PSHE Lead: Ms S Blackburn

Curriculum Intent: Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE)

At The Brakenhale School, our Life Skills curriculum focuses on supporting the students, allowing them to become more confident, respectful and responsible citizens who are well-prepared for life beyond school. Rooted in our core values of Aim High, Be Kind and Take Responsibility, the curriculum goes beyond academic success to equip students with the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to become successful, independent adults and to thrive in their future lives. 

Across Key Stages 3 and 4, students experience a carefully sequenced and progressive programme that develops knowledge and skills in three key areas: relationships including consent, digital citizenship and healthy connections, health and wellbeing including mental resilience, and emotional intelligence, and living in the wider world - equipping students with financial literacy, career aspirations and understanding their role in society. We go beyond statutory requirements to ensure our content is contextually responsive. By analysing local safeguarding data and community trends, we adapt our teaching to address the specific risks and opportunities our students face. We provide them with a safe space in our classrooms with a high-challenge, disruption-free environment where students are encouraged to develop their critical thinking skills, enabling students to interrogate perspectives and advocate for themselves. 

Our Life Skills curriculum actively promotes equality, diversity and inclusion and dismantles stereotypes and celebrates diversity, ensuring every student sees their own identity, alongside a clear understanding of fundamental British values preparing them for life in modern Britain and the wider world.

Safeguarding underpins all aspects of our provision. Students learn how to recognise and respond to risk, including in relation to relationships, health and the online world, and are equipped with the knowledge and skills to stay safe.

Our overarching goal is that students depart Brakenhale as resilient, informed and empathetic young adults capable of making healthy choices and contributing meaningfully to modern society.

PSHE lessons are delivered by a specific team of teachers who have regular training sessions and subject mastery sessions to ensure students are getting clear messages.

PSHE education helps students to:

• Value everyone as a unique human being.
• Understand and respect different faiths and cultures.
• Develop a sense of belonging and community (local, regional, national and global).
• Learn about the British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect.
• Know the difference between right and wrong, and empower them to make good judgements.
• Feel happiness, pride, forgiveness and responsibility.
• Develop curiosity, creativity and resilience.

Our PSHE provision incorporates both PSHE, Citizenship and Careers/Character Education and includes subjects such as:

• Alcohol, smoking and drugs
• Personal health
• Bullying – including sexual harassment
• Citizenship, democracy and human rights
• Careers and the world of work
• Personal finance
• Family and relationships
• Identity 
• Sex Education 

Under Department for Education statutory guidance, parents and carers have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from the non-statutory Sex Education components of Relationships and Sex Education (RSE). There is no right to withdraw pupils from statutory Relationships Education, Health Education, or statutory National Curriculum Science. Requests to withdraw must be made in writing to the Headteacher. Statutory guidance requires the Headteacher to meet with parents/carers to discuss the request before a decision is made.