PSHCEE & Citizenship
PSHCEE Department at Rivers Academy
Curriculum Team Leader: Mr T Wormald
Get in touch: twormald@rivers-aspirations.org
PSHE is divided into two main themes:
1. Economic Wellbeing and Financial Capability
This includes topics such as careers, employment, money management, personal budgeting, risk and insurance.
2. Personal Wellbeing
This includes topics such as identity, change, sex and relationship education, drug education, alcohol education and healthy lifestyles
Citizenship is a statutory subject at KS3 and 4 secondary schools in England. Citizenship education aims for young people to leave education with a grasp of the political, legal and economic functions of adult society, and with the social and moral awareness to thrive in it. Citizenship Education includes education about:
- The law and legal system
- Democracy and Voting
- Rights and Responsibilities
- Identity and Britishness
- Global Citizenship
- Financial capability
Delivery
Key Stage 3
At Key Stage 3 students explore themes from Religious Education, Philosophy and Ethics alongside Citizenship through the Oracy Syllabus.
This is also supported by Deep Learning Days in which the regular timetable is collapsed to allow students the opportunity to look at particular topics in real depth over a day. Deep Learning Days have included:
• Learning about the law and legal profession from real barristers and magistrates, and then putting on class re-enactment of a court case in which students play all the roles.
• Re enacting the work of the United Nations while debating the death penalty at a Model United Nations event
• Learning about online safety and healthy relationships
Key Stage 4
Students have the option in year 10 and 11 to choose the GCSE in Citizenship Studies or the GCSE in Law. As part of the GCSE in Citizenship students are required to undertake active citizenship projects which form part of their Controlled Assessment Task (60% of their assessment) and are always an exciting part of the course for students
All students receive PSHE and Citizenship in Deep Learning Days that responds to the students needs and is delivered in an age appropriate manner that is relevant to their needs now and in the future
Key Stage 5
An A Level in citizenship Studies is offered for which the school has achieved excellent results, securing the top A* grades for each of the past 4 years it has been offered and helping students onto a range of Russell Group and other universities. Students may also opt for other related qualifications such as A Level Law, Government and Politics and Sociology.
PSHE and Citizenship are delivered as part of the extended learning Leadership Incubator Programme.
What is covered in Deep Learning Days?
RSE (Relationship and Sex Education)
This is covered in an age appropriate manner based on best practice from the PSHE Association, Brook, the Family Planning Association and taught solely by experienced senior teachers.
Year 7 - Sexting, FGM, Online Safety, What is a healthy relationship?, Homophobic Bullying
Year 8 - Body image, Self esteem, What is a healthy relationship?,
Year 9 - Message of delay, When are you ready?, Types of Contraception
Year 10 - Teenage relationship abuse, Attitudes to sexuality, STIs,
Year 11 - Consequences of sexual activity, Parenting, Abortion-whose choice?
Year 12/13 - STI’s, Teenage Relationship Abuse
Citizenship
Students are given the opportunity to delve into issues in depth through active citizenship projects, simulations and role plays as well as in depth investigations.
Year 7 Model UN, Grant Thornton Project, Mock Parliament
Year 8 Mock Trial Competition, Mock Parliament
Year 9 First Give,
Year 10 Prevent
Year 11 Prevent
Year 12/13 Prevent
Big Interview
All students in year 11 are given a formal practice interview by an external business professional. Students prepare an application form and are then interviewed in a mock interview style and given feedback on their performance.
Careers Day
Students are taught about various industries by leading professionals from the industry
Extracurricular Projects
WeDay
Students in year 7 are given the opportunity to sign up for WeDay, a concert in Wembley Arena held every March for which students have to earn a ticket by taking part in Active Citizenship activities such as making and selling bracelets for people in LEDCs, arranging a clothing collection for people affected by natural disasters or collecting food for local elderly people or toothbrushes for the homeless.
First Give
In year 9 all students are set the challenge of identifying social issues that affect local people, researching them and then contacting a local grassroots charity that deals with the issue. The students then compete in a final competition where they make a presentation about why their charity should win £1000. The best presentations win prizes between £250 and £1000 for their charity. The winning group in 2015 won £1000 for 21 and Co, a local charity that supports families of children with Down syndrome. The winners have also been invited to an awards ceremony at City Hall in October where they will pitch their charity to others.
Bar National Mock Trial Competition
Students in year 10/11/12 and 13 are given the opportunity to apply to join the Rivers Mock Trial Team and take part in a national competition where they take on the roles of people in a courtroom, from defendants and other witnesses to barristers and court clerks. They then research a case and compete against other schools from across the country to try the case. They are judged by serving High Court and Crown Court judges and mentored through the competition by a serving barrister.
Magistrates Court Mock Trial Competition
Students in year 8 and 9 are given the opportunity to research a case in the Magistrates Court and put on a trial in a local magistrates court against other schools. Students are judged by members of the legal profession and mentored through the process by a serving magistrate.
PXS/PAP
Students in years 7 to 10 all take on an extracurricular project over a term and produce a piece of work in their own time on a subject that they are interested in that links to their learning.
Apprenticeships
Rivers holds apprenticeship fairs annually where local apprenticeship providers set up stalls and show students what they offer them.
Careers Advisor Interviews
All Year 11 students receive a 30 minute careers interview with a professional careers adviser.
Mosaic Business Challenge
Students in Years 9/10 and 11 are given 3 2 hour sessions with an external business mentor where they learn about business ethics, strategy and running a business. They then play an online business simulation game with the aim of getting the best profit over a 3 year simulation. Last year Rivers students reached the London Final held at RBS headquarters.
Mosaic Mentoring Programme
Selected students in from years 7 to 13 are mentored by external business professionals with the aim of improving their overall academic performance and achieving.
Future First
Future First puts schools in touch with school leavers and arranges for them to come back into school to tell students about their careers since leaving the school. Rivers holds 2 assemblies per year where school leavers come in and talk about their work.
Work Experience Opportunities
Year 10 students are given the opportunity to apply to go on work experience. 30 students went to local firm CISCO in 2016 and spent 2 weeks engaged learning about the business and doing far more than making tea!
The Challenge
The school organises for year 11 leavers to spend the summer involves in the active citizenship programme the Challenge.
Parliament Trips
Every the schools sends a group of students in from across all year groups on a trip to Parliament where they get the chance to meet their local MP and watch Parliament in action.
Mock Elections and Referendums
Rivers gives students the opportunity to vote in mock elections and referendums that mirror the national issues. Most recently all students got to vote for their local Youth Parliament Member.
