PSHE/RSE/SMSC

We place high importance on supporting student welfare and their knowledge of the world around them.

The purpose of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education at Harris Academy Beckenham is to, alongside our whole personal development curriculum, equip our students with the knowledge and experiences they need to live healthy, happy, safe and fulfilling lives.

For further details of the PSHE/RSE/SMSC curriculum please see the documents at the bottom of the page or contact Mrs. J. Goulds.

The aim of the PSHE, RSE (Relationships & Sex Education) and SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural) programme at HABE is to guide students during their personal development so they become happy, productive and conscientious members of society equipped with the skills, knowledge and experiences to make positive changes to their lives and to the lives of the wider global community. We know that students who are emotionally healthy do better at school.

We have carefully sequenced our PSHE curriculum so that it considers not just the Academy’s safeguarding priorities but also key local and national safeguarding themes and priorities to ensure we educate the students and staff and how to keep safe. Our curriculum plan is therefore ever-developing and subject to change depending on the need for extended education of a specific themes in accordance with local and national climate.

Our PSHE through Wellbeing Wednesdays helps young people to achieve their potential by supporting their wellbeing and tackling issues that can affect their ability to learn, such as anxiety and unhealthy relationships. PSHE education also helps students to develop skills and aptitudes — such as teamwork, communication, and resilience — that are crucial to navigating the challenges and opportunities of the modern world and are increasingly valued by employers.

We expect students to understand the benefits of living and learning in Great Britain; to understand the freedoms this provides and the values we must all aspire to uphold in our everyday lives. This area of the curriculum has been tailored to ensure that all students are ready for the challenges of life in the 21st century and deals with important, and at times challenging, topics such as e-Safety, radicalisation, sexual health, FGM, bullying, teen relationship violence, sexual exploitation and coercion, consent and child sexual exploitation. We deliver content which is age appropriate and sensitive to the needs and religious backgrounds of all pupils.

This Academy will deliver this element of our students’ education through a range of programmes, such as Form Tutor activities, assemblies, Character Development Days and the curriculum.

All students have a 40-minute PSHE lesson every week and students in years 7-9 have an additional 80 minute lesson of Ethics and Identity which incorporates discreet RE lessons, Citizenship and PSHE. We use a spiral PSHE curriculum that enables a return to the same core themes in different ways according to age and stage of development, therefore building on prior learning.

Carefully-chosen external contributors are occasionally used to supplement the planned PSHE curriculum in these areas, with timetabled lessons providing the context for both preparatory work and reinforcement of the learning. Before-and-after evaluations of this combined classroom work and external contributions will be undertaken to assess levels of increased understanding.

The Academy programmes will:

• enable students to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence;
• enable students to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England
• encourage students to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative, and to understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality of the school and to society more widely
• further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling students to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures;
• give students an understanding of the importance of identifying and combatting discrimination
• support students to develop skills to understand what constitutes abusive behaviour; communication skills to convey difficult messages; and developing empathy to foster respect for others and the ability to see the world from others’ perspective
• help students cope with the physical and emotional challenges of growing up and help them develop healthy and respectful friendships and relationships

Our PSHE curriculum enhances the personal, social, emotional and economic wellbeing and happiness of our students, as well as supporting their mental health. It is our aim to help break any deeply ingrained, limiting beliefs and self-perceptions that stifle aspiration and hamper the ability to achieve. We are very proud of the holistic education the students are provided, to ensure they develop into young adults we can all be proud of.

Please see our plan for Wellbeing Days 2022-23 here.

Please see our Wellbeing Wednesday curriculum here.