PSHE/RSE – Overview

Personal Development Programme 

Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) is an important and necessary part of all students’ education and every year group at HCACP receives continual PSHE education throughout the year. PSHE is a non-statutory subject. This page also covers Relationships and Sex Education (RSE).

PSHE is delivered through our Personal Development Programme during tutor time and also special intensive 'off time-table' Thematic Days. There are three Thematic Days each year, one per term. On these days students are off their usual timetable and they explore a particular theme such as Healthy Living. Students attend different workshops on that theme. The programme and these days are also supplemented by the taught curriculum and a range of external speakers, educational visits and enrichment throughout the academic year.

We carefully track and revisit all the key elements of the statutory framework, as well as revisiting and going into more depth for some of themes most important for our context. An overview of this mapping document can be found here.

A summary of topics covered is included lower down this page.

PSHE equips students with a sound understanding of risk and with the knowledge and skills necessary to make safe and informed decisions. There are no internal or external examinations for PSHE.

Staff receive regular and thorough training on the important and sensitive topics which are covered through this programme, particularly when they relate to one of our contextual safeguarding risks.

The Academy uses external agencies, both public and private, as much as possible on these days to help the students get access to experts in these particular fields. Agencies used include LFB, LAS, Metropolitan Police, Trident, Voyage, Croydon Drop In, Lives Not Knives, NHS Teenage Pregnancy Team, RBS, Westminster Drugs Project, Alcoholics Anonymous, Families Matter, British Red Cross, Natwest Money Sense Team, Classroom Medics, Amphletts Solicitors, Only Connect, Beat Bullying and others.

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Relationships and Sex Education

The Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) curriculum is a statutory requirement. There are parts of this curriculum that crosses over with the PSHE curriculum as well. The aim of this curriculum is to give young people the information they need to help them navigate all types of relationships, human sexuality and both mental and physical well being. 

The RSE lessons do not encourage early sexual experimentation but teach young people to understand human sexuality and to respect themselves and others. It aims to enable young people to mature, build their confidence and self-esteem and understand the reasons for delaying sexual activity. We want to build lessons that will support our young people throughout their lives, to develop safe, fulfilling and healthy sexual relationships, at the appropriate time.

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Tutor Time

Tutor Time at HCACP is spilt across five days with five different sessions. Each session is 25 minutes and has set reading time (DEAR) each morning.  Students develop their character and cultural capital each day through a different themed activity (see below). All tutor time is sequenced against the same theme, but developed specifically to each year group.

• HCACP news sessions focus on key historical events of that week and act as a discussion topic. Along with giving students and staff a chance to look at notices for the forthcoming week, they celebrate successes of the previous week and look at the tutor groups culture for learning points.
• Careers sessions focus on key employability skills. The skills are; Leadership, Problem Solving, Listening, Creativity, Staying Positive, Teamwork, Aiming High and Presenting.
• PSHE sessions concentrate on SMSC, PSHE and Citizenship. Specifically looking at the development of pupils' understanding of tolerance, right and wrong and relationships.
• Literacy sessions are taught across key texts, and look at inference and, the ability and confidence of students to read, think, write and share.

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Assemblies

All students attend weekly assemblies which are focused on the careers’ employability skills, a core theme from the PSHE/Citizenship curriculum and one of the Academy's core values. Assemblies also encourage community and a sense of loyalty to the Faculty of which they are part. Assemblies help to supplement the tutor time programme, providing a time where students can engage and enquire in a different context with the six core themes. Every assembly starts with a culturally relevant piece of music and finishes with the Academy Homily which explicitly notes tolerance and acceptance of one another’s beliefs.

Assemblies are delivered by senior leaders, middle leaders and students as well as visiting speakers from organisations such as the Daniel Spargo Mabbs Foundation, Growing against Violence, Great Men, CEOP (a national crime agency) and a wide range of other partners. A broad range of topics is investigated each year under themes which promote British values such as tolerance, respect, a moral compass and empathy.

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Educational visits

Students regularly take part in educational visits and trips, to develop their understanding of historic and culturally significant events and landmarks within the world. These visits and trips give students the opportunities to develop an association when retrieving key information whether this be in lessons or in conversations in their everyday lives. Some examples of trips that the Academy has been on in the last year include: our Holland Football Tour, China trip, NASA Space Station trip, Austria ski trip, Excel Careers Fair and various visits into London’s museums and theatres and other cultural offerings.

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Duke of Edinburgh

The Academy is incredibly proud to be a Directly Licensed Centre for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, offering Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels to all students from Year 9 through to Year 13.

The DofE award is a highly prestigious extra-curricular programme that is recognised around the world for developing a huge range of interpersonal and intrapersonal skills amongst participants – incredibly valuable for future study and employment.

Over the past three years, more than 260 students have participated in the DofE Award, completing activities in the volunteering, physical, and skills sections, as well as completing a self-sufficient expedition. It provides students with a life-changing opportunity to engage in experiences that challenge them, enhancing their skills in leadership, resilience, cooperation, team-work, communication, and confidence. Participants must consistently display high levels of commitment and determination to achieve a DofE award, which is why it is rated as the most important extra-curricular activity undertaken at school by a huge number of major employers across the UK.