protecting information online.
Being kind online – use of language and preventing cyberbullying.

NO PSHE DUE TO EXAMINATIONS

Subject Area:

PSHE KS5

Respectful Communities

Careers and Ambition

Relationships and Sex Education

Online Safety

Health and Wellbeing

Risk and Safety

Year 12 & 13 Two Year curriculum

Transition and values.
Recognising and challenging stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination.
Radicalisation and extremism including the far-right.
Celebrating diversity in identity, culture and other characteristics.
Promoting equity and inclusion.
Important of national and international institutions for maintaining peace and respectful communities.

Employment and enterprise skills.
Setting realistic yet ambitious career and life goals matched to personal values, interests, strengths and skills.
Evaluating ‘next step’ options such as higher education, further training or apprenticeships, and gap year opportunities.
Implications of the labour market and global market.
Employment rights and responsibilities
Identifying and evidencing strengths and skills when applying and interviewing for future roles and universities.
Creation of CV’s and prepare effectively for interviews.
Importance of professional conduct in the workplace.
Boundaries around professional relationships.
Workplace confidentiality and security including cyber-security and data protection.
Trade unions

Relationship values
Developing and maintaining healthy, pleasurable relationships.
Emotional intimacy
Difference between ‘love’ and ‘lust’
Conflict resolution and negotiation.
Ending of relationships safely and respectfully.
Moral and legal responsibilities of seeking consent and the right to withdraw consent.
The emotional, physical, social and legal consequences of failing to gain consent.
Exit strategies for unhealthy relationships.
Forced marriage and ‘honour’ based violence.
Recognising and seeking help for sexual abuse, exploitation, assault or rape.
Forms of contraception.
Taking responsibility for sexual health and accessing diagnosis and treatment.

Managing online relationships safely.
Cyberbullying and online hate – recognising and challenging it.
Recognising bias, propaganda and disinformation online.
Personal privacy and to manage online safety in all its forms.
Effectively challenge online content that is inappropriate.
Maintaining a positive professional online presence.
Knowing how social media can expand, limit or distort perspectives.
Challenging extremism online i.e. antisemitism, anti-immigrant sentiment.

Recognise signs of change in mental health and wellbeing
Building and maintaining positive mental health, including managing stress and anxiety.
Recognising common mental health issues and support available.
Taking responsibility for monitoring personal health including sun safety, breast awareness and self-examination, testicular self-examination and cervical screening.
Registering and accessing health services.
Recognising illnesses that affect young adults, such as meningitis and ‘freshers’ flu’
Maintaining a healthy diet, especially on a budget.
Maintaining a work-life balance
Alcohol and drug use: affects on decision making and personal safety, and long term health.

Assessing and managing risk and personal safety.
To know how to perform first aid and when to summon emergency services.
Strategies to de-escalate and exit aggressive social situations.
Dangers and consequences of being involved in gangs, serious organised crime or carrying a weapon.
Planning expenditure and budget for moving out or going to university.
Salary deductions including taxation, national insurance and pensions.
Banking and savings options.
Understanding mortages.
Financial risks, including debt and repayment implications.