Citizenship
Subject Leader: Mrs Katherine France
katherine.france@queenkatherine.org
Citizenship and PHSE at QKS
“The skills and attributes developed through PSHE education are also shown to increase academic attainment and attendance rates, particularly among pupils eligible for free school meals, as well as improve employability and boost social mobility.”
PSHE Association, December 2017.
The Citizenship and PHSE curriculum at QKS enables students to make an effective and active contribution to the school and wider society.
Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is a non-statutory curriculum subject which develops the knowledge, skills and attributes all students need in order to keep healthy and safe and to prepare them for life and work in modern Britain.
Citizenship at QKS incorporates three key areas of the curriculum as compiled by The PSHE Programme of Study: Health and Wellbeing, Relationships and Living in the Wider World.
Key Stage 3
Students in Years 7 and 8 receive their PSHE curriculum explicitly through Citizenship lessons which are taught once a week.
Students in Year 9 attend bespoke activities and sessions tailored to aspects of the three core PSHE themes throughout their academic year including relationship and sex education. This provision is more closely aligned to the KS4 PSHE programme.
The Citizenship schemes of learning and assessment are taught in Year 7 and 8 weekly lessons and in a range of school subjects and school activities. The promotion of the school core values and supporting the House system is at the heart of the school’s PSHE provision.
Both KS3 and KS4 PSHE programmes aim to:
- Teach students skills that will help them to thrive and achieve throughout their lives
- Encourage student participation and inclusion in school life and the wider community
- Encourage students to take responsibility for their actions, respect others and understand the consequences of what they do
- Encourage students to take an enquiring interest in political, spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues
- Teach students to find and analyse information and sources, including ICT-based and media-based reporting
- Encourage students to enjoy and share their experiences with others
The provision for PSHE in Years 10 and 11 is facilitated through an extensive series of tailored assemblies (extended in many cases), bespoke workshops and whole morning and afternoon events. This deployment of PSHE enables our students to work with, and listen to, specialist educators actively engaged with contemporary issues. Larger scale events are evaluated regularly to suit the needs of our students.
Calendared events include: mental health speakers and workshops; work preparation days; mock interviews; careers presentations and workshops; sexual health speakers and internet safety classroom workshops and assemblies.
