PSHCE, Sociology
Who are we?
Head of Department – Miss B Cole
Teachers – Mrs R Allison, Miss K George, Miss Z Zafar
Curriculum Intent
We are society.
We are active citizens.
We are everyone.
We empower our students – they will be articulate, knowledgeable and compassionate. Our students are equipped to look after themselves, each other, our community and beyond.
Curriculum Map
Curriculum Map
Click here to view the department curriculum map.
What do we do?
Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE)
Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE) helps young people to embrace change, feel positive about who they are and enjoy healthy, safe, responsible and fulfilled lives. Through active learning opportunities, students are taught to recognise and manage risk and learn to take increasing responsibility for themselves.
Students learn about their rights, responsibilities, duties and freedoms and how they can play an active role in the life of their schools, neighbourhoods, communities and wider society. Students are encouraged to respect all nationalities and religious and ethnic backgrounds.
PSHCE equips students with the knowledge and abilities needed for effective and democratic participation. It helps them to become informed, critical, active citizens who have the confidence and belief to work collaboratively, and try to make a difference in their communities and the wider world. PSHCE addresses issues relating to social justice, human rights, community cohesion and encourages students to challenge injustice, prejudice and discrimination.
Pupils enjoy 1 hour of PSHCE each week at Key Stage 3 and 5 off-timetable days each year of Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11).
In KS4, students who opt to take GCSE Citizenship study the new AQA GCSE specification, a 100% linear exam. The course follows four themes, developing awareness of the role of citizens within a variety of contexts:
Theme 1: Life in modern Britain
Theme 2: Rights and responsibilities
Theme 3: Politics and participation
Theme 4: Taking citizenship action
All of the themes require links to be made between local, national, European and global dimensions.
GCSE Sociology
A day in the life…
Just a few examples of the exiting activities to expect:
Students follow a programme of study but, within this, staff remain flexible and try to adapt teaching so that it is topical and current, in line with any major developments in the world. There are also points during the year when the overview is collapsed so that students can gain new understanding of cultural identity by looking at traditions such as Bonfire Night. Students are also given fun learning activities where they plan how they would survive a zombie apocalypse.
Consistency
We PRIDE ourselves in consistently providing quality teaching for both PSHCE and GCSE Citizenship with current and topical resources aimed at engaging and challenging all learners.
We aim to provide regular timely feedback and students are asked to reflect about their work and complete next steps task which aid improvements in learning and progress.
We consistently and continuously provide platforms of learning designed to stretch pupils application and evaluation skills whilst encouraging strong subject knowledge.
We encourage collaboration within the department sharing good practice and disseminating resources ensuring a consistent approach with Teaching and Learning.
Closing the Gaps
We advocate a department policy of Friday positive phone call home, where we liaise with parents/carers regarding their child’s progress, attitudes to learning and next steps.
We provide our KS4 GCSE Citizenship with opportunities to visit the local courts through our links with Huddersfield magistrates
We maintain excellent relations with external agencies. Through our provision for KS4 DDD and KS3 PSHCE several external agencies (police/ Youth council etc) are utilised for bespoke sessions and input.
Community
KS4 students are provided with one to ones and have independent revision lessons, so they can digest the course content at their own ability/pace – attempting timed exam questions or testing their understanding of key terminology.
For Key stage 4 students, GCSE Citizenship course revision guides and activity books are purchased by the department for students to use.
Targeted intervention sessions aimed at specific cohorts of learners.