PSHE, RSE and Citizenship
Personal, Social, Health Education
Relationships and Sex Education
Citizenship
| Curriculum Leader: | Miss C. Robinson |
Curriculum Intent
All students study PSHE, RSE and citizenship throughout their time at Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy. Each year group cover a variety of units under the headings of ‘Health and Well-Being’, ‘Relationships and Sex Education’, ‘Wider World’ and ‘Citizenship’. The PSHE curriculum follows the national statutory guidance and is tailored to the needs and context of our school community. By working with our local primary schools, we aim to build upon the foundations laid before students join us in Y7. Ongoing liaison with primary PSHE leads mean that we can tailor and adapt our curriculum to meet the needs of each new cohort. PSHE, RSE and Citizenship are rooted in the Christian value of love and aim to allow our young people to ‘seek wisdom’ and ‘live life in all its fullness’. Our curriculum aims to encourage all students to grow, develop and flourish, bravely and faithfully, into confident and positive citizens of the future, as individuals and as members of families and communities. It encourages and equips students with the knowledge and skills to make decisions that contribute to healthy and balanced lifestyles, positive relationships, economic well-being, the achievement of aspirations and their involvement and impact within the wider community.
In Y7, students begin our PSHE, RSE and Citizenship curriculum by exploring a Transition topic. This topic helps students to successfully transition to secondary school, be aware of where to go for help and advice, and be mindful of the key expectations of our school. This unit also covers key safety advice, such as internet safety and road safety. Due to the geography of our local area, in addition to the level of traffic incidents, Y7 watch an in-school drama performance on road safety which is coordinated by Lancashire County Council Road Safety Team. As mental health is something that has been highlighted as an issue for young people both nationally and locally (from our partner primary schools), we have also introduced a mental health talk for Y7 in the first half term to promote well-being and sign post students to further help and advice. Moving on from transition, Y7 go on to study a Relationships’ topic, building on knowledge and skills from primary school. This unit covers friendships, bullying and discrimination. This unit allows students to develop a deeper understanding of respectful relationships and explore the skills needed to foster positive and healthy relationships in their own lives. The third unit Y7 study is Puberty, which again builds on their knowledge from primary school and supports student well-being. As part of this health and well-being topic, Y7 also take part in first aid workshops. Next, Y7 go on to study a Careers’ topic, which focuses on aspirations, attitudes to learning, and transferable skills, such as teamwork. Y7 then return to Positive Relationships where they deepen their understanding of respectful relationships and explore more difficult topics in greater detail, such as unwanted touch and online grooming. Finally, Y7 go on to study Finance, focusing on spending, budgeting and saving. Y7 end the summer term taking part in sessions on Rail and Water Safety, which are both important due to our local context, summer weather and the impending summer holidays.
Y8 student start the autumn term with a unit on Drugs and Alcohol, also considering the influence of peer pressure. This unit gives students the information and knowledge on a variety of legal and illegal substances and the life skills to make wise choices. Next, Y8 move on to a more developed Relationships’ topic, where they build on their knowledge from Y7 exploring bullying, prejudice and discrimination. Y8 also receive a visit from the LGBTQ+ charity, Just Like Us who explore identity, diversity and inclusivity. The third topic Y8 study is a Mental Health and Well Being unit. This explores general well-being, but focuses predominantly on body image, self-esteem, social media and resilience. The unit encourages students to question what they see on social media, understand the link between self-esteem and body image, recognise unhealthy viewpoints and promote healthy attitudes towards body image. Y8 then go on to study a Careers’ topic. This topic encourages students to explore the wide range of careers available and to start thinking about their future options. This topic also encourages students to build transferable skills, such as communication. During the second half of Spring Term, Y8 students return to the topic of Relationships. During this topic they are introduced to the ‘sex education’ part of RSE. They are introduced to key concepts such as safe sex (including abstinence), STIs and contraception. However, the majority of this unit is focused on ‘consent’. This unit aims to give students the skills to understand the importance of consent and recognise whether consent is given. Y8 finish the year by investigating online safety in more depth, including online grooming and scams. Y8 will also revisit rail safety and water safety due to the risks in our local area.
Throughout the Year, Y8 take part in workshops delivered by our local Police Early Intervention Team. The first of these workshops is on sexting and is called Captured. The second workshop is on county lines and is called Crossing the Line. These workshops are invaluable to our students due to the statistics surrounding sexting nationally for this age group and also our geographic location which makes us a risk area for county lines’ operations. The workshops allow students to recognise the signs, dangers and risks, equips them with the knowledge and skills to make the right decisions and signposts them to help and advice.
