PSHE
The PSHE curriculum is an integral part of the curriculum at CRGS. All students are encouraged to develop an understanding and appreciation of the physical, social, health (including mental and emotional wellbeing), economic and financial factors of everyday life. Through the carefully sequenced PSHE curriculum, students gain an awareness of the complex and difficult social situations that young people in modern Britain can encounter, developing a resilience and skill set to be able to help themselves and the community.
The main delivery of PSHE, including the statutory elements of Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education (HE) provision, as well as Citizenship themes, is through discreet 30-minute timetabled PSHE lessons from Year 7 onwards. In addition to this provision, students in years 10 and 11 have opportunities to cover further areas of statutory RSE in a carousel of 30-minute ‘Personal Development’ lessons alongside aspects of Spiritual, Moral, Social, and Cultural (SMSC) development. Strands of the PSHE curriculum can also be found implicitly embedded in the wider school curriculum including assemblies, registration times and the delivery of all subjects.
The PSHE curriculum follows closely the ‘Thematic Model’ of the PSHE Association, in which students across the school, where possible, focus on the same theme at the same time. This spiral curriculum ensures topics are revisited and that, as students progress through the school, they have opportunities to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the issues young people face in the modern world. The curriculum also ensures all aspects of PSHE as laid out by the DofE are covered.
Following the national guidance provided by the PSHE Association, students will have age-appropriate lessons on the three core themes of:
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Health & Wellbeing – including topics such as drug and alcohol abuse, mental and emotional health, diet and healthy living, and first aid.
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Relationships – including topics such as equality, diversity, and sex education.
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Living in the Wider World – including topics such as economic wellbeing, careers education, and financial capability.
Our PSHE Lead, Mr Degun, oversees the training and professional development of our tutor team, enabling both them and our Designated Safeguarding Leads to deliver high-quality, up-to-date and engaging PSHE lessons. In addition, we have a rich programme of external specialist speakers who run sessions on a broad range of PSHE topics throughout the year for every year group.
All students are encouraged to reflect on their own understanding of the core themes as they are revisited and developed through the school. The core CRGS values of Compassion, Respect, Generosity and Support, underpin the implementation of the entire PSHE curriculum. Our vision is for all students to embrace different perspectives, be confident making informed decisions about their values and how to keep themselves and others happy, healthy and safe in the modern world.
