Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education is a school subject where pupils develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to manage their lives, now and in the future. These skills and attributes help pupils to stay healthy, safe and prepare them for life and work in adulthood.

At Newcastle Bridges School, we understand the importance of educating pupils about sex, relationships and their health for them to make responsible and well-informed decisions in their lives. Imparting the knowledge and the skills to stay safe and healthy in today’s rapidly changing world is at the core of our Personal Development lessons and the teaching of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE). This is of high priority and all pupils are taught the knowledge to make the best-informed decisions.

Newcastle Bridges School’s aim is to ensure PSHE and RSE education helps pupils to achieve their academic potential, and leave school equipped with skills they will need throughout later life.

The programme followed by our pupils is linked with the PSHE Association to ensure all elements of the subject are covered effectively, whilst focusing and recognising the risks and issues that our students experience today.

The three core areas of this subject are:

  • Health and Wellbeing
  • Relationships
  • Living in the Wider World

The scheme of work for Newcastle Bridges School is broken into at least three teaching groups, all which have been based on the developmental need of the students.

Lessons will be taught in key stages in an age and developmentally appropriate way. Breaking things down into groups help us to deliver effective lessons, sensitive to the needs and backgrounds of each and every one. It is a statutory requirement to teach RSE at Key Stages 3 and 4.

The overall aim of these lessons is to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate the emotional, physical, and social changes during puberty in a healthy, respectful, and informed way. By focusing on communication, consent, and healthy relationships, students will be better prepared to make positive decisions, foster supportive relationships, and understand the significance of consent and mutual respect in all interactions.

Key Topics

Media Influence and Relationship Expectations

  • Understanding how media shapes expectations in relationships.
  • Examining the sharing of sexual images (commonly referred to as "sexting" or "sending nudes"), including the legal, social, and emotional consequences.

Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

  • Exploring distinctions between sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • Learning key terminology to foster respect and inclusivity.
  • Challenging unhelpful stereotypes and promoting inclusive behaviour in school and the wider community.

Consent in Relationships

  • Discussing assumptions often made about consent, particularly in new relationships.
  • Developing strategies to challenge and avoid these assumptions.

Contraceptives and Sexual Health

  • Providing basic information about contraceptives: what they are, how to access them, and how to use them effectively.
  • Assessing whether further detail on this topic is appropriate, based on students' maturity levels and local health-related behaviour data.
  • This program is designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and attributes necessary to navigate relationships responsibly and inclusively.

Healthy and Unhealthy Behaviours in Romantic Contexts

  • Explore signs of healthy and unhealthy behaviours in showing romantic interest, maintaining relationships, and starting intimacy.
  • Help students reflect on emotional readiness for a sexual relationship.

Understanding Consent

  • Introduce the concepts of "freedom" and "capacity" in relation to consent.
  • Teach students how to identify situations where someone may lack the ability or freedom to give informed consent.

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)

  • Discuss common STIs, their symptoms, and consequences.
  • Emphasise the importance of prevention and regular testing, rather than encouraging self-diagnosis.

Unplanned Pregnancy

  • Address unplanned pregnancy as a potential consequence of sexual activity.

Contraception Education

  • Build on prior knowledge of contraception (from Year 8).
  • Introduce the range of contraceptive options, including condoms for STI prevention in non-heterosexual relationships.
  • Provide practical knowledge, such as a condom demonstration, to promote effective use.

Relationship Breakdown and Mental Health

  • Explore how the end of a romantic relationship can impact mental health.
  • Highlight the connection between emotional well-being and relationship dynamics.

Intimacy and Readiness

  • Examines the role of intimacy and pleasure in consensual relationships.
  • Discusses what "readiness" for sexual intimacy means, both individually and as a couple.

Healthy Relationships

  • Identifies features of healthy relationships.
  • Explores attitudes toward various relationship behaviours and how these align with respect and equality.

Impact of Pornography

  • Investigates how pornography influences young people's understanding of consent.
  • Challenges misconceptions and inaccurate messages about sexual relationships.

Consent vs. Coercion

  • Differentiates between obtaining consent and behaviours that pressure or coerce someone into actions they are uncomfortable with.
  • Considers the consequences of persuasion and coercion in relationships.

Conflict and Disagreement

  • Explores the features of disagreement in healthy relationships versus conflict in unhealthy ones.
  • Enhances students' ability to identify signs of coercion and abuse.

Managing Breakups

  • Discusses appropriate strategies for managing the end of a relationship respectfully.

Abusive Relationships and Domestic Violence

  • Focuses on recognising abusive behaviours and their impact.
  • Provides strategies for addressing abuse, including seeking support and developing safe exit plans.
  • Highlights the specific challenges and barriers associated with domestic violence and accessing help.

For any more information, please contact the school’s PSHE Co-ordinator Philippa Edwards:

0191 605 3559

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