Y9 follow a similar framework as they start the year with the health and well-being topic Alcohol and Drugs. They build on the knowledge acquired in Y8 and also explore the wider effects and linked issues of substance abuse, such as anti-social behaviour and knife crime. This unit equips students to make difficult decisions and signposts them to places for help and advice. In the second half of autumn term, Y9 move on to a Relationships’ topic. This topic explores different kinds of relationships - healthy and unhealthy relationships, including domestic abuse. This builds on work covered in Y7 and Y8 on respectful relationships. During this term, Lancashire Sexual Health Services deliver a presentation on the Four Cs – consent, communication, contraception and condoms, which builds on the work covered in Y8, equips students to make the best decisions for themselves and signposts students where to go for help and advice. The third unit Y9 study is a health and well-being topic on Healthy Lifestyles. This unit supports students in living healthy lives and to become more independent in looking after their health and well-being. During this half term, Y9 will also receive CPR training. This aims to build on the first aid content students studied in Y7 and equip them with an incredible life skill and hopefully, the confidence to use those skills if needed. In the second half of spring term, Y9 study a Careers unit. This topic encourages students to reflect on their skills and abilities and set targets for the future. It also encourages students to think about the different educational and career paths on option. Students are given the time to consider their own employability and digital footprint. In the summer term, Y9 return to relationships and sex education. During this term students have more time to explore key issues such as STIs, contraception and teen pregnancy. They are also reminded of the importance of consent and respect. Finally, Y9 complete a Finance topic, exploring wants and needs, budgeting and different financial products. This aims to help our young people successfully manage their money, both now and in the future. Y9 will also revisit Rail Safety and Water Safety due to the risks in our local area.
In Y10 students start the year by revisiting mental health and well-being. This aims to support their mental health, particularly as it is in this academic year that Y10 sit their first GCSE. This unit helps Y10 students to look after the mental well-being, recognise poor mental health and be able to utilise healthy well-being strategies. The second unit of study is Relationships. Y10 are reminded of the importance of consent and respect and are revisited by Lancashire Sexual Health. On the second visit, students will also receive a condom demonstration. Y10 will then explore the concepts of Revenge Porn and the Dangers of Pornography. Again, this unit aims to equip students with the wisdom to make the best choices. During the spring term, Y10 revisit Drugs and Alcohol in relation to real life scenarios. They are encouraged to develop the skills needed to assess risk, manage influence and seek help. The content is supported by workshops delivered by the Amy Winehouse Foundation. In the second half of spring Term, Y10 explore different career options and rights and responsibilities in the work place. This helps to prepare Y10 for the world of work, including work experience. Y10 then go on to study Communities, exploring concepts of British values and diversity. They also explore extremism and radicalisation, which is supported by a presentation from the Lancashire Prevent Team. This aims to foster responsible and active members of communities. Finally, Y10 finish the year with work on Finance. They explore credit and debit, savings, loans and interest rates. They also receive a visit from a gambling charity that advises them on the risks of both offline and online gambling.
Y11 follows a slightly different framework. The first unit they study is Coping with Change. This primarily addresses mental health and well-being, in order to support them during what can be a stressful year, and then goes on to equip them with the skills needed for a successful Y11, including revision techniques and time management skills. In the second half of autumn term, Y11 receive their final presentation from Lancashire Sexual Health. They are reminded of the key concepts within RSE, such as respect and consent, and cover more difficult topics such as rape and sexual harassment. Y11 are then given time to revise for the upcoming mock exams. In the spring term Y11 explore health, covering topics such as fertility and pregnancy and blood, stem cell and organ donation, which aims to equip students to be able to make decisions about their own health and well-being. Finally, Y11 study Independent Living which gives Y11 students a final opportunity (whilst at school) to consider their future options and pathways. It also informs students about a range of financial matters such as student loans, rent and mortgages, and council tax. This aims to give our students the best start to living more independently. Throughout year Y11, students also take part in workshops on domestic abuse delivered by local charity Key Charity who aim to give our students the understanding, skills and confidence to identify challenging behaviour in relationships and to know where to go for advice and support.
Our schemes of work are complimented by a range of outside agencies who come into school to deliver presentations and workshops. We work closely with Lancashire Police Early Intervention Team, Lancashire Fire Service Community Safety, Lancashire NHS, Lancashire Sexual Health Services, Lancashire Prevent Partnership and the Lancashire Road Safety Team who all visit school every year to deliver workshops to a range of year groups. Not only do we work closely with local services, but we also utilise the offers from local and national charities, which over recent years have included national LGBTQ+ charity, Just Like Us, local domestic abuse charity Key Charity, and national charity, The British Red Cross. Finally, we also invite a variety of Christian rooted projects into school to compliment our curriculum, for example Message Trust’s No More Knives’ campaign, or Respect Me, the national Christian RSE offer.
