Personal, Social & Health Education

Intent

At Educate U, PSHE is an important part of everyday school life. We want every pupil aged 5–18 to feel valued, understand themselves and have the confidence to make safe choices, build friendships and try new things. Our mission, “Empowering Students. Creating Possibilities”, is at the heart of this. We get to know each pupil’s strengths, needs and experiences so that learning feels relevant, manageable and worth taking part in.

We use the PSHE Association SEND Framework to plan six areas: Self-Awareness; Self-care, Support and Safety; Managing Feelings; Changing and Growing; Healthy Lifestyles; and The World I Live In. We are especially proud of our pupils’ personal development: the friendships they build, the confidence they find and the care they show for others. Learning about health, relationships, safety and money helps them take steps towards greater independence.

For Changing and Growing, we group pupils by age for age-appropriate teaching about sexual health, health and relationships. We adapt explanations, resources and support to help pupils understand and ask questions. Feedback during the March 2025 inspection praised our PSHE approach for “not being afraid to teach the students hard hitting facts”. We are proud of how pupils engage with these important subjects, supported by clear and sensitive teaching.

Implementation

Learning builds year by year through key-stage cycles: KS1 A–B; KS2 A–D; KS3 A–C; KS4 A–B; and KS5 A–C. Mixed-age classes share topics, with activities and support matched to each pupil. New cycles revisit ideas and extend understanding.

The six areas follow the order listed above, one each half term from Autumn 1 to Summer 2. Teachers use our medium-term plan and six lesson plans per unit, adapting activities for their pupils.

Learning includes pictures, practical activities, role play, conversations and experiences outside the classroom. Staff explain ideas clearly and give pupils time to practise and revisit them. Topics include friendships, consent, puberty, healthy routines, equality, online safety, misleading information and AI-related risks. Familiar routines, trusted adults and individual support help pupils feel safe enough to join in.

We also help pupils look ahead through Careers Week, the Year 9 Careers event and our Post-16 Careers Fair. At KS5, pupils explore their next steps and develop workplace skills through on-site placements, social enterprise and contact with employers as part of our Extended Educational Placement approach.

Teachers notice and celebrate learning through conversations, observations and practical activities. Our PSHE assessment tracker, pupils’ folders and Earwig entries help us record achievements and decide what to teach or practise next.

Impact

Assessment tracker data for 25–26 shows successes we are proud to celebrate. Among pupils with a RAG rating for each outcome, 100% are rated green for demonstrating strategies to use when frightened or worried, 93% for explaining how to check online information, 89% for recognising strengths in others and 86% for recognising unsafe situations. These achievements give pupils practical ways to look after themselves and appreciate others.

The 26–27 (WIP) tab also shows strong achievements among pupils with RAG ratings: 100% are green for menstrual wellbeing, 92% for understanding healthy and unhealthy relationships, 89% for understanding how strong feelings affect behaviour, 88% for contraception and 83% for consent. In learning about prejudice and discrimination, 78% are green for showing ways to respond and 74% for recognising it. Percentages are rounded and calculated separately for each outcome using red, amber and green ratings; blank and grey cells are excluded. Some achievements are carried forward from earlier years.

Behind these percentages are personal achievements that matter. Staff describe pupils playing together and recognising one another as friends, sharing worries and ways to cope, and recognising unfair treatment of same-sex couples. We are proud of our pupils for building trust, finding their voice and learning to support others. We celebrate these steps and keep helping pupils practise where they need more support.

Ofsted recognised this personal development in March 2025, praising both our approach and how well pupils are prepared for their future. We are proud that inspectors saw the value of this work:

“The personal development programme is thoughtfully organised. Staff deliver it in emotionally and age-appropriate ways. Pupils learn how to stay safe and foster positive relationships, including online. They also find out about different cultures and learn the difference between right and wrong. The careers programme provides pupils with important information about next steps. Pupils receive impartial advice and guidance and meet a range of representatives from education, employment and training. Through a range of clubs, staff also encourage essential social skills. Consequently, pupils are extremely well prepared for the future and to be positive citizens in modern Britain.”

In September 2026, Ofsted also recognised our age-appropriate relationships and sex education and the systems for involving parents:

“The relationships and sex education curriculum is appropriate. It ensures that students receive education to develop their understanding of relationships and sex education at an age-appropriate level. Leaders have established suitable systems for notifying and consulting parents about planned taught content.”