Head of Department /Lead Teacher : Lisa Byford

PSHE stands for Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education . The PSHE curriculum is a planned, developmental learning programme which helps students acquire the knowledge, understanding , skills and strategies required to live healthy , safe , productive and balanced lives now and in the future. It encourages students to be enterprising and supports them in making effective transitions, positive learning and career choices and in achieving economic awareness and wellbeing.

The Programme of Study aims to support pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development through the teaching of fundamental British Values, preparing them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life. Students will be encouraged to regard people of all faiths, races and cultures with respect and tolerance.

From September 2020 schools have been required to teach Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education as part of their planned programme .These topics are integrated within a broad and balanced curriculum which also covers careers and finance. The PSHE curriculum at Churston follows the statutory requirements and a summary of the topics is outlined below:

Relationships and Sexual Education

• Families

• Respectful relationships,including friendships

• Online and media

• Being safe

• Intimate sexual relationships, including sexual health

Physical health and mental wellbeing

• Health and mental wellbeing

• Mental Wellbeing

• Internet safety and harms

• Physical health and fitness

• Healthy Eating

• Drugs, alcohol and tobacco

• Health and Prevention

• Basic first aid

• Changing adolescent body

Although parents cannot withdraw their child from Health Education or the Relationships Education element of Relationships and Sex Education, they have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from some or all of the sex education lessons deliverered as part of statutory RSE. This information is outlined in the following Department of Education link DfE Guidance- Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum which provides an overview of the subject content and important information for parents regarding the new statutory Relationships,Sex and Health Education curriculum. Any such request would be referred to and considered by the headteacher. It is the hope and expectation of the school, however, that all pupils will take part in the full RSE programme.

Students are also signposted to websites and organisations and they have the opportunity to follow up and discuss any sensitive issues that may arise with members of the pastoral team or school counsellor.

Additional input to the PSHE curriculum is provided by outside speakers, charities and other organizations. Students are provided with information and links to organisations and websites where they can gain further advice, if required. Further enrichment of the curriculum is provided by single “collapsed “ Enrichment days where students have the opportunity to take part in practical workshops and work with external agencies.

Skills

Underpinning learning in PSHE education is the development of a set of key concepts and transferable skills. Age appropriate , quality assured resources in lessons provide students with opportunities to explore a range of topics and to reflect on and clarify their own values and attitudes and to explore the complex and sometimes conflicting range of values and attitudes of modern society. PSHE develops the qualities and attributes students need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society, enabling them to make informed decisions, develop resilience and know where to access support.

Students learn and develop a range of skills by exploring issues through practical , written and online activities. These include: discussion and debate, arguing a case and learning to be objective, working individually and in groups, sharing ideas and feeding back verbally and in writing; and learning how to reflect on their own learning and use information appropriately.

Careers

Students will receive careers information and guidance through a combination of discrete lessons about the world of work , information provided by the Careers Co-ordinator, and Enrichment Days and activities that bring employers and guest speakers into school. Students are given access to online career management tools (Careerpilot and Unifrog), appropriate to their stage of learning to conduct research regarding career pathways and opportunities, and to record their research and proposed action plans.