Person, Social, Health and Citizenship Education

Head of Faculty - Janet Clarke

Introduction

Personal, Social Health and Citizenship education (PSHCE) help to give pupils the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy, independent lives and to become informed, active, responsible citizens. Pupils are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities and experiences across and beyond the curriculum, contributing fully to the life of their school and communities. In doing so they learn to recognise their own worth, work well with others and become increasingly responsible for their own learning. They reflect on their experiences and understand how they are developing personally and socially, tackling many of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. They also find out about the main political and social institutions that affect their lives and about their responsibilities, rights and duties as individuals and members of communities. They learn to understand and respect our common humanity, diversity and differences so that they can go on to form the effective, fulfilling relationships that are an essential part of life and learning.

Department News - 2007 - 08

Under Construction

Key Stage 3 - Years 7, 8 and 9

How many lessons do pupils have per week? 1 lesson per week.

How are pupils grouped? In form groups.

What do pupils learn? Pupils follow a course which introduces them to differing issues from each part of the PSHE and Citizenship curriculums. In personal development, pupils will be encouraged to think about how to take individual responsibility for their personal development. In terms of their social development, pupils will think about how they deal with different people and learn how to deal with situations , including bullying, in an assertive way. Health Education includes the statutory requirements of sex education and drugs education. Citizenship encourages them to look at their life in a multi-cultural society in 21 st century Britain and teaches about government, the environment and global interdependency.

Key Stage 4 - Years 10 and 11

All pupils will take GCSE Short-course Citizenship at KS4 in 2008-09.

GCSE Short-course Citizenship

Students will develop the knowledge and skills they have already gained in order to study for a Short course GCSE in Citizenship (worth half of a GCSE). The course aims to allow our students to enter post school life as confident informed citizens capable of contributing positively to the communities in which they live and taking full control of their lives. The course involves completing a piece of coursework, worth 40% of the final grade for the subject. The coursework element to the course is a group project aimed at making a difference to an issue that the students which to focus on.

What will I learn?

• Knowledge and understanding of events of current interest; roles, rights and responsibilities; communities and identities; democracy and government.
• How to explain different types of information, including media sources.
• How to organise and evaluate a citizenship activity with others.

What is the structure of the course?

Students have one citizenship lesson a week. Each of the topics is covered through units lasting between an average of between 5-8 weeks. The units are delivered by a small team of teachers who will from time to time engage the support of other professionals, such as theatre groups and community support groups.

The program offers considerable opportunity for students to share experiences and opinions, thus gaining confidence and knowledge through interaction with their peers, and enabling a broader outlook and a greater sensitivity to, and understanding of, others. The citizenship course includes a group project, and documentation and analysis of this. This forms the coursework element. Groups will choose an issue of interest to research and then present the findings to people/groups responsible for affecting change on the issue of concern. The course aims to develop knowledge and understanding through developing skills and student's abilities to participate. The work aims to actively engage students in the subjects studied.

How will I be assessed?

Students will be entered for a Short Course GCSE in Citizenship. 40% of their final grade comes from completing a coursework project and 60% comes from a formal examination in the Summer of Year 11.

The examination paper is comprised of 4 sections:

A = questions relating to coursework and active citizenship

B = short answer knowledge and understanding questions

C = Interpretation of source material

D = long answer opinion questions.

Students will gain practice in answering exam questions throughout the course with regular assessments.

This will enable feedback aimed at progressing student's abilities.

What skills and interests do I need to have?

• Research skills
• Listening skills
• Presentation skills
• Interest in current affairs and issues

What courses or employment could I progress to at the end of my course?

Successful completion in this subject at Level 2 (GCSE C or above) will allow you to have a range of options in 2010. If you wish to progress to a Level 3 (AS/A2, BTEC) in this subject, you are required to have a minimum of a C grade at Level 2 (GCSE).

GCSE Citizenship may be required in a number of training programs, by employers or as an entry requirement for other subjects at advanced level.