The intent of the school’s curriculum is to ensure that all pupils are able to amass a sufficiently wide and extensive set of knowledge and skills so that they are suitably prepared both for the next steps of their education and to participate fully in the world in which they live. 

To remain safe now, and participate fully and safely in society in the future, we ensure that students are taught about safeguarding, including online safety in our curriculum. 

The safeguarding intent of our curriculum is explicitly implemented in Computing, Life Skills (lessons & tutorials) and Additional Tutorials. The teaching of safeguarding is carefully sequenced to build appropriate layers and structures of knowledge and skill so that pupils are able to retain and utlise their learning to be safe. 

Our preventative safeguarding curriculum is responsive to the needs of our pupils, based on what we hear and see. For instance, the introduction of learning about appropriate behaviour in a mixed sixth form (KS4 & 5); increased focus on sharing nudes/sexual imagery (Year 8, KS4 & 5); greater emphasis on vaping (all years); learning about misogyny and incels (Years 8 & 9); learning about controlling behaviour as a central feature of domestic abuse, in the light of the 2021 Domestic Abuse Act (Year 10 & 11).     

Examples: 

Year 7 start learning, in Computing in Term 1, about how to protect their identity online, and being aware of their digital footprint. This is supported by life skills tutorial activities on dealing with change, the pressure to be active online and how to get help. This is further reinforced by Life Skills lessons on growth mindset and how to be resilient to both work and social pressures, so risky behaviour is reduced. Year 7 are introduced, in tutorials, to healthy friendships as they meet new classmates.  In Term 2, this knowledge of online behaviour and healthy friendships is built upon in tutorial activities focused on online bullying. Further tutorial activities unite these concepts in work on online radicalisation. In Term 3 Year 7 are introduced to the dangers of smoking, vaping and alcohol in Life Skills lessons (which is revisited again in Year 8), and this is supported in tutorials by work on healthy coping strategies, revisiting Term 1 concepts. Further tutorial activities build on earlier work on online bullying by focusing on racism, all assisted by Safer Internet Day. In Term 4, Life Skills lessons address mental health, building on Term 1 work on having a growth mindset. Tutorial sessions build on this with work on self-image, but introduce new risks such as county lines, vaping and cyber-crime. In Term 5 Computing lessons focus on safe website design, while tutorial sessions connect this to online grooming, revisiting Term 1 work on online protection. Mental health is revisited again from Term 4. In Term 6 the self-image work from Term 4 is expanded to look at body image and identity. Also is Term 6, Year 7 are introduced to LGBTQ+.

Year 8 learn, in Term 1, about the risks of online grooming, and examine the difference between banter and discrimination. This leads onto Life Skills lessons on prejudice and discrimination, and to tutorial work on radicalisation, in Term 2. Term 3 has a focus on health and lifestyle choices, building on the work done in Year 7 Term 3. Term 4 sees work on gangs and county lines, extending the focus from Year 7 Term 4. In Term 5 Year 8 have a focus in Life Skills on the power and risks of age-appropriate social media, linking to the Term 1 work on grooming. In Term 6 we return to consent, sexual harassment and LGBTQ+.   

Year 9 are reminded of online safety in Term 1 through tutorials on fake news and transphobia.  They are introduced to relationships, consent, sex and STI’s in Life Skills lessons in Term 2, which is developed in Life Skills tutorials on the religious views of the body. This builds on Year 8 Term 5 tutorial work on images and sending nudes. Biology lessons in Term 2 enhance the STI work by looking at diseases and infections. The risks of online gaming are introduced in tutorials. Further work is done on gangs and county lines, first introduced in Year 7. In Term 3 the focus of Life Skills tutorials is on health, while additional tutorials consolidate previous work on online racism and mindfulness. Life skills lessons go into more detail about online hate. The work on health leads in Term 4 to a focus of Life Skills lessons on drugs. Tutorial sessions build on this with more work on county lines (as this is an important local focus) and the dangers of vaping.  More work is done on the risks of online relationships, first started in Term 2 of Year 8.  Term 5 Life Skills tutorials for Year 9 is a revisiting and consolidation of relationships, intimacy and harassment, first taught in Life Skills lessons in Term 2. Tutorial sessions are linked as the focus is on sexual harassment. Work on safer internet day from Term 3 is deepened by looking at social media and relationships. In Term 6 relationships and intimacy topics from Term 5 are developed by looking at consent, while the homophobia work from Term 4 is developed to look at the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month (June). 

Year 10 start their sequenced safeguarding curriculum by learning about self-image, relationships and sexual health, picking up the consent thread from the previous term. Term 2 sees a series of tutorials about online safety and risks, building to work on money laundering in Term 3. Term 4 sees Life Skills lessons on controlling relationships and domestic violence, with a focus on ‘age-gap’ relationships. This feeds into Terms 5 and 6 work on pregnancy, contraception, abortion and sex & the law.    

Year 11 are taught, in Term 1, about some of the topics we see as crucial in our local context, such as self-harm, drug use and eating disorders, all linked to mental health. They also build on Year 10 Term 6 work on diversity/LGBTQ+ by looking at homophobic bullying.  Term 2 extends earlier work on relationships and consent by focusing on sharing nudes and online dangers. The concept of vaping is returned to. This features in the programme for all years, given the incidence locally. Term 3 sees a deepening of work on gangs and exploitation, first looked at in Year 8 & 9 (in recognition of the importance of this issue locally), along with other key issues such as the online risks of pornography and gambling.  Term 4 sees work on appropriate behaviour in a mixed sixth form, with focus on sexual harassment, reflecting the transition our Year 11 students experience. In Term 5 the concept of anxiety and stress are taught. 

Year 12 learn about study skills and mental health in Term 1, and then focus on toxic friendships and sexual harassment issues in Term 2. This develops the work on appropriate behaviour in a mixed sixth form taught in Year 11. This is continued in Term 3 with additional focus on positive relationships and online behaviour.  Term 4 returns to issues of vaping, drugs and alcohol, and also sees the start of a series of ‘It’s Not OK’ activities about appropriate behaviours, which progresses into Term 5. This term also revisits radicalisation dangers and healthy relationships. Term 6 features further work on age-gap relationships, LGBTQ+ and consent.

Year 13 learn about the risks of stress in Term 1, while Term 2 sees crucial work on safe dating and catfishing, building on Year 12 learning. Term 3 brings a focus on alcohol, gambling peer pressure and money, all key risks beyond school. Term 4 revisits the risks of sharing nudes but also sees work on cooking, with a eye on post-18 life. Term 4 revisist work on budgeting to avoid financial risks and ending relationships, also with an eye on life after sixth form.  

The impact of this sequenced safeguarding curriculum will be seen through pupils amassing an extensive body of both knowledge and skills which enable them to be safe and make sensible choices throughout their lives. This is evidenced through a number of measures such as behaviour events, incidence of prejudiced behaviour and sexual harassment, risk concerns raised by staff, referrals to the local authority, and attendance rates. It is also apparent through the culture and lived experience of students and staff at the school, which are determined by our annual external safeguarding review, our bi-annual student interview process, our bi-annual student survey (of pupils and parents), and our annual staff survey.