In addition to PSHE lessons, our students also take part in an additional citizenship session. These sessions follow national guidance, including work on British values, democracy, voting and elections, volunteering, and crime. These sessions are often also used alongside wider initiatives to recognise important dates such as Holocaust Memorial Day or Black History Month. These sessions aim to foster positive and active citizens of the future, who recognise British values and respect others.
The PSHE schemes of work have been developed to foster and promote students’ literacy, in particular their oracy, reading and writing. There is a literacy starter at the start of every KS3 PSHE lesson, designed to boost vocabulary. There is a reading activity in both KS3 and KS4 lessons, and teachers are encouraged to use a variety of reading strategies with their class. There is also an optional writing activity within most lessons. Moreover, staff are encouraged to use Stand and Speak and other oracy techniques in PSHE lessons. The lessons and activities are structured, adaptable and varied, giving staff (and students) the tools to improve literacy and promote progress in their lessons. Lessons also have options for differentiation, including stretch and challenge. The PSHE lead, along with teachers of PSHE, work with the SENCO to ensure lessons are accessible to all. Such collaboration ensures that all students can access the curriculum, be engaged and be challenged by its content.
Assessment in PSHE takes a variety or forms, although there is no formal assessment. Students are encouraged to self-assess, self-reflect and peer-assess and teachers check progress throughout each lesson. Quality assurance, including student voice surveys, book scrutinies and learning walks allow progress to be measured. The feedback from quality assurance procedures influences future planning. Such reflection ensures that we meet the needs of all of our students.
The subject lead for PSHE regularly attends CPD and training to further enhance the role of the subject in school. CPD courses are also frequently shared with staff who may be interested in attending. The PSHE lead has also delivered whole school CPD to ensure all staff are well-equipped and confident at delivering the PSHE curriculum.
PSHE, RSE and citizenship are subjects that greatly contribute to the achievement of students’ aspirations, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to go on to further study or the workplace. These subjects help to enable young people to flourish into well-rounded citizens, who can play an active role in society.
Curriculum Implementation
PSHE, RSE and citizenship are delivered to all year groups in an age-appropriate and sensitive manner. Whilst the context of our school influences the curriculum we deliver, the topics we cover also follow national guidance. Most topics are visited a number of times throughout a pupil’s school life. Visits from external agencies provides a depth and breadth of coverage that is invaluable and we encourage external visitors or external visits whenever possible.
PSHE, RSE and citizenship are taught through weekly lessons, sessions and workshops, during extended form times, and are embedded throughout the wider curriculum.
The topics covered are:
PSHE
• Health and Well Being
• Mental Well Being
• Internet Safety and Harms
• Physical Fitness and Health
• Healthy Eating
• Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco
• Health and Prevention
• Basic First Aid
• The Changing Adolescent Body
Relationships and Sex Education
• Families
• Respectful Relationships and Friendships
• Online and Media
• Being Safe
• Intimate and Sexual Relationships (Including Sexual Health)
Wider World/ Citizenship
• Democracy, Government, Rights and Responsibilities
• The British Political System and Democracy
• Other Political Systems
• The Electoral System
• The Liberties of the citizens in UK
• Diversity in the UK
• The British Justice System
• Public Institutions and Voluntary Organizations
• Local, Regional and International Governance including the Commonwealth,
Citizenship
the United Nations and the Wider World.
• Human Rights and International Law
• Money Matters
Curriculum Impact
PSHE and RSE at Bishop Rawstorne are implemented in a way that allows students to discuss challenging material sensitively and allows our young people to grow and develop as individuals, as members of families, and as members of social communities. They are subjects that we regard as invaluable as they equip our students with the knowledge, understanding, attitudes and practical skills to live healthy, safe, productive, fulfilled, capable and responsible lives. PSHE education enables our students to reflect on and clarify their own values and attitudes, and explore the complex and sometimes conflicting range of values and attitudes they encounter now and in the future.
Citizenship allows students to consider how we live together in our communities and about how we ‘get on' locally, nationally and globally. It is about ensuring that everyone has the knowledge and skills to understand, engage with and challenge the main pillars of our democratic society - politics, the economy and the law. Our aim through citizenship is to develop well-informed, educated citizens with the confidence and appetite to take part in society; to question injustice and to drive change. In essence, the best way to guarantee a brighter future for all is to create a society in which we all understand our rights and responsibilities and in which everyone is equipped, and ready, to play an active part.
We measure impact and progress in several different ways, for example through self and peer assessment, student voice, staff feedback, feedback from external visitors and ultimately, the behaviour and well-being of our young people during their time in school.
Careers and Progression
PSHE, RSE and citizenship are subjects that greatly contribute to the achievement of students’ aspirations, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to go on to further study or the workplace. These subjects help to enable young people to flourish into well-rounded citizens, who can play an active role in society.
Programmes of Study: PSHE
