Dear Parents and Carers,
As a part of your child’s education at Writhlington school, we promote personal wellbeing and development through a comprehensive Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education programme.
PSHE education is the curriculum subject that gives young people the knowledge, understanding, attitudes and practical skills to live safe, healthy, productive lives and meet their full potential. Students take part in lessons which will focus on the relationships and sex education (RSE) aspect of this programme. RSE lessons are age appropriate and include relevant areas including: Healthy relationships, including friendships and intimate relationships; families; growing and changing, including puberty; personal hygiene; changing feelings; becoming more independent; keeping safe and consent; developing self-esteem and confidence.
Pupils will also have opportunities to ask questions that help prepare them for relationships of all kinds in the modern world. PSHE education is taught throughout the school in every year group and is monitored and reviewed regularly by the staff and governing body. Please see below for more detail about our PSHE curriculum. All PSHE teaching takes place will take place in a safe learning environment and is underpinned by our school ethos and values.
PSHE education is a school subject through which students develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy and safe, and prepared for life and work. PSHE has an impact on both academic and non-academic outcomes for students, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.
Our PSHE Curriculum aims to develop skills and attributes such as resilience, self-esteem, risk-management, teamworking and critical thinking in the context of three core themes: health and wellbeing, relationships and living in the wider world (including economic wellbeing and aspects of careers education).
The national curriculum also states that ‘all schools should make provision for personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE), drawing on good practice’. PSHE education contributes to schools’ statutory duties outlined in the Education Act 2002 and the Academies Act 2010 to provide a balanced and broadly-based curriculum and is essential to Ofsted judgements in relation to personal development, behaviour, welfare and safeguarding. The relationships and health aspects of PSHE education and is compulsory for all schools from September 2020.
How can PSHE education benefit students?
PSHE education helps students to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to manage life’s challenges and make the most of life’s opportunities.
There is evidence to show that PSHE education can address teenage pregnancy, substance misuse, unhealthy eating, lack of physical activity, emotional health and other key issues. PSHE can also tackle barriers to learning, raise aspirations, and improve the life chances of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged students.
How does PSHE education help schools to meet their statutory duties?
Under section 78 of the Education Act 2002 and the Academies Act 2010, schools must provide a ‘balanced and broadly-based curriculum’ which promotes ‘the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of students at the school and of society, and prepares students at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life’.
PSHE education makes a major contribution to schools fulfilling this duty.
Schools also have duties in relation to promoting student wellbeing and student safeguarding (Children Act 2004) and community cohesion (Education Act 2006). Paragraph 41 of statutory guidance on Keeping Children Safe in Education, the Department for Education states that ‘schools should consider how children may be taught about safeguarding, including online, through teaching and learning opportunities. This may include covering relevant issues through PSHE…’
Relevant issues which may be covered in PSHE education include: child sexual exploitation and other forms of abuse, sharing of sexual images, the impact of online pornography on students, the dangers of extremism and radicalisation, forced marriage, honour-based violence and female genital mutilation.
The Equality Act 2010 also places duties on schools not just to address prejudice-based bullying but also to help to prevent it happening, and in doing so to keep protected characteristic groups safe. PSHE education, with its focus on identity and equality, can help schools to fulfil this duty.
It is now a statutory requirement that PSHE is delivered in school and so you will see that PSHE will be delivered in different ways at Writhlington School. Firstly, in weekly tutor sessions and secondly via a team of teachers in the same way as any other curriculum subject.
