PSHCE and Relationships & Sex Education (RSE)
Through PSHCE students develop a range of knowledge and skills that will enable them to thrive and contribute to society whilst nurturing enterprise and critically engaging with the Christian worldview.
PSHCE (Personal, Social, Health, Citizenship & Economic Education) is a subject that we believe is integral to our boys personal, social, moral, cultural and emotional development at FBS. In a world that is complex, PSHCE provides a nurturing environment for our young gentlemen to discuss current and sometimes controversial issues, whilst learning how to safely manage their personal and social lives and positively impact society.
PSHCE plays an important role in preparing boys for life after school and for adult life, including for careers, financial literacy, and what it means to be a citizen who participates in British democracy. In this there are concrete links between PSHCE and the school’s careers provision, approach to student leadership and activities such as mock elections and debates.
PSHCE plays a key role in boys’ personal development. This includes in the school’s support and promotion of fundamental British values: democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs, and for those without faith.
Co-ordinated by Mr Missen (j.missen@fulhamboysschool.org.uk) and Miss Singh (c.singh@fulhamboysschool.org.uk) with a close link to Enterprise, PSHCE provision is overseen by form tutors on Tuesday mornings through a Project Based Learning format. The boys explore a range of crucial themes that aim to enable them to develop their own values and equip them to flourish in adult life. They are given a project to complete in groups and then present their work at the end of each term.
The themes covered in PSHCE by Year 7 through to 11 each term are part of a three year cycle that runs alongside PSHCE afternoon provision and the RSE programme. Please see the table below for the themes covered this year.
Relationships & Sex Education (RSE)
RSE (Relationships & Sex Education) is about the emotional, social and cultural development of boys, and involves learning about, amongst other things, healthy and unhealthy relationships, the value of stable relationships, including marriage, sexual health, sexuality, safety, consent, pornography, sexual abuse, sexual violence, sexual harrassment, being safe online and the law. Boys will learn about the importance and implications of the 2010 Equality Act, and the rights groups and individuals have.
The school’s aim for RSE is similar to that of PSHCE: it is that boys develop a range of knowledge and skills that will allow them to be safe, be healthy, thrive and contribute to the school community and in the wider world.
As with PSHCE, the RSE programme nurtures boys’ enterprise skills, including skills of being able to discuss, debate and ask questions about contentious topics in a mature way. And as with PSHCE, the RSE programme gives boys the opportunity to consider Christian views on the topics and issues they are learning about. At every stage they are encouraged to think, ask questions and come to their own conclusions. Christian teachings considered in RSE include:
- Everyone being ‘made in God’s image’ and having intrinsic value.
- The Christian attitude of sacrificial love (as shown by Jesus Christ and by Biblical texts such as ‘love your neighbour’) that call us to respect others and put them first.
- Compassion towards those who are victims of abuse.
- God as the creator of sex, and sex as a good gift.
- The teachings of the Bible and of Jesus Christ that the place for sex is within life-long marriage between one man and one woman, and for within the context of a committed relationship rather than being merely a physical act.
- How these teachings contrasts with the view of sex portrayed in, for example, pornography
As a school we are very clear that issues such as everyday sexism, misogyny, homophobia and stereotyping can be specifically addressed through the RSE programme, but are also addressed through a wider school culture where these are not tolerated, and any occurrences are identified and tackled. Our pastoral approach and behaviour expectations make this clear.
The RSE programme involves a range of staff and external agencies, including the Head of School, Head of Sixth Form, PSHCE coordinators, PEPSO, the