Positive Living
Intent & Implementation
Our Curriculum Intent
The aim of the positive living program is to:
- Build socially aware, culturally competent and critical young adults who are prepared for the opportunities and challenges of adult life.
- To expose students to local and world wide issues so they have a greater understanding and sense of the world around them
- To develop the value of community and aspirations so our students go on to lead fulfilling lives which embrace British values.
- To support students in the changes they’ll experience throughout secondary school and beyond.
How our subject curriculum is sequenced and why we plan it this way:
Positive Living emcompasses Relationship and Sex Education (RSE), Health Education, Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE), Citizenship, Character Education, Personal development and Careers.
Positive Living is a broad subject which offers a diverse learning journey for our students so they are prepared for adult life. We have embedded a thematic spiral approach to gain the best impact on student learning. The following themes are used in the relevant order:
- My mental wellbeing
- Be A Buddy not a bully
- Healthy Lifestyles
- Relationships
- Living in the UK & Beyond
- My Career,skills and finance
Our themes reflect the legal requirements we are obliged to teach and sequenced in a way to compliment each other. For example Be a buddy not a bully discusses peer pressure ahead of healthy lifestyles where we talk about alcohol, drugs and smoking. This allows students to transfer knowledge between themes and apply the knowledge appropriately.
We have scheduled the themes according to our student needs and in a timely manner. For example Mental health is addressed early in the year following a 6 week break from school where support may not have been available.
We deliver age appropriate content by using national and local data (Chimat, Ayph) alongside school specific needs. For example we know drug use increases amongst 14 year olds and is therefore taught when the likelihood of first use is apparent. This will prepare students not just for later life but for the current issues, pressures and social interactions they may be facing now.
How we connect the knowledge over the key stages (deliberate connections):
Each year every year group will revisit each theme. Our thematic spiralling approach allows us to create a constant re-cycling of knowledge and opportunity to embed further content.
How we make our subject knowledge stick:
Our curriculum planning naturally encourages subject knowledge to ‘stick’ as students will revisit each theme and recap content year on year.
Throughout the year content from other themes will also be recapped e.g. We will talk about online safety numerous times over the course of the year. The content chosen to be re-capped is based on our student needs.
We also use scenarios and discussion points to forge useful links between content and reality which encourages retention. This method provides students with the skills to address different situations such as uncomfortable conversations, peer pressure, overcoming challenges and utilising opportunities outside of the classroom and school time.
How We Allow All Students to Succeed ( included SEND and disadvantaged )
How we allow all students to reach our ambitious subject end points:
All students will receive a universal inclusive approach to Positive Living.
All Positive Living will be taught during the tutor time program. All tutors, within the same year group, follow the same scheme of learning with the same resources at the same time.
All students are signposted to further support if they need it and resources are posted on tutor classrooms when available and appropriate.
Our Curriculum Overview
Curriculum Overview KS3 (Click here)
Curriculum Overview KS4 (Click here)
Our Curriculum Learning Pathway
KS3 and KS4 Subject Curriculum Pathway (PDF)
Our Curriculum
Autumn Term
During the autumn term students learning will be focussed around mental health & wellbeing and fostering / building relationships. These two areas will be split into themes called ‘My Mental Wellbeing’, taught in the first half term and ‘Be a buddy not a bully’ taught in the second half term. There are two big days or weeks on mental health, anti-bullying and ‘Celebrating Equality: LGBTQ+’. Students answer ‘big questions’ within each theme.
Mental health big questions
Yr 7: What is mental health and how can I look after my own?
Yr 8: What can I do if I’m finding things difficult?
Yr 9: Can I recognise good mental health in me and others?
Yr 10: What can I do to manage life changes and negative thinking?
Yr 11: How do I know when someone else or I needs help?
Be a buddy not a bully big questions
Yr 7: How can I recognise and react to bullying?
Yr 8: How can I manage peer pressure?
Yr 9: What is being prejudiced?
Yr 10: What is a healthy relationship?
Yr 11: How can I support someone in a bad relationship?
Spring term
During the spring term students explore the following themes; ‘Healthy Lifestyles’ in the first half term and ‘Relationships’ in the second. The ‘Looking after me’, ‘Doing things for our community’ and ‘Celebrating equality: Racism’ Big week/day occur in these half terms.
Healthy lifestyle big questions:
Yr 7: How can I look after myself?
Yr 8: What choices do I have over my health and lifestyle?
Yr 9: What can I do if I’m worried about my health, lifestyles or personal safety?
Yr 10: Making healthy decisions about my lifestyle and safety
Yr 11: Taking responsibility for my lifestyle
Relationships big questions:
Yr 7: Building relationships
Yr 8: Maintaining relationships
Yr 9: Family relationships
Yr 10: Community relationships
Yr 11: The world’s relationship with human rights
In addition to this programme students will have an impact day.
Year 7 topics:
- Sex education
- First Aid
- HSBC: Household Budgeting
Year 8 topics include:
- First aid
- Alcohol education
- Road safety
- Sex Education
- Water safety
Year 9 topics include:
- First aid
- Drug education
- Sex Education
- Gamcare
- Fire and Arson
Year 10 topics include:
- Sex Education
- First aid - CPR delivered training
- Road safety
- Impacts of Porn
- HSBC: Savvy Shopping
Year 11 topics include:
- First aid
- Sex Education
- HSBC: Moving out of home
Please note changes to topics may occur depending on availability and student needs. The time of year students receive this content may also change.
Students will receive a workshop from AlterEgo called ‘Chelsea’s choice’. They will receive this at some point between yr 9 and 11 depending on the three year cycle. This drama performance raises awareness of sexual exploitation. It also consolidates learning done in our relationships theme. This performance is planned for 2022.
Summer Term
‘Living in the UK and beyond’ and ‘My Career, skills and finance’ are the final two themes of our academic year. A ‘Celebrating Equality: Disability’ ‘Life Skills’ big day/week is included in the final term.
Year 11’s will not complete the final theme ‘My Career, skills and finance’ due to study leave and exams.
Living in the UK and beyond big questions:
Yr 7: What does it mean to be part of the UK?
Yr 8: Why do we vote for different political parties?
Yr 9: What is the justice system?
Yr 10: Britain and wider world politics
Yr 11: How are other countries governing and what impacts does that have?
My career skills and fiance:
Yr 7: What kind of careers are there and what skills will I need?
Yr 8: What job can I get now?
Yr 9: Making choices
Yr 10: The workplace
Further detail on all these themes and impacts days can be found on the ‘Positive Living Curriculum 2021’ link above.
Transition & Building on KS2 / KS3
CCC has worked closely with our primary partners during 2021/22. We have shared knowledge on the curriculum intents at key stage two and key stage three to enhance student transition and the sequencing of learning.
Key Stage 3 and 4
The aim of the positive living program is to:
- Build socially aware, culturally competent and critical young adults who are prepared for the opportunities and challenges of adult life.
- To expose students to local and world wide issues so they have a greater understanding and sense of the world around them
- To develop the value of community and aspirations so our students go on to lead fulfilling lives which embrace British values.
- To support students in the changes they’ll experience throughout secondary school and beyond.
What Course(s) do we follow?
The positive living program follows the PSHE association schemes of learning.
Curriculum Impact- How we measure attainment and progress:
Assessment of students' learning is done at the start and end of each theme (half term). We use different platforms such as online google forms, kahoots or a paper assessment. The assessment can include recall questions, self reflections, the opportunity for students to apply their knowledge to scenarios whilst also asking them for feedback on the topic.
Students are demonstrating their progression of knowledge and understanding through this assessment but it can also be identified through class discussion, role play and debating. Each theme lasts between 4-6 weeks meaning assessment is a good indicator of retained knowledge.
Feedback forms after each impact days are also collected and reflected upon for future years.
How do we enrich our subject outside the classroom?
Students have the opportunity to become socially aware, culturally competent, critical young adults through our vast extra-curricular program at CCC. A few examples would be our British sign language club, debating club, multiple sports clubs, duke of edinburgh, ten tors and art club.