PSHE & RSHE

This page looks at how we promote Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development at Harris Academy Peckham. We define spiritual, moral, social and cultural as follows.

Spiritual - explore beliefs and experience; respect values; discover oneself and the surrounding world; use imagination and creativity; reflect.

Moral - recognise right and wrong; understand consequences; investigate moral and ethical issues; offer reasoned views.

Social - use social skills in different contexts; work well with others; resolve conflicts; understand how communities work.

Cultural - appreciate cultural influences; participate in culture opportunities; understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity.

This ties in with all our curriculum drivers, where we intend to develop students'

• Leadership as Global Citizens
• Enquiry as Critical thinkers and Communicators
• Aspiration to master empathy for other people's views and self-expression
• Perseverance as lifelong learners.

The subject of relationship, sex, health, and education (RSHE) must be taught in schools. We strive to teach high quality RSHE through our tutor programme and assemblies, considering the appropriateness of the content for each year group. We have carefully sequenced our Personal Development Curriculum around six themes:  

1. How do we culture respectful relationships? 
2. How do we keep safe online? 
3. How do we keep safe in our community and in relationships? 
4. How do we care for our minds and bodies? 
5. What are the different types of abuse? 
6. How do we protect and understand our changing bodies? 

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Promoting SMSC development

Tutorial programme

Our ethos at Harris Academy Peckham (Leadership, Enquiry, Aspiration, Perseverance) underpins all of our curriculum. This applies to our comprehensive provision for SMSC which infiltrates throughout the wider curriculum.  

Assemblies

Assemblies at Harris Academy Peckham are tied into a weekly theme and explored further during tutor time. Our assemblies help to foster a sense of community and shared success. The weekly themes selected for assembly allow the students the opportunity to consider spiritual and moral issues and help to reinforce the academy ethos of striving for excellence.

Guest speakers and external partners

Our curriculum provides students with opportunities to receive presentations and workshops from specially-selected guest speakers and external partners relevant to the area of study. This is an important part of educating our students as it allows them to receive information and guidance from experts with vast experience and knowledge which will help our students to develop their understanding of spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues.

Educational visits

Students regularly participate in trips and visits to sites and experiences to further develop them spiritually and socially. The educational visits offer students opportunities to extend their learning and enrich their understanding and appreciation of the world around them and opportunities available to them.

Enrichment programme

Our enrichment programme offers students fun and challenging experiences beyond our regular curriculum. Students gain new skills and also develop their social skills.  Activities include Duke of Edinburgh Award, Film Club, Debating club and Model United Nations.

Lead learners

Lead learners are students who are given responsibility for different areas of the curriculum or academy.  This helps to empower our students to take play a role in the ongoing development of the academy.

Religious education and philosophy

The curriculum for Religious Education (RE) and Philosophy is broad and well-balanced, promoting the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of students, and helping to prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. Our RE themes involve respect, tolerance, appreciation and wonder and open-mindedness. We offer a balanced approach to students’ religious education which is broadly Christian, but encompasses all major faiths.

PSHE

PSHE stands for Personal, Social, Health and Economic Wellbeing Education. PSHE is designed to promote the spiritual, moral, social, cultural, emotional and physical wellbeing of Harris Academy Peckham students.

The syllabus for Year 7 PSHE reflects the needs of our students, as well as the concerns of parents. We aim to provide students with a ‘Curriculum for Life Long Learning,’ which helps to prepare our students for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.

The curriculum is structured so that the topics follow a progression from one year to the next and are appropriate for the age and experiences of pupils.  In addition to the curriculum, students also participate in 'drop down' days on a particular theme and the possibility of attending trips relevant to our areas of study.