PSHCE
PSHCE education is a school subject through which pupils develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy and safe, and prepared for life and work.
A well-delivered PSHCE programme can have an impact on both academic and non-academic outcomes for pupils, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.
PSHCE plays a vital role in helping our young people make sense of an increasingly confusing world, where a basic understanding of life outside GHS is essential. We aim to give them the opportunity to listen to and be heard by others in a safe and inclusive environment; to challenge views that may go against British values; to make them aware of legal implications for themselves and others; to understand what healthy relationships look like; to inform them where they can go to for further advice; in short, to give them the tools they will need to become successful citizens.
Our PSHCE 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).
According to the PSHCE Association (the national body for PSHCE), there is evidence to show that PSHCE education can address teenage pregnancy, substance misuse, unhealthy eating, lack of physical activity, emotional health and other key issues. An effective PSHCE programme can also tackle barriers to learning, raise aspirations, and improve the life chances of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils.
Since 2020, the majority of PSHCE education has been compulsory in all schools, and we are very fortunate in that we have designated curriculum time to meet these statutory requirements.
You can read more about our content at specific key stages plus the key concepts of our PSHCE curriculum below.
KEY CONCEPTS
There are 9 key concepts which we will look to develop through the Programme of Study:
- Identity: their personal qualities, attitudes, attributes and achievements and what influences these; understanding and maintaining boundaries around their privacy, including online.
- Relationships: including different types and in different settings, including online.
- A healthy, balanced lifestyle: including physical, emotional and social health, and balancing within relationships, work life, exercise and rest, spending and saving and lifestyle choices.
- Risk and safety: including identification, assessment and how to manage risk, rather than simply avoiding risk for the sake of self and others.
- Diversity and equality: in all its forms, with special attention to the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act of 2010.
- Rights, responsibilities and consent: including the idea of universal human rights, fairness and justice, and consent in different contexts.
- Change and resilience: as in managing change, and developing skills, strategies and ‘inner resources’ we can use when faced with challenges.
- Power: as in, how it is used, how it manifests itself through behaviours including bullying, persuasion, coercion and how it can be managed or challenged through negotiation.
- Careers: including enterprise, employability and economic understanding
PSHCE AT KEY STAGE 3 AND 4
At Key Stage 3, students will build on the knowledge and understanding, skills, attributes and values they have acquired and developed during the primary phase. PSHCE education acknowledges and addresses the changes that young people experience, beginning with transition to secondary school, the challenges of adolescence and their increasing independence. It teaches the knowledge and skills which will equip them for the opportunities and challenges of life. Students will learn to manage diverse relationships, their online lives, and the increasing influence of peers and the media.
At Key Stage 4, students deepen knowledge and understanding, extend and rehearse skills, and further explore attitudes, values and attributes acquired during key stage 3. Their PSHCE education will reflect the fact that they are moving towards an independent role in adult life, taking on greater responsibility for themselves and others.
The PSHCE curriculum is divided into 3 core themes, in which the following will be studied:
Health and wellbeing
- Self concept
- Mental health and emotional well being
- Healthy lifestyles (KS3)
- Health related decisions (KS4)
- Drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling and gaming
- Managing risk and personal safety
- Puberty and sexual health (KS3)
- Sexual health and fertility (KS4)
RelationshipS
- Positive relationships
- Relationship values
- Forming and maintaining respectful relationships
- Consent
- Contraception and parenthood
- Bullying, abuse and discrimination
- Social influences
Living in the wider world
- Learning skills
- Choices and pathways
- Work and careers
- Employment rights and responsibilities
- Financial choices
- Media literacy and digital resilience
PSHCE AT KEY STAGE 5
By the end of Key Stage 5, many of our students will leave home for the first time and live independently, possibly in distant locations. Therefore there is a balance throughout this Programme of Study between preparing students to manage their current lives and laying the foundations for managing future experiences. As students progress through the key stages, this balance shifts towards teaching related to young people’s current experiences.
PSHCE in KS5 aims to ensure students continue to learn about issues with real-life relevance to them, at a crucial transition point in their lives.
As a number of our Post 16 students will not have progressed through the Key Stages at GHS, they will bring with them a range of experience and understanding, meaning that we will need to revisit and reinforce earlier learning, as this key stage represents the last opportunity to ensure that students have the knowledge and understanding, skills, strategies and attributes they need for independent living and the next stage in their education or career.
With that in mind, the following will be covered:
Health and wellbeing
- Self concept
- Mental health and emotional wellbeing
- Healthy lifestyles
- Managing risk and personal safety
- Sexual health
- Drugs, alcohol and tobacco
Relationships
- Relationship values
- Forming and maintaining respectful relationships
- Consent
- Contraception and parenthood
- Bullying, abuse and discrimination
Living in the wider world
- Choices and pathways
- Work and career
- Employment rights and responsibilities
- Financial choices
- Media literacy and digital resilience