PSHE
Our vision
Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is an important and necessary part of all pupils’ education. Our curriculum is tailored to reflect the needs of our pupils, and aims to equip pupils with a sound understanding of risk and with the knowledge and skills necessary to make safe and informed decisions. Our PSHE curriculum builds, where appropriate, on the statutory content already outlined in the national curriculum, the basic school curriculum and in statutory guidance on: drug education, financial education, sex and relationship education (SRE) and the importance of physical activity and diet for a healthy lifestyle.
We summarise the purpose of our PSHE curriculum as:
- To build on knowledge and understanding, skills, attributes and values they have acquired and developed during the primary phase
- To acknowledge and address the changes that young people experience, beginning with transition to secondary schools, the challenge of adolescence and their increasing independence
- To enable students to build knowledge and skills which will equip them for the opportunities and challenge of life
- To allow students to learn to manage diverse relationships, their online lives, and the increasing influence of peers and the media
Delivery
Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) will be delivered as part of the timetabled curriculum, as well as through additional drop-down days and tutor time programmes.
The curriculum is divided into three core golden threads:
- Health and Wellbeing
- Relationships and Sex Education
- Living in the Wider World
All aspects of PSHE will be taught as a spiral programme which includes the recurrence of these themes and topics within them as a student progresses through Orsett Heath Academy. With each delivery of the theme, the level of demand increases and learning is progressively deepened.
The topics we cover combine those provided by the PSHE Association as well as ones which meet the more specific and contextual needs of our pupils. The programme is reviewed regularly to ensure that we respond to any changing need among our pupils.
Relationships and Sex Education
Relationships and sex education (RSE) is an important part of PSHE education. From September 2020, all secondary schools became required to teach Relationships and sex education (RSE).
The majority of the RSE curriculum will be delivered through PSHE curriculum time at Orsett Heath Academy, with statutory elements also taught via the Science curriculum. All teaching of RSE will take place in a safe learning environment and be underpinned by our school ethos and values. A variety of opportunities will be provided for pupils to ask questions to further their understanding and to find out more about what affects them personally.
This part of the PSHE curriculum aims to give young people the information they need to help them to develop healthy, nurturing relationships of all kinds. At the appropriate time, the focus will incorporate intimate relationships and sex to equip young people with the knowledge they need to make safe, informed and healthy choices as they progress into adulthood.
Parental Involvement
A parent consultation was held in March 2021 to introduce parents to the PSHE and RSE curriculum and to ensure all had the opportunity to review the draft policy and the statutory content of the RSE programme. The draft policy also contained important information for parents who wished to withdraw their children from sex education classes.
We will continue to annually ask parents and carers what topics they believe are currently most important for students to be learning about, and will continue to adapt our curriculum offer to fit these results and analysis.
For more information about the PSHE programme of study, please see our PSHE and RSE Policy
The PSHE Curriculum is also outlined on our Personal Development Journey
We would also direct parents to the following resources:
Further Resources for Parents
Bodyform – Explaining Puberty to your Daughter
