KS4 PSHE

UTC Leeds Values Curriculum

Overview

Our PSHE curriculum is broken down into ‘non-negotiables’ – the vital areas that a student needs to master in that subject. These non-negotiables underpin the learning throughout the duration of the study and our students understand that after developing competency in each strand, they will aim to develop mastery in each. The learning is coherently sequenced across the 4-year plan and mapped cross-curricular, and our sequence of learning plans specifies which non-negotiables are the learning foci and/or the knowledge that students will gain.

Our Vision

With students arriving at the start of KS4, our learners’ understanding of British Values, PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic education), Careers and RSE (Relationship & Sex Education), varies significantly. It is our intention to provide all students with an understanding of all of these areas during their two years at the college and ensure that students leave the UTC as responsible, empathetic citizens who understand what is required for them to navigate, and have a positive impact on, society.

Delivery

To ensure that all students have sufficient time to engage with these important topics, the programme of study is delivered in a number of different ways:

Assemblies

Many topics are shared through whole year group assemblies. These are delivered by a range of different staff as well as external providers where appropriate. The focus of these sessions is to share concepts related to topics within the values curriculum and provoke students to reflect on their own opinions and experiences.

Profile Team Morning Sessions

All students receive a weekly profile team session that is dedicated to the values curriculum. Each session is guided by staff but centres around student-led conversation. The focus is to provide a safe environment in which students can share their own opinions as well as hearing the opinions and thoughts of others.

Profile Team Curriculum Sessions

All students receive one hour a week which is dedicated to the delivery of the values curriculum. Where possible, these sessions will be led by one of our industrial partners and will focus on developing employability skills and raising student aspiration. In cases where this isn’t possible, students receive extended PSHE/RSE lessons that focus on more challenging concepts that cannot be covered in the shorter morning sessions.

Drop Down/ Enrichment Days

Within the curriculum, there are a number of drop-down days. These allow students to immerse themselves in the programme and interact with a range of issues. These sessions aim to be more interactive and allow more time for collaborative learning.

Within the Curriculum

Although all areas of PSHE, RSE, Careers and British Values are covered within the activities previously mentioned, a number of these topics are revisited in the context of other subjects within the curriculum. In these instances, teachers will endeavour to use the shared language developed in the programme of study, illustrated in this document below.

Assessment

Opinions and beliefs regarding the topics in the programme of study are subjective and therefore difficult to assess. We therefore assess students on the following:

Engagement – In line with school policy, students are awarded Schlechty grades of 1-5 for how well they engage with these sessions and the maturity they show when dealing with difficult concepts.

Comprehension – To test understanding, students complete a half-termly reflection that allows them to consolidate their learning whilst also enabling staff to identify any areas that may need re-visiting.

Click below to download: Values Programme of study – PSHE