PSHE

Key Contacts:  Jackie Brighouse jackie.brighouse@gryphon.dorset.sch.uk

PSHRE is taught in tutor groups throughout Years 7-11. The sessions are led by tutors but often involve input from a range of speakers from services such as the police, fire service, NHS and universities. It links closely to our wider careers work in school. More information about careers can be found here.  Year 8 and 9 students also receive one hour per fortnight of timetabled PSHE lessons.

PSHE covers a wide range of topics from personal safety to future plans. It gives students a chance to explore a broad range of issues in a secure environment and to acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to manage their lives. Much of PSHE is about students having the knowledge to make informed choices, to ask questions and to be able to be responsible for their future choices in life.

The topics covered during PSHE include:

Year 7

Friendship, change and settling into school

• Introduction to PSHE, Setting expectations & ground rules for discussions. Introductions, meeting new people
• ‘Respect me, respect you’ Introduction to the schools values on respect, equality, respecting others, self-respect and aspirations
• Healthy friendships – what do they look like? How do we make sure our friendships are healthy?
• Managing & coping with changes

Online safety 1

• Digital footprint, online gaming & gambling in online games
• Cyberbullying, what it looks like, how to report & get help
• Online harassment including sexual harassment

Introductions to careers

• What does the term career mean? Exploring different job roles, aspirations
• Decision making, changes in the future job market, thinking about the future
• Introduction to careers pilot – where to get advice and guidance about careers.

Personal safety and smoking

• Understanding and assessing risk
• Sun safety
• Smoking – harms from smoking tobacco (particularly the link to lung cancer), the benefits of quitting and how to access support to do so, vaping
• Road Safety

Puberty (lessons produced by NHS Dorset)

• What is puberty, causes of puberty Changes in puberty
• Keeping yourself healthy in puberty – menstruation, hygiene, sleep, emotional health

Being healthy

• A balanced diet – impact on health
• Exercise & well being
• Vaccines, hygiene, mental health
• Dental health

Year 8

Online Safety 2

• Trust in relationships
• Choosing what to post online
• Digital literacy – understanding what we see online, bias, echo chambers, filter bubbles etc.
• Social media – risks, harms, things to know.  How to report content online & where to seek help

First Aid

• Introduction to first Aid & it’s importance
• DRABC & CPR
• Treating basic injuries – cuts, burns, choking etc.

Managing relationships

• Types of relationships, what makes a positive & healthy relationship
• The role that communication plays in relationships, introduction to consent
• Aggressive, vs assertive vs passive, coercive control, exploitation

Citizenship: Community and anti-social behaviour

• What makes a community? What do we like about our community?
• What would our idea communities look like?
• Democracy & decision making
• Anti-social behaviour – what it is, consequences, where to get help

Self-esteem

• Body image in a digital world
• Sexting & exploitation
• Raising self-esteem & mental wellbeing

Careers

• The real game: Aspirations
• The real game; Job roles, opportunities, conditions & pay
• The real game: budgeting

Year 9

Drugs and alcohol awareness

• Types of drugs, risks, energy drinks, vaping
• Drugs & the law, legal highs
• Drugs & alcohol first aid

Stereotypes

• What is prejudice & discrimination, protected characteristics, how to help if you see discrimination/where to seek support
• Gender stereotyping
• Equality vs equity
• Racism

Careers: GCSE Options

• Making choices – what to consider  Aspirations & future educational plans (post 16)
• Support & guidance on making GCSE choices

Contraception, STIs & self-examination

• Contraception part 1: Sexual Consent and the Law, importance of communication
• Contraception part 2: Types of contraception, efficacy rates
• Sexual health – STIs, symptoms & support
• Health & self-examination

Healthy relationships & consent

• What makes a good relationship? Characteristics of a healthy relationship.
• Love or control – behaviours in relationships. Recognising coercion.
• Consent, physical, verbal, the law

Setting goals & Raising aspirations

• Aspirations – post 18 goals.
• Apprenticeships, T-levels, A-levels
• What is university – why do people go/not go?
• Independent living – what will you need to know to live away from home?

Year 10

Sleep & mental health

• The importance of sleep & effects on physical and mental health
• What is mental health, why is it important, resilience
• Looking after our metal health, stigma, where to find help

Economic wellbeing & independent living

• Cost of living & budgeting
• Tax/National Insurance, Savings
• Credit/debit cards, Mortgages,
• Loans, APR, University finance
• Bills, unexpected costs, online payments (gaming)

Financial capability and Gambling

• What is gambling, why is it an issue?
• Gambling & risks
• Seeking help with finances/gambling

Types of relationships

• Different types of relationships & the challenges that might be faced e.g. long distance
• Sexual health recap, setting boundaries in relationships, communication
• Relationships in the media vs reality, pornography

Families and parenting

• Types of families, changing family patterns, pregnancy, fertility rates, what makes a good parent
• Domestic abuse – facts and information
• Domestic abuse – signs to look for and where to seek help

Careers: post 16 options

• Re-cap on post 16 options and post 18 options, have plans changed?
• Talk from Careers advisor with updated information on apprenticeships, T-levels, A-levels etc.
• Interview skills

Year 11

Mental health

• Physical & mental health, recaps, building on positive mental health, where to seek help.
• Positive thinking, self-esteem, social media
• Facing the challenges of Year 11, exams, coursework, pressure, stress.

Careers: Post 16 options part 2: Personal statements and CVs

• Writing a personal statement/covering letter
• Writing a CV, advice & practise
• Talk from careers advisor – open days, deadlines, apprenticeship timelines, seeking help.

Safe relationships & the law

• Relationships & risk, healthy relationships, Sexual exploitation & abuse
• Sexual harassment – what it looks like, the law.
• Coercive control, forced marriage, FGM

Resilience

• What is resilience, why is it important? Why might you need it over the next few months?
• Academic resilience, setting yourself up for success
• 1:1 tutor support
• Preparing for exams
• Revision – planning for success & protecting our mental health
• Keeping healthy – physical health, avoiding things that have a negative impact on physical & mental health
• 1:1 tutor support

A detailed PSHE curriculum overview can be downloaded here:

Gryphon PSHE CurriculumDownload