PSHCE

Our curriculum has been designed in line with our curriculum principles: 

• Entitlement:   Our curriculum is designed to be inclusive and cater for all of our students; all students have the right to learn what is contained within our three strands: health and wellbeing, living in the wider world and healthy relationships. Statutory guidance is clear, and the effective teaching of content can contribute to a rounded social education that will prepare students for a safe and successful life.   

• Coherence:  Our curriculum is carefully sequenced so that powerful knowledge builds term by term and year by year. The curriculum follows a very similar thematic pattern for students in year 7 to year 13 however is sequenced to meet the needs of students at key milestones examples include transition, options and employment sessions within the ‘living in the wider world’ strand.  

• Mastery:  We ensure that foundational knowledge, skills, and concepts are secure before moving on. Where appropriate teachers inform heads of year and our PSHE leads where additional lessons are required to support learning. Pupils revisit prior learning of particular themes through our curriculum plan by applying their understanding in new contexts. The three strands are typically revisited twice within each academic year which provides an opportunity to reflect on prior learning by reinforcing and building on understanding within respective themes.  

• Adaptability:  The core content – the ‘what’ – of our curriculum is stable and in line with what the best schools are teaching. We aim to benefit from PSHE guidance available within the borough and within United learning. However, we also ensure that we bring the curriculum to life for own students in our school community and in our local context here in South-East London. Equally, teachers will adapt lessons – the ‘how’ – to meet the needs of their own classes. Examples of this have been the requirement to teach additional routines, inclusion and vaping sessions to help educate the children on the high expectations we have for behaviour within our community.   

• Representation:  We are committed to the idea of ‘the mirror and the window’, that pupils see themselves in our curriculum, ensuring diversity and equality, but that our curriculum takes all pupils beyond their immediate experience, building cultural capital and aspiration. We will aim to utilise materials that students feel are representative and use methods and teaching that makes learning relevant.   

• Education with character:  Our curriculum develops spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development, is intended to spark curiosity and to nourish both the head and the heart. The PSHE curriculum is a key part of our provision of education with character and is linked and aligned with other work that goes on within this area such as themed assemblies, educational trips and visits and PRIDE workshops.   

Responding to international, national and local issues 

We are prepared to adapt our plans to meet the needs of our community. Examples have included our commemoration of the death of Queen Elizabeth on WB: 12 September. We have also planned to mark significant weeks within the school calendar such as the recent ‘anti-bullying week’ WB 14/11/22. There are a number of events over the academic year where all year groups will learn together, albeit through adapted resources and content for example during LGBT+ week and also as we mark Stephen Lawrence day. 

We also work closely with our behaviour and safeguarding leads to ensure that we are able to respond in a timely way to issues facing our students.  

This strand of PSHE focuses on developing physical and emotional wellbeing. Students will learn to make informed choices about how to keep themselves healthy in all aspects of their lives.  

• Transition and routines 
• Self-belief 
• Self-esteem 
• Mental Health 
• Wellbeing 
• Substances 
• Looking After Yourself 
• Puberty 
• Contraception 
• STIs 

This strand of PSHE focuses on developing students into active citizens as members of diverse communities. Students will learn to stand up for their values and support others in promoting equality and diversity, and challenging injustice.  

• Study Skills 
• Careers 
• Money Management 
• Staying Safe 
• Debate – Current Affairs 
• Online Safety 
• Being Safely Independent 
• Community 

This strand of PSHE focuses on developing students’ abilities to form and maintain positive relationships in all aspects of their life. Students will learn how to manage their emotions and how to communicate effectively, while staying safe in their relationships.  

• Tackling Discrimination 
• British Values 
• Consent 
• Empathy 
• Peer Pressure 
• Role Models 
• Family Life and Parenthood 
• Friends and Family 
• Sexuality and Gender 
• Sexual harassment and abuse 
• Relationship myths