Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education
La Sainte Union provides a programme of lessons and events to help pupils manage their lives and to thrive as individuals and members of society.
The programme follows National Curriculum recommendations, responds to the needs of different Year Groups and is sufficiently flexible to enable us to respond to relevant issues in politics and the media.
Our programmes ensure that pupils understand and value a democratic way of life. Through assemblies and lessons, pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their interaction with others and to understand their rights and responsibility according to Catholic social teaching. In this way, they are prepared for the challenges and opportunities of life in modern Britain.
The primary focus of PSHCE is to help pupils manage different kinds of risk, make well-informed decisions, consider a range of perspectives and express their views confidently. We invite speakers from a wide range of specialist organisations, organise theatre performances and provide regular opportunities for pupils to make presentations and run lessons on themes they have prioritised.
Key areas such as sexual health and relationships, financial awareness and drugs education are supported by specialist facilitators who help our own staff in providing opportunities for more in-depth study. The full Relationship and Sex Education policy can be found on the policies page.
Most lessons are designed by the PSHE Lead and delivered by our PSHE team once a fortnight, but Citizenship themes are also addressed in other subject lessons.
Key Stage 3: topics in PSHCE lessons
Autumn Term
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Year 7
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Year 8
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Year 9
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- Transition to secondary school
- Making new friends
- Black History Month
- Exploring identities and similarities
- Exploring identities and differences
- Identifying and challenging bullying
- Making healthy choices (eating and sleep)
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- Introduction to relationships
- Family relationships
- Black History Month
- Healthy friendships
- Boundaries and consent
- Knowing your rights (UDHR)
- Online safety, grooming, and self-esteem
- Fake news and echo chambers
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- Dealing with change in life
- Study skills, resilience and managing stress
- Black History Month
- Forms of discrimination and allyships (homophobia, ableism, racism, transphobia, sexism, …)
- Careers
- Managing mental health including self-harm
- Preventing cancer and heart disease
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Spring Term
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Year 7
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Year 8
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Year 9
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- Knowing your body: reproductive systems
- Knowing your body: reproductive systems and sex
- Body image and self-care
- Puberty: Introduction to periods
- Privacy and consent
- FGM
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- Media influence on body image
- Link between physical health and mental wellbeing
- Recognising and dealing with emotions
- Alcohol and smoking/vaping
- Drug misuse
- Boundaries and consent
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- Camden Choices Program (term-long program to raise awareness to the dangers of crime associated with drugs, knifes, grooming, …)
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Summer Term
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Year 7
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Year 8
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Year 9
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- Forced marriage
- Personal safety and first aid
- Making choices with friends and online
- Careers
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- Careers
- Intimate relationships
- Relationships and intimacy online
- Contraception
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- Camden Choices Program (term-long program to raise awareness to the dangers of crime associated with drugs, knifes, grooming, …)
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Key Stage 4: topics in PSHCE lessons
Autumn Term
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Year 10
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Year 11
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- Marriage and civil partnerships
- Parenthood
- Black History Month
- Respectful relationships (communication and vulnerability in relationships)
- Abusive relationships
- My future finances
- Sexual health and STIs
- Media Influence, Radicalisation and Extremism
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- Transition to more responsibility
- Careers
- Black History Month
- Appreciating diversity
- Exploring identities deeper (identity and mental health)
- Exploring identities critically (gender norms)
- Exploring identities critically (gender identities)
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Spring Term
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Year 10
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Year 11
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- Careers
- First Give Program (Social Action Program)
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- Pornography
- Privacy and consent: developing sexuality and readiness for sex
- Sexual health and STIs
- Parenthood and fertility
- Pressure and dealing with rejection
- Grief
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Summer Term
