PSHE/RSE
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 assemblies, keynote speakers, taught subjects 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 the themes most important for our context.
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, but there are regular formative assessments and feedback to ensure students are developing and retaining knowledge.
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 Croydon Sexual Health, Kooth Talks, Financial Times FLIC, 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.
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.
Tutor Time
Tutor Time at HCACP is spilt across five days with four different sessions. Each session is 30 minutes. Students develop their character and cultural capital each day through a different themed activity (see below).
- Faculty Assemblies – Encourage a sense of community, whilst also presents the opportunity to share important news. Purpose, Character Programme delivered through these Faculty Assemblies.
- PSHE Assemblies – Weekly PSHE input on aspect from the curriculum.
- Book Club – Two sessions of whole-group reading with Tutor and Tutees reading the same text together.
- Monday News - a structured 25-minute PSHE session exploring current affairs, future career pathways or Financial Literacy.
Assemblies
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 MET Police, Croydon Sexual Health, Kooth Talks and a wide range of other partners. A broad range of topics is investigated each year and all Faculty assemblies are linked to at least one of the Academy’s five core values; courtesy, cooperation, courage, community and contributions and promote British values such as democracy, tolerance, respect, a moral compass, individual liberty and empathy.
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.
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.