| Week | Year 7 | Year 8 | Year 9 | Year 10 One Lesson Every Two Weeks | Year 11 One Lesson Every Two Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What is PSHE? Stepping Up to Secondary School | What is Democracy? What is democracy? | Drugs & Other Stuff Attitudes towards drugs | Health & Wellbeing Ground Rules | Relationships & Sex Education Consent and Ethical Relationships |
| 2 | What makes an outstanding learner? | Entitlement to Vote | Drugs Presentations | Hate Crime | What is "Good Sex"? |
| 3 | What is PSHE? | How to get elected | Smoking | How harmful is binge drinking? | Contraception |
| 4 | What communities am I a member of? | Mock Election | Alcohol: the truth | Managing anxiety, including social anxiety | STI's |
| 5 | What are British Values? | Assessment / Dirt | Why do people drink alcohol? | Managing grief and bereavement | Pregnancy and parenting |
| 6 | What is friendship? | What rights and responsibilities do we have? What is a citizen? | What do I do if someone collapses due to misuse of drugs? | Social Media and Self Esteem | Planet Porn vs Planet Reality |
| 7 | How do I build positive relationships? | Rights and Responsibilities | County Lines | Assessment / Dirt | Assessment / Dirt |
| WINTER HALF TERM | |||||
| 8 | Introducing Cyberbullying | How should people be punished? | Why do teens get involved in knife crime and what are the consequences? | Putting the men in 'mental health'. | Health, Wellbeing and the Wider World Alcohol and drugs at clubs, festivals and parties |
| 9 | Assessment / Dirt | Rights, responsibilities and the community | Assessment / Dirt | Living in the Wider World Anti-Social Behaviour | Cyber Crime and Online Fraud |
| 10 | What is citizenship? What is democracy? | Rights and Responsibilities - The Equality Act | Living in the Wider World What is online radicalisation and why is it a problem? | County Lines | Gambling and Online Gaming |
| 11 | Local Government | Assessment / Dirt | Who are some of the different extremist groups? | Knife Crime | The Digital Footprint |
| 12 | What can the local government do for you? What can you do for yourself? | Money, money, money How can I successfully manage my money? | How can we prevent radicalisation and extremism? | How the criminal justice system works | Personal Safety |
| 13 | Local problems - Local solutions | Creating a personal budgeting plan | What is a cult? How is it different to a religion? | Fake news and critical thinking | First Aid/ CPR |
| 14 | Assessment / DIRT | Savings, loans and interest rates | Careers Options Choices Year 9 Options | FGM | Assessment / Dirt |
| CHRISTMAS | |||||
| 15 | Health & Well Being Healthy Lifestyles | Using the Right Financial Products for You | My Top 10 Career Choices | Sexually Exploitative Relationships - CSE | Gattaca Pt 2 Designer babies/social cleansing |
| 16 | Puberty | Making Ethical Financial Decisions | Career Pilot | Assessment / Dirt | |
| 17 | Optional - Circle Time | How can we keep financially savvy and avoid debt? | Assessment / Dirt | Marxism and Social Control | |
| 18 | Mood Swing | Consumers and the Law - what are my rights? | Relationships and Sex Education Relationships | The Only Way is Ethics How do we know what is right? | Feminism and Sexism |
| 19 | What are Periods? | Assessment / Dirt | What is Sex? | What is Ethics? | Fish Are Friends; Not Food? |
| 20 | The Importance of Sleep | Health and Wellbeing How dangerous are drugs and what are the different types? | Body Parts and Sex Talk | What on Earth have we done? | Equality |
| 21 | A Balanced Diet | Smoking and Vaping | What are the different STIs? What is sexual health? | My Sister's Keeper Pt1 | Assessment / Dirt |
| SPRING HALF TERM | |||||
| 22 | The Benefits of Exercise | The Truth About Alcohol | LGBTQ+ | My Sister's Keeper Pt 2 | Humans Taking the Role of God Gattaca pt 1 |
| 23 | Assessment / Dirt | Risks of Alcohol and Drug Problems | Safer Sex | The Human Commodity | Humans Taking the Role of God Gattaca pt 2 |
| 24 | Drugs & Other Stuff Drugs, School Drug Policy and the Law | What Exactly is Cancer? Is There Anything We Can Do To Prevent It? | Contraception | S.E.X | Genetic Engineering |
