PSHE

What is PSHE?

PSHE at The Adeyfield Academy is the subject that provides students with the knowledge, skills, attributes, and agency they need to manage their lives now and in the future.

It matters because it addresses real-life issues—such as mental health, financial literacy, and digital safety—that directly impact students’ ability to stay healthy and safe while preparing them for the transition to independent adulthood.

Beyond exams, this curriculum acts as a bridge to the wider world by removing barriers to learning, ensuring students are not only academically successful but also emotionally and socially equipped to navigate the complexities of modern society.

The PSHE and RSHE curriculum is designed to prepare our students for the opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences of adult life in modern Britain. Grounded in statutory guidance and our school values; courage, dignity, ambition, compassion, and respect. The curriculum aims to develop informed, resilient, and ethical young people.

At the Adeyfield Academy, PSHE Education is taught once a week, to enhance the PSHE curriculum; we also hold drop down days in which subject and career specialists are invited to speak to our students as they outline key topics. This includes:- The Breck Foundation, Show Racism The Red Card, Electric Umbrella, Oli Leigh Foundation, Talk the Talk, Herts and Essex Air Ambulance, Humanutopia, Bold Voices, Paul Hannaford, Amy Winehouse Foundation, Billy's Wish & Chelsea's Story.

There are three core themes covered in PSHE:

Theme 1: Health & Wellbeing

To enable students to make informed decisions about their physical and mental health, recognise signs of ill-health, reduce social stigma, and adopt lifestyle habits that sustain long-term wellbeing.

Students learn precise vocabulary to articulate emotions, recognise the symptoms of common mental health conditions (such as anxiety and depression), and apply self-regulation coping strategies. Teaching encourages pupils to seek help early when they need it, while helping them understand that everyday ups and downs are a natural part of growing up.

Students evaluate how choices regarding nutrition, physical activity, sleep, vaping, alcohol, and drug use impact short- and long-term health. Lessons cover spotting early signs of physical illness and navigating local healthcare systems, including understanding GP access, emergency services, and legal rights surrounding medical consent and Gillick competence.

Students build risk-management skills across public spaces, transport networks, and water environments. They master practical, life-saving emergency skills, including making emergency calls, performing CPR, and operating an automated external defibrillator (AED)

Theme 2: Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)

To provide young people with the foundation needed to form healthy, safe, and fulfilling relationships of all kinds, grounded in mutual respect, clear personal boundaries, and informed consent

Students examine the features of positive family structures, friendships, and romantic partnerships, including the legal benefits of marriage and civil partnerships. They practice assertive communication skills to express boundaries, navigate conflict constructively, and manage relationship changes or endings with empathy. Teaching covers the law on sexual consent, capacity, and the age of consent. Students learn that ethical behaviour extends beyond consent to include care, empathy, and an awareness of power dynamics. The curriculum addresses harm prevention, teaching pupils to recognise and report coercive control, domestic abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual violence

Students receive medically accurate, non-judgmental information on contraception, pregnancy options, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs)—including HIV prevention strategies. Lessons address countering online distortions, such as the negative impacts of pornography and extreme influencer content on sexual attitudes and expectations

Theme 3: Living in the Wider World

To empower students to become active, respectful, and law-abiding citizens who can critically evaluate modern media, manage their personal finances, and contribute positively to society while pursuing ambitious career paths.

Students gain a clear, factual understanding of their rights and responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 and the protected characteristics. Lessons cover the age of criminal responsibility and the legal consequences of illegal acts, including carrying weapons, gang exploitation, and county lines drug running. Students are equipped to proactively challenge discrimination, misogyny, hate crime, and extremism in their schools and local communities

Students learn to critically evaluate digital content, identifying misinformation, disinformation, AI chatbots, and deepfakes. Teaching covers how algorithms and targeted advertising operate, as well as strategies to mitigate online risks such as financial scams, fraud, and sextortion.

Students develop financial literacy, exploring everyday economic mechanics like budgeting while understanding the risks associated with online gambling, debt, and un-regulated investments. The curriculum fosters independent, self-reflective learning and high career ambitions unhindered by gender stereotypes.