Aspiring to Live in the Wider World

Through these units, we aim to provide students with a knowledge of their world – locally, nationally and globally and to give them the confidence to tackle the many moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up today. In partnership with our careers programme, we aim to help our young people develop the essential skills, knowledge and attributes to be active members of their communities and to prepare them for important milestones such as the Key stage 4 preferences and post-16 applications processes and for the world of work and life in general after school.

Respectful Relationships

In the Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) units, students learn how to develop and maintain healthy relationships in a range of contexts and about the importance of informed consent and mutual respect. As they move up through the key stages, students will study topics such as puberty, reproduction, contraception, sexuality, abortion, pregnancy, and marriage. They will learn how to understand and manage risk, including how to keep themselves safe online and about the increasing influence of their peers and the media. Students will also be taught how to recognise the signs of unhealthy or coercive relationships and about the sources of help and advice available to them should they be concerned about themselves or one of their peers.

Engaging with Health & Wellbeing

In our Health and Wellbeing units, we help students understand how to look after their physical and mental wellbeing. We assess the risks and consequences associated with poor lifestyle choices such as drug and alcohol misuse, and unhealthy coping strategies such as self-harm and disordered eating. We explore a range of healthy coping strategies and techniques to look after and improve physical and emotional wellbeing.

We have introduced the (click) RULER approach to emotional intelligence in order to promote emotional literacy, academic progress and mental wellbeing. Underpinned by the principles of the Equality Act 2010, the PSHEE curriculum is designed to be fully inclusive, accessible by all and wholly representative of our diverse society. The wellbeing of our students is our number one priority and so, due to the sensitive nature of many lesson topics, PSHEE makes a significant contribution to both the personal development and safeguarding of our students.

PSHEE and Careers

Students will have timetabled PSHEE and Careers lessons in Years 10 and 11, complemented by a number of Careers related assemblies, conferences and workshops. There will also be extracurricular opportunities for students in Year 10 and 11 to attend Careers Talks and Apprenticeship Workshops. Students will be encouraged to organise their own work experience during Year 11 and will be fully supported in doing so by our Careers Adviser.

Year 10 PSHEE begins with a focus on mental health and emotional wellbeing, particularly in relation to the challenges presented by the transition from key stage 3 to 4. Building on the knowledge and skills gained during KS3 PSHEE, students will learn how to recognise and seek help for common mental health concerns and will discuss a range of strategies to build resilience and improve overall wellbeing. The focus of the spring term is financial education, during which students will take part in a range of activities designed to help them look after their financial wellbeing as they begin to gain increased independence. These lessons will help students to develop their financial literacy and understand how to manage their money wisely, avoid debt and understand risk. Relationships and Sex Education is delivered during the latter part of the spring term and the first half of the summer term. Topics covered during this RSE unit include consent, readiness for intimacy, media influences, gender identity and sexuality, sexual health and contraception. RSE classes provide a safe and inclusive space for students to learn about and discuss these important issues and all lessons will include signposting to local and national sources of advice, information and support.

Moving into Year 11, the Autumn term is focused on be preparing students for the future. Students will research a range of Post-16 options for further study, apprenticeships or employment with training and will be supported in gaining the knowledge and skills necessary for making successful applications. Students will also be encouraged to consider Post-18 opportunities in preparation for making the right choices after GCSEs. During the second half of the autumn term we will concentrate on supporting students in the run-up to the examination period with a particular focus on mental health and emotional wellbeing. This will include a focus on time and stress management techniques. During the spring term we will deliver Relationships and Sex Education with a particular emphasis on equipping students to develop healthy relationships and to recognise and manage potentially unhealthy or coercive behaviour. Topics such as consent, sexual and reproductive health, teenage pregnancy, marriage and parenthood will also be covered in this unit. In line with government regulations, any student who has been withdrawn from lessons during previous years may choose to receive Sex Education lessons from up to three terms before their 16th birthday. Managing Risk is the title of our final unit in Y11, in which we revisit issues such as online safety, extremism and radicalisation, gaming and gambling, drugs, alcohol and smoking. We encourage students to think critically about the world around them and to assess risk in relation to a range of lifestyle choices. Our aim is to provide a broad, balanced and locally sensitive curriculum that equips our young people with the skills, knowledge and attributes to lead healthy, safe and fulfilling lives, in which they are able to thrive as active members of their communities.