| 25 | What are Drugs? | Responsible Health Choices: Vaccinations, Blood and Organ Donation Stem Cells, and Hygine | Why is Pornography so Dangerous | Assessment / Dirt | Marxism and Social Control |
| 26 | Why Do Most People Not Smoke? | Assessment / Dirt | What is Child Sexual Exploitation and How Does it Happen? | Relationships What Does a Healthy Relationship Look Like? | Feminism and Sexism |
| 27 | The Dangers of Smoking and Peer Pressure | Relationships: Puperty Revisited | Assessment / Dirt | Sex and Sexuality | Veganism - Fish Are Friends; Not Food? |
| 28 | All About Alcohol | Relationships | Well Being Emotional Health Awareness | Screwball | Assessment / Dirt |
| EASTER | |||||
| 29 | End of Unit Assessment / Dirt | Teenage Pregnancy What Issues Do Young Parents Face? | Mental Health Awareness | LGBTQ+ | Study Leave |
| 30 | Careers Looking Ahead | Consent - Like, Fancy, Love? | Depression | Forced and Arranged Marriage and Honour Based Violence | Study Leave |
| 31 | What Am I Good At? | Consent - Like, Fancy, Love? | Self-Injury | Sexism and Gender Prejudice | Study Leave |
| 32 | What Jobs Do I Know About? | How Can We Avoid Conflict At Home? | Anxiety | Harassment and Stalking | Study Leave |
| 33 | Self Reflection - How to Sell Yourself | FGM | How Can We Stay Mentally Well And Cope With Stress? | Assessment / Dirt | Study Leave |
| 34 | Living The Dream | Body Image | Selfie Safety: Why Do We Need To Be Careful Sharing Images Of Ourselves? | Is This Real Life… Or Is This Just Fantasy? The Truman Show Pt1: Plato's Cave | Study Leave |
| HALF TERM | |||||
| 35 | End of Unit Assessment / DIRT | Assessment / Dirt | Assessment / Dirt | The Truman Show Pt2: Plato's Cave | Study Leave |
| 36 | Staying Safe Pride | Careers Introduction to Careers | First Aid Primary Survey | Plato's Cave | Study Leave |
| 37 | Risky Business | Careers: Who Gets To Do What? | Recovery Position | Free Will and Determinism | Study Leave |
| 38 | Planning for Safety | Why Are Communication Skills So Important? | Resuscitation | Free Will and Determinism | Study Leave |
| 39 | Staying Safe Online | What Does It Mean To Be An Entrepreneur? | First Aid Kits | Free Will and Determinism | Study Leave |
| 40 | What To Do In An Emergency | Teamwork - Why is This an Essential Life Skill and What are the Benefits | Bleeding and Shock | Assessment / Dirt | Study Leave |
| Year Group | Lesson focus |
|---|---|
| Year 7 | Health & Well being - not RSE Healthy Lifestyles Puberty Mood swings What are periods The importance of sleep A balanced diet The benefits of exercise |
| Year 8 | Relationships Teenage pregnancies what issues do young parents face Consent FGM Body Image |
| Year 9 | Relationships What is sex? Body parts & sex What are different STI’s What is sexual health? Safer sex Contraception Why is pornography so dangerous? What is childhood sexual exploitation and how does it happen? |
| Year 10 | What does a healthy relationship look like? Sex & sexuality Attitudes about sex & consent Forced marriage Privilege sexism and gender prejudice Stalking and harassment |
| Year 11 | Consent and ethical relationships What is good sex? Contraception STI’s Pregnancy and parenting Planet porn & Planet reality |
Parents will not be able to withdraw their child from any aspect of Relationships Education or Health Education.
Parents will be able to withdraw their child (This can only happen after discussion with the school – please contact Deputy Head Teacher Mrs England) from any or all aspects of Sex Education, other than those which are part of the science curriculum, up to and until three terms before the age of 16.
? After that point, the guidance states that ‘if the child wishes to receive sex education rather than be withdrawn, the school should make arrangements to provide the child with sex education during one of those terms.’
Where pupils are withdrawn from sex education, schools will document the process and will ‘ensure that the pupil receives appropriate, purposeful education during the period of withdrawal.’
We of course would encourage all students to access all parts of the PSHE curriculum and see this curriculum subject as one which gives young people the knowledge, understanding, attitudes and practical skills to live safe, healthy, productive lives and meet their full potential.
