PSHE
Intent
At Tavistock College our PSHE programme is designed to nurture, challenge, and empower every student. We aim to embed personal development across all aspects of school life - through dedicated lessons, tutor time, enrichment, assemblies, and curriculum subjects, ensuring students acquire essential life skills, critical thinking, and confidence to become well-rounded, informed, and active members of society. Our specialist-led curriculum covers key themes including rights and responsibilities, diversity and equality, relationships and sex education, online and offline safety, health and wellbeing, and preparing for life beyond school. Through this knowledge-rich, vertically integrated programme, we strive to foster a strong sense of belonging, identity, and social, moral, spiritual, and cultural development (SMSC) in every student. The PSHE curriculum is built around the 3 key themes of health and well-being, relationships and living in the wider world.
We believe a high-quality PSHE programme is essential for preparing students to thrive beyond academics, nurturing them socially, emotionally, morally, and culturally. Our specialist-led, knowledge-rich curriculum develops critical thinking, resilience, and a strong sense of identity by exploring themes like diversity, relationships, safety, and wellbeing. Embedded across school life, and shaped by student and parent voice, PSHE supports students in becoming confident, informed, and responsible citizens.
Further information
Key Stage 3
At Key Stage 3, students build on the knowledge and understanding, skills, attributes and values they have acquired and developed during the primary phase. PSHE education acknowledges and addresses the changes that young people experience, beginning with transition to secondary school, the challenges of adolescence and their increasing independence. It teaches the knowledge and skills which will equip them for the opportunities and challenges of life. Students learn to manage diverse relationships, their online lives, and the increasing influence of peers and the media.
Key Stage 4
At Key Stage 4, students deepen knowledge and understanding and further explore attitudes, values and attributes acquired during Key Stage 3. PSHE education reflects the fact that students are moving towards an independent role in adult life, taking on greater responsibility for themselves and others.
PSHE and cultural capital
Cultural capital is developed by exposing students to a broad range of knowledge, experiences, and values that prepare them for life beyond school. Through themes such as British values, diversity, health and wellbeing, relationships, and life skills, students gain a deeper understanding of the world around them and their place within it. This exposure helps to level the playing field by providing all students, regardless of background, with the tools, language, and confidence needed to engage with society, make informed choices, and succeed in future education, employment, and personal life.
Curriculum Plans
Curriculum time allocation
KS3 - 2 hours a fortnight
KS4 - 1 hour a fortnight
SEND Learner Experience in PSHE
Planning
When planning lessons, we use all SEND information documents available; Individual Learning Plans, EHCP documents and reading age scores to ensure a sound knowledge of individuals' needs and that appropriate resources are used to support learning. The seating plan is carefully organised and a class plan is completed for every class.
Work scrutiny is used to prioritise students with SEND and assess how effectively progress is being made. If not, we make reasonable adjustments to their experience based on the information we hold and liaise with the SENDCo where appropriate.
When planning our schemes of work, we ensure that we create a curriculum in which there is a clear revisiting of topics, subjects or themes throughout the course. This ensures a deepening of skills and knowledge, with each successive encounter building on the previous one.
- Retrievals used to reinforce learning
- Clear learning journey with ‘know it, link it, say it’
- Explicit teaching of vocabulary
- Explicit modelling using guided practice
- Time for deliberate practice.
Before each lesson
We ensure that each class has a set seating plan for their lesson to enable us to identify SEND students and deliver timely support.
Moreover, directorate meetings have a standing SEND point on the agenda where discussions take place to identify and plan for individual needs.
Entry routine
We welcome the students into the classroom, using thresholding, ensuring all students feel recognised. We use routine and procedure to establish common expectations, e.g the retrieval task is always on the board or, where appropriate, printed out and on desks.
During teaching
We use the Tavistock College Charter to ensure consistency of experience.
Resources are created to ensure all students can access the lesson.
'3,2,1, STAR behaviours’ and tracking are used to ensure all students understand and engage with the task.
We pre-warn students when we are about to cold-call for questions.
After each lesson
We use the evidence seen in student books to inform our planning of the next lesson.
After each assessment
We use the evidence seen in student work to inform our planning of the next lesson. We have a reteach lesson where misconceptions and common errors are clarified and explained.
Data analysis includes a focus on SEND students.
Reading and literacy in PSHE
Subject contact
Julia Tosdevin