PSHE

Curriculum Intent

In PSHE education we aim to ensure that our students are in the position to make sensible choices when faced by difficult real-world situations and understand that through a thorough and enriched PSHE curriculum their academic achievement will also benefit from being a more resilient and well-rounded person. 

Personal, Social, Healthcare, Economic Education develops the knowledge, skills and attributes all pupils need: from mental health and wellbeing to understanding the importance of staying safe online, healthy and safe relationships, making sense of media messages, challenging extreme views and having the skills and attributes to negotiate a potentially volatile labour market.  

OPGS follows the PSHE Association programme of study which covers three core themes – ‘health and wellbeing’, ‘relationships’ and ‘living in the wider world’ from the foundation years up to A level. PSHE has a spiral curriculum, enabling students to build a greater depth of knowledge and understanding throughout their time at OPGS. 

Our enrichment programme provides students with the opportunity to engage with speakers from the wider community to improve their own health and wellbeing. Each year group has visits from key organisations such as Kent Police and Fire Service, sexual health advice from the NHS and Metro Charity, as well as Drugs, Alcohol and Mental Health support from the Kenward Trust, Alcoholics Anonymous, Hope not Hate, Mind and Beyond Equality, also all provide an invaluable service to the students of OPGS.

Foundation Years: Year 7 and 8

Year 7

Transition and Safety 

  • Transition to secondary school 
  • Maintaining friendships 
  • Growth Mindset 
  • Emergency Situations 
  • Managing Personal Safety 

Developing Skills and Aspirations 

  • Skills and Employment types 
  • Career progression (inc. Challenging stereotypes) 
  • Your career aspirations 

Diversity 

  • Rights and responsibilities  
  • Stereotypes and Prejudice 
  • Bullying 
  • Internet safety and Risks online 

Health and Puberty 

  • Diet and Exercise 
  • Healthy choices / managing negative influences  
  • Alcohol, Tobacco, The Law 
  • Peer Pressure  
  • Puberty,  
  • CSE 
  • FGM 
  • Being responsible for your body 

Building Relationships 

  • Different Types of Relationships 
  • Positive relationships 
  • Conflict resolution  
  • Real Life Relationships 
  • Self esteem 
  • Romantic Relationships 
  • Family life 

Economic wellbeing 

  • Needs and Wants 
  • Consumer Rights 
  • Ethical Decisions 
  • Spending, saving and budgeting 

Year 8

Health and Wellbeing: 

  • Self-esteem 
  • Body Image 
  • Mental Health 
  • Resilience 
  • Drugs and Alcohol 

Community and Careers: 

  • Civil Responsibilities 
  • Democracy  
  • Government 
  • MPs 
  • Laws 

Discrimination: 

  • Rights in the UK 
  • Challenging Rights 
  • Discrimination 
  • Discrimination and Intolerance 
  • Migration 
  • Group Think 
  • Standing Up 

Relationships: 

  • Recognising Emotions 
  • Partners 
  • Family/ Friend 
  • Relationships 
  • Sex in the Media 
  • Sexual Orientation 
  •  Consent 

Sex Education: 

  • Contraception 
  • Sexual Health 
  • Teenage Pregnancy 

Digital Literacy: 

  • E-Safety 
  • Cyber Bullying 
  • Grooming 
  • Consumer Rights 
  • Advertising 
  • Financial Decisions 
  • Bank Accounts 

Keystone Year: Year 9

Peer influence, substance use and gangs: 

  • Peer Pressure 
  • Gangs 
  • Knife Crime 
  • Risks 
  • Impact of Drugs 
  • Addiction 

Respectful Relationships: 

  • Family Conflicts 
  • Conflict Resolution 
  • Homelessness 

Healthy Lifestyles: 

  • Work-Life Balance 
  • Eating Habits 
  • Eating Disorders 

Intimate Relationships: 

  • Equality Act 
  • Trans stereotyping 
  • LGBT 
  • Pressures of Sex 
  • Unplanned Pregnancy 
  • Sharing explicit images 

Intimate Relationships: 

  • Equality Act 
  • Trans stereotyping 
  • LGBT 
  • Pressures of Sex 
  • Unplanned Pregnancy 
  • Sharing explicit images 

Employability skills: 

  • Skills 
  • Enterprising 

GCSE: Years 10 and 11

Year 10

Healthy Lifestyles: 

  • Mental Health 

Economic Wellbeing: 

  • Gambling 

Relationships: 

  • Pornography and Sexting 

Healthy Lifestyles: 

  • Role Models 

Healthy Lifestyles: 

  • Extremism 

Healthy Relationships: 

  • Modern Families 

Year 11

Healthy Lifestyles: 

  • Stress 

Relationships: 

  • Abuse 

Healthy Lifestyles: 

  • Cancer 

Relationships: 

  • Fertility and Abortion 

A Level: Years 12 and 13

Year 12

Health and Wellbeing:  

Mental Health and Sixth Form life 

Testicular cancer 

Sexual Health and Contraception 

Driving Safely 

Drugs and Alcohol: making informed choices.  

Fertility and Menopause 

 

Living in the Wider World 

Weekly news briefings 

Weekly debates on current issues 

Know your Legal Rights 

Careers Evening 

Faculty Careers Talks 

IAG interviews 

UCAS applications 

Apprenticeship Fair 

Interview Skills 

CV writing 

LinkedIn tutorials 

Voter Registration 

Mock election 

Visit from Local MPs.  

 

Relationships 

An ethnically diverse OPGS Sixth Form 

LGBT pride within OPGS Sixth Form 

A mixed gender OPGS Sixth Form 

Pornography and Media 

Consent and the Law 

Reproductive Rights 

Year 13

Health and Wellbeing 

Living Independently (cooking, finance, healthcare, managing your mental health at university) 

Mental Health and exams. 

 

Living in the Wider World 

Weekly news briefings 

UCAS IAG 

Apprenticeship IAG 

Interviews 

 

Relationships 

Positive relationships and recognising abuse  

Strategies for managing dangerous situations or relationships