PSHE

PSHE is personal, social, health and economic education. Academic and vocational subjects prepare students for their careers beyond high school. PSHE teaches them how to manage all the other aspects of their lives: diet, exercise, sleep, mental health and emotional wellbeing, relationships and finances.

The link below outlines the Government guidance on PSHE:

Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

At Aylsham High School we are developing a programme based around three key themes: ‘relationships’, ‘health and wellbeing’ and ‘living in the wider world’. The programme is delivered to students in several ways:

• Within other subjects as part of their schemes of work, delivered within lessons by subject teachers. For example, reproduction in science, health, diet and exercise in PE and food tech, budgeting and personal finance in enterprise and online safety in computing.
• Weekly in tutor time ‘life skills’ sessions. Learning objectives are taught in age-appropriate sessions that are suited to our vertical tutor groups. These sessions are delivered and overseen by form tutors.

• Age-specific content is delivered in timetabled RSHE (relationship, sex and health education) sessions within the school day throughout the year. These lessons are taught by dedicated staff in regular class groups. Each year group receives 5-7 hours of age-appropriate RSHE per year. (Please scroll down to open the RSHE Sept 2023 document).  Additional 'drop down' sessions take place as occasional off-timetable sessions in large groups. These sessions may include first aid, road safety, drug and alcohol awareness, anti-bullying and crime prevention.

RSHE 

PSHE includes RSHE which is relationships, sex and health education.

• RSHE is statutory (required) in secondary schools in the UK
• Health education is statutory in all UK state-funded schools.

Our RSHE programme aims to deliver the compulsory subject content in an age appropriate and developmentally appropriate way, with respect to the backgrounds and beliefs of pupils and parents while always with the aim of providing pupils with the knowledge they need of the law, and an understanding of how to keep themselves and each other safe and happy within all their relationships.

Our RSHE programme seeks to assist our students to understand human sexuality and is taught with an emphasis on respect for oneself and respect for others. We aim to convey to students that adult intimate relationships should be built on the principles of honesty, communication and consent. 

Sex education and human reproduction is covered in the science curriculum and within RSHE. The school has an RSHE policy; this can be found on the school website under the ‘About AHS’ heading and the ‘policies and documents’ section or you can click on this link Policies & Documents - Aylsham High School.

The statutory framework for the teaching of RSHE in UK schools was updated in 2019 and the new guidance for the teaching of RSHE framework came into effect in September 2020. The link below outlines the Government’s statutory guidance on RSHE which all schools must follow:

Relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) and health education - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Right of withdrawal

Parents are reminded of their right to withdraw students from sex education that is delivered as part of the RSHE programme. Appropriate alternative arrangements will be made in such circumstances.

(Parents may not withdraw students from sex education and human reproduction that is delivered as part of the science curriculum.)

CITIZENSHIP

Like PSHE, citizenship is taught across the curriculum. Students gain knowledge and understanding about becoming informed citizens and develop their skills of enquiry, communication, participation and responsible action. Themes covered include:

• democracy, UK government and parliament,
• the legal system in the UK,
• human rights and international law,
• the diversity of UK cultural, regional, religious and ethnic identities
• being part of a community

The link below outlines the Government’s statutory guidance on citizenship education in schools:

National Curriculum - Citizenship key stages 3 and 4 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

The school also offers opportunities for involvement in active citizenship initiatives.  These initiatives include the Friendly Face scheme, Diversity Club, student involvement with the Aylsham Food Festival and the Aylsham Show, charity events, eco warriors, school council and attendance at European conferences and other similar events.  We also promote global citizenship within the school through inviting the local community group Aylsham Worldwide in to school to deliver talks and raise awareness of issues in developing countries. 

Assemblies

Many of the central themes followed in the PSHE and citizenship programmes are reinforced during our assemblies. The assemblies are often timed to coincide with national and international events such as Black History Month, International Women’s day, Schools’ Pride Week and Holocaust Memorial day.

PSHE year group days for 2023-24

As in previous years some PSHE topics will be covered via off-timetable drop down days.  This year statutory PSHE will mostly be covered in timetabled lessons, rather than one off days.  All students will be notified by their teachers when these sessions will be taking place and information will also be sent out via our weekly bulletin.

PSHE taught in tutor time as part of 'Life Skills'

At Aylsham High School much of the PSHE curriculum is taught during tutor time in weekly life skills lessons. Because we have vertical tutoring, the content is appropriate for all year groups, and is taught over a 5 year programme. Key themes of ‘health and wellbeing’, ‘relationships’ and ‘living in the wider world’ are taught as part of a spiral curriculum; prior learning is revisited each year and new learning is introduced alongside existing knowledge.

Please see attached document below (Life skills 5 year plan Jan 2023) which contains details of subjects studied each term and year.