PSHE 

Knowledge, skills and mastery

PSHCE is taught as a spiral curriculum, which is fully inclusive and responsive to the needs of our school community and local issues.  PSHCE is delivered by tutors for five hours each term on a collapsed whole school rolling timetable. It is delivered by enthusiastic tutors as part of a broader whole-school approach to personal and social development, including CEIAG. 

This spiral delivery method ensures that knowledge and skills are revisited regularly, for maximum impact.  We give pupils access to big ideas and conversations, alongside practical experiences. At the heart of this, we encourage respect and understanding of the Protected Characteristics.  Pupils are given opportunities to explore and challenge a range of values, attitudes, beliefs, rights and responsibilities. This enables pupils to engage in healthy and lively debate, present reasoned arguments and to respectfully question ideas and issues. The schemes of work also include opportunities which link to British Values, Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) and key skills into the curriculum.

Literacy and numeracy

Debate and discussion is at the heart of PSHCE lessons at Abbey Park School, with reading and writing also playing a key part in lessons, developing the skills of literacy and communication for all pupils.  Pupils will learn and explore key topical knowledge, learn how to use appropriate language and explore contextual meanings in order to understand PSHCE and to use across the wider curriculum.  Through our sequenced and carefully planned curriculum we aim to develop pupil’s understanding of global citizenship and ultimately enrich their cultural capital, linking their learning to the world around them when forming of opinion and sharing ideas.  Many lessons reference local, national or international data and statistics where needed to emphasise and exemplify points to give context to current issues.

Entitlement and engagement

The PSHCE delivery model is school-wide. We aim to promote the whole school ethos of a ‘spirit of adventure’ through the range of enquiry questions and learning opportunities we provide. Offering a diverse range of topical, current and stimulating learning opportunities.  Our PSHCE school curriculum focuses on three core learning themes: health and wellbeing, relationships and living in the wider world, following the PSHCE Association thematic model. This ensures our pupils are guided through their learning journey as they grow and develop, their PSHCE content develops with them, in an age-appropriate and sensitive way.

Regular retrieval tasks are included throughout KS3 and KS4 lessons, providing opportunities to recap learning from previous topics, and providing spiral next steps in knowledge.  All PSHCE lessons are delivered by a tutor in tutor bases. Tutors are in a position to actively promote key messages relating to safety, safeguarding and inclusion in a supportive and nurturing way, reinforcing the link between the academic and pastoral elements of the curriculum content.

Aspiration and wellbeing

Through a sequenced and carefully planned PSHCE programme, we aim to encourage high aspirations so as to maximise progress and to enable all pupils to experience the joy of success. Our aims for PSHCE also reflect the PSHE Association syllabus which is to equip pupils to live healthy, safe, productive, capable, responsible and well-balanced lives through core themes of health and wellbeing, relationships and living in the wider world.

PSHCE teaches skills for life. It seeks to ensure pupils are prepared for life now and also for their next steps, whether that’s moving into further education, employment or training. PSHCE education not only contributes to this, but data from the PSHCE Association has linked PSHCE to improved academic performance overall, particularly for the most disadvantaged. 

We do not formally assess skills in PSHCE as we aim for the outcomes of the PSHCE programme to equip our pupils with life skills. We uphold and reflect on each of our Abbey Park Proud learner behaviours regularly in lessons and at the end of each term books are marked against this standard using grids to track engagement and outcomes in lessons.  Within lessons pupils are prompted to be reflective and staff facilitate this within the lessons, as well as setting of challenge questions to extend pupils ideas and perception of issues raised within the curricula.  We build and develop schema within our scheme of work and promote an enquiry approach, questioning the world we live in and giving opportunities to explore different perspectives in preparation for them becoming active global citizens.  We keep British Values and SMSC at the heart of what we do as well as the Protected Characteristics. We are fully inclusive and this supports the school ethos of ‘potential into performance’.

Community, respect and enrichment

PSHCE lessons are planned by the Head of PSHCE, with effective implementation and delivery by tutors who feel confident and qualified to teach PSHCE education and are aware of the ‘bigger picture’ PSHCE has for our pupil’s wellbeing. This collective offer ensures that we are able to deliver current, high quality lessons which are carefully planned within short, medium- and long-term planning of the curriculum, guaranteeing we are developing tomorrow’s leaders and responsible citizens.  We work closely with the local police, who visit annually to deliver key messages during PSHCE lessons. We actively liaise with other external visitors and groups to ensure our curriculum offer is adapted to the needs of our pupils.

All tutors have received whole school CPD provided by the Head of PSHCE during Inset.  This is in conjunction with whole school teaching initiatives such a Rosenshein, ensuring they are developing key skills, knowledge, careers and cultural capital opportunities with their pupils. We have one member of staff who has conducted additional CPD specifically on the Holocaust which has enriched not only our PSHCE offer but also within the Humanities department.  Heads of Key Stage are involved in the delivery of assemblies relating to current national or local issues and reflects the content covered within the tutor time programme.  They also highlight areas of specific wellbeing focus for us to implement whole school initiatives where necessary.  Echoing our responsive curriculum offer.

Our learning journey across both Key Stages are carefully considered to validate they are broad and balanced, promoting tolerance, cultural diversity as well as being spiralised, evolving the skills and attributes needed in order for Abbey Park pupils to be successful.