PSHE, RSE

At Orchard Education our delivery of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is designed, delivered and embedded through a comprehensive and balanced programme built within the wider curriculum including Science, ICT and People in the Community. However, the three main areas are for delivery are:

• PSHE
• RSE
• Talkabout

PSHE makes a significant contribution to the promotion of young people’s personal and social development. In Y11, learners are provided with the opportunity to undertake accredited qualifications in Alcohol Awareness, Substance Misue Awareness and Sexual Health Awareness. Our aims of the PSHE curriculum, are ensure our learners have the necessary skills and attributes to know how to stay safe and healthy by focusing on self-esteem, resilience, risk management and teamwork by concentrating on:

• Self-Awareness (Me, who I am, my likes, dislikes, strengths and interests)
• Self-care, Support and Safety (Looking after myself and keeping safe; aspects of Relationships and Sex Education.)
• Managing Feelings (Understanding feelings, and that how I feel and how others feel affects choices and behaviour; Relationships and Sex Education)
• Changing and Growing (How I and others are changing; new opportunities and responsibilities; aspects of Relationships and Sex Education)
• Healthy Lifestyles (Being and keeping healthy, physically and mentally)
• The World I Live In (Living confidently in the wider world, British Values, Democracy, Human Rights, Citizenship, Employability skills and career exploration/progression)

At Orchard Education, good relationships are fundamental to our ethos. RSE has a key part to play in the personal, social, moral and spiritual development of our learners. RSE will be delivered as part of our rolling curriculum, with Y9’s provided with the opportunity to complete an accredited PSHE/RSE qualification. RSE specifically focuses on:

• The development of skills, attitudes, and knowledge in relation to relationships, consent, reproduction, and sexual health.
• Understanding the importance of respect and mutual consent in relationships.
• Age-appropriate education on contraception, sexually transmitted infections, and the emotional aspects of sexual relationships.
• Addressing issues such as body image, gender identity, sexual orientation, and gender roles. 

All PSHE and RSE lessons will be delivered by trained tutors who will use a variety of engaging methods such as discussions, group work, role-play, and scenario-based learning. The teaching will be inclusive, sensitive, age-appropriate and non-judgemental throughout. 

Parents have the right to request children are removed from lessons teaching certain elements of RSE. Information on this can be downloaded here.

Talkabout is a structured programme for teaching and measuring social skills. It is based on teaching children or young adults in small groups using a hierarchical method of developing skills where basic or foundation skills are taught before more complicated skills. The repetition enables learners to revisit and consolidate skills that they will use in adult life, including:

• Self-Awareness and Self-Esteem
• Body Language
• The Way We Talk
• Conversations
• Assertiveness