Personal Development
Learning Journey & Sequencing Rationale
As Personal Development Teachers we place pupil’s development at the heart of each lesson. We want to develop learners into responsible adults who make sustained and valuable contributions to their local communities, and society, through active citizenship and embodying British values. We aims to provide students with a curriculum which enables them to develop knowledge and understanding of diverse cultures and key aspects of living a responsible life including healthy relationships. Within our topics we foster an attitude of tolerance, understanding and value towards differences of any kind. We aim to raise the aspirations and opportunities of all learners such that they realise their potential by acquiring a place at a university, an apprenticeship, or a career of their choice. We hope to develop learners who are ready to thrive in Britain and the wider world by knowing how to keep healthy and safe, be financially sound, and reflective.
unit overview - relationship and sex education
|
Subject: Relationship and Sex Education |
|
|
Skills |
|
|
Knowledge |
Throughout Year 10 learners will gain knowledge on:
|
|
Rationale |
The Government’s requirement that RSE be taught in schools emphasises on young people being equipped with knowledge and skills on how to create a happy and successful adult life with healthy relationships, and to allow them to make informed decisions regarding their lives and wellbeing. Our Year 10 curriculum for RSE explores what healthy relationships should consist of from a non-biased point of view, and more rather focusing on what red flags are involved in unhealthy relationships and encouraging learners to be able to identify such alarm bells should they ever need to. The unit also explores the reproductive system and the risks of unprotected sex, as well as pregnancy and abortions. It goes into detailed teachings regarding the process of pregnancy, to ensure that learners understand the health effects of pregnancy, especially for a young person. According to healthcare research in 2018, 53% of under-18 conceptions resulted in an abortion, which is the highest percentage in over 25 years. This suggests that more needs to be done to prevent unwanted pregnancy through better sexual education for young people, promoting effective contraception, and improving access to sexual and reproductive health services – statistics show that 70% of young people don’t know how to access local sexual health services. Through the RSE unit in Year 10, learners are able to understand the risks and reasoning behind various UK laws regarding abortion and free contraception, as well as the importance of why young people especially should stay safe, make informed decisions and form healthy relationships. Learners are also taught about the risks of infections from lack of safety in their actions, as well as severe offences such as rape and how such incidents can affect someone’s health both physically and mentally. This unit also provides learners with various health services that they can go to, as well as other means of advice and help, should they find themselves in a situation of concern.
|
unit overview - health
|
Subject: Health |
|
|
Skills |
|
|
Knowledge |
Throughout Health 4 learners will gain knowledge of:
|
|
Rationale |
Health 4 in Year 10 covers aspects of the statutory requirement as required by the Department of Education. In this unit, learners will look at many aspects of how someone’s health can be affected by drug use. The unit focuses primarily on exploring different types of drugs, what drug category and classification they are, and the effects of the drugs looked at. In 2018 a major drugs case occurred within the London Borough of Harrow, which involved over £30k worth of class A drugs. Many learners became aware of the case and are aware of other cases, as such, we believe it is vital for young people to be educated about drugs and addiction, and the consequences of drug activity. Alongside this, it is important that learners feel safe in their local area, as statistics show that 65% of young people say there are areas where they feel unsafe, in and around Harrow. With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many sources and surveys, such as the Global Drug Survey, predict that lockdowns will prove to show an increase in drug use and a raise in mental health issues. The importance of learners understanding both the short and long term effects that drugs may have on someone’s health, is especially important during the pandemic, as many young people may find themselves searching for excitement, as well as many of them experiencing mental health issues; statistics show that 60-65% of young people sometimes or often feel down or depressed. Within this topic students will be able to develop their knowledge, about all drugs and appreciate the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, relating this to their own and others’ actions. Throughout the topic learners will be taught ways of recognising and managing risks; the topic aims to make it real and relevant to learners demonstrating case studies of young people and different outcomes of these young peoples’ lives due to drug use.
|
unit overview - citizenship
|
Subject: Citizenship |
|
|
Skills |
|
|
Knowledge |
Throughout Citizenship 4 will gain knowledge of:
|
|
Rationale |
Government guidance states that Citizenship education in KS4 should build on learners’ knowledge in KS3 and deepen understanding of democracy and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. In Year 10, learners do this by analysing how they can be good citizens and uphold citizens’ rights, particularly human rights, as well as looking at how human rights in other countries are upheld/not upheld. Learners should also gain a deeper understanding of fundamental British values (FBV) in Year 10 Citizenship when learning about British identities – the promotion of FBVs in schools became a requirement by the Department of Education in 2014, in particular through the delivery of a form of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Culture development (SMSC). Learners find the unit interesting as it looks at topical issues as well as building their knowledge on important issues which will help develop their understanding as Citizens in the U.K. The unit also aims at helping learners understand areas such as freedom of expression and Free press which we feel is important especially during recent times with the issue of Brexit and COVID. As Harrow High is a diverse community with learners from various different backgrounds, including a high number of learners new to the country, the Year 10 Citizenship unit is vital in strengthening and deepening learners’ understanding of the UK legal system and how citizens’ rights coincide and work together in order to create and maintain a good, smooth running society. The unit also builds on from Year 9’s Citizenship unit that analysing the functioning of the government in more depth; therefore, in Year 10 by emphasising more so on how we can be good, responsible citizens in order to contribute to a smooth functioning society, learners are aware of how the system works and how citizens compliment the system in place when actively working to uphold rights and responsibilities.
|
unit overview - finance
|
Subject: Finance |
|
|
Skills |
|
|
Knowledge |
Financial education is the teaching and learning that leads to individuals improving their knowledge, skills and attitudes in relation to money. The topic will endeavour to teach the importance of being financially responsible. Throughout finance Year 10 learners will gain knowledge of:
|
|
Rationale |
As the Department of Education made Finance education a requirement in schools since 2014, statistics according to the MoneyAdvice Service show that 50% of schools are only delivering financial education once or twice a term, and teaching financial numeracy and calculations is most frequently delivered. At Harrow High, we aim to provide learners with a whole unit on Finance education from years 7-10. In Year 10, learners build on knowledge developed in the previous three years, and the aim focuses more on identifying bad financial decisions (such as excessive gambling), the effects of such decisions (such as, gambling addictions and excessive debts), and how to maintain financial stability (such as, saving money from income, protecting yourself online from fraud and identity theft, identifying risks of being a money mule, and making smart financial investments). It is crucial that young people are given a more in-depth experience of Finance education especially during the COVID lockdowns,. During this time, there has been a huge increase in criminals using the pandemic to target victims online, through impersonation scams, credit and debit card fraud and investment scams, as well as ‘get rich quick’ schemes that take advantage of young people and adults and their money. Through Finance education at Harrow High, learners should by the end of Year 10, be more confident in making financial choices as they grow older and gain more experience with handling their own finances and having more financial freedom, such as if they get a job when they turn 16. The Finance unit also compliments Harrow High’s several careers education opportunities that learners experience at the school, such as careers fairs, careers sessions delivered throughout the year including subject specific opportunities, careers carousel sessions as part of Personal Development.
|
knowledge Organiser
A knowledge organiser is an important document that lists the important facts that learners should know by the end of a unit of work. It is important that learners can recall these facts easily, so that when they are answering challenging questions in their assessments and GCSE and A-Level exams, they are not wasting precious time in exams focusing on remembering simple facts, but making complex arguments, and calculations.
We encourage all pupils to use them by doing the following:
- Quiz themselves at home, using the read, write, cover, check method.
- Practise spelling key vocabulary
- Further researching people, events and processes most relevant to the unit.