Subject Overview

PSHCE is taught to all year groups: once a fortnight at KS3, twice per fortnight at KS4 and to the sixth form through the mentor time programme. Students cover the areas of citizenship (including democracy, government, how laws are made and fundamental British values) , personal health and wellbeing, relationships and sex education, financial capability and economic wellbeing.

The main topics covered include:

Year 7: Road safety, respect (both on and offline), healthy relationships, my body (including puberty, menstruation and boy image), and changing families.

Year 8: Crime and the law (including financial crime), Real Love Rocks and UK politics.

Year 9: Drugs education, relationships and sex education, and diversity and community.

Year 10: My health, money matters, careers and applications, and digital literacty.

Year 11: Mental and emotional health, careers and post-16 choices, respect and relationships, and my body (including self-examination and sexual health).

Curriculum Intent: PSHCE

At Oriel High School, PSHCE stands for Personal, Social, Health, Citizenship and Economic education.

Relationships and Sex Education

The aim of RSE is to give young people the information they need to help them develop healthy, nurturing relationships of all kinds, not just intimate relationships. It should enable them to know what a healthy relationship looks like and what makes a good friend, a good colleague and a successful marriage or other type of committed relationship. It should also cover contraception, developing intimate relationships and resisting pressure to have sex (and not applying pressure). It should teach what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in relationships. This will help pupils understand the positive effects that good relationships have on their mental wellbeing, identify when relationships are not right and understand how such situations can be managed.

Pupils should understand the benefits of healthy relationships to their mental wellbeing and self-respect. Through gaining the knowledge of what a healthy relationship is like, they can be empowered to identify when relationships are unhealthy. They should be taught that unhealthy relationships can have a lasting, negative impact on mental wellbeing. 

Pupils should be taught the facts and the law about sex, sexuality, sexual health and gender identity in an age-appropriate and inclusive way. All pupils should feel that the content is relevant to them and their developing sexuality. Sexual orientation and gender identity should be explored at a timely point and in an integrated, clear, sensitive and respectful manner.

Pupils should be well informed about the full range of perspectives and, within the law, should be well equipped to make decisions for themselves about how to live their own lives, whilst respecting the right of others to make their own decisions and hold their own beliefs. Key aspects of the law relating to sex which should be taught include the age of consent, what consent is and is not, the definitions and recognition of rape, sexual assault and harassment, and choices permitted by the law around pregnancy. 

Grooming, sexual exploitation and domestic abuse, including coercive and controlling behaviour, should also be addressed sensitively and clearly. Pupils will be made aware of the physical and emotional damage caused by female genital mutilation (FGM). They should also be taught where to find support and that it is a criminal offence to perform or assist in the performance of FGM or fail to protect a person for whom you are responsible from FGM. As well as addressing this in the context of the law, pupils may also need support to recognise when relationships (including family relationships) are unhealthy or abusive (including the unacceptability of neglect, emotional, sexual and physical abuse and violence, including honour-based violence and forced marriage) and strategies to manage this or access support for oneself or others at risk. Internet safety should also be addressed. Pupils should be taught the rules and principles for keeping safe online. This will include how to recognise risks, harmful content and contact, and how and to whom to report issues. Pupils should have a strong understanding of how data is generated, collected, shared and used online, for example, how personal data is captured on social media or understanding the way that businesses may exploit the data available to them.

Health and Wellbeing Education

Health and wellbeing education should be a focus on enabling pupils to make well-informed, positive choices for themselves. Teaching should enable pupils to understand how their bodies are changing, how they are feeling and why, to further develop the language that they use to talk about their bodies, health and emotions and to understand why terms associated with mental and physical health difficulties should not be used pejoratively. This knowledge should enable pupils to understand where normal variations in emotions and physical complaints end and health and wellbeing issues begin. Emphasis should continue to be given to steps pupils can take to protect and support their own health and wellbeing. They should know that there is a relationship between good physical health and good mental wellbeing and that this can also influence their ability to learn. Teachers should cover self-care, the benefits of physical activity and time spent outdoors. This should be linked to information on the benefits of sufficient sleep, good nutrition and strategies for building resilience.

Pupils should also be taught about problems and challenges. This should include factual information about the prevalence and characteristics of more serious mental and physical health conditions, drugs, alcohol and information about effective interventions. Pupils should be taught how to judge when they, or someone they know, needs support and where they can seek help if they have concerns. This should include details on which adults in school (e.g. school nurses), and externally can help.

Economic Education

Economic education focusses on helping young people to understand aspects of money-management and financial security which will be vital to them throughout their lives, including budgeting, savings, how credit cards and borrowing works, taxes and payslips, and gambling, as well as how to protect themselves from online scam and phishing. This knowledge should help students to prepare pupils to manage their finances in the future and to help them to keep their money safe.

Pupils will be given the opportunity to understand their feelings about money and financial decisions and will consider how financial security can affect future health and relationships.

At Key Stage Four, pupils will also receive advice and education about careers, as part of their economic education.

Curriculum Guidance

National Curriculum guidance was published by Department for Education making both relationships and sex education and health education statutory for all secondary schools in the UK from September 2020. Please see the document below if you would like to read the parent/carer guide published by the Department for Education:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-sex-and-health-education-guides-for-schools

If you have any questions regarding the planning or delivery of any aspect of the PSHCE course, about the statutory requirements, or would like to see sample resources used to deliver a particular topic, please do not hesitate to get in touch at the following email address: PSHCEParents@oriel.w-sussex.sch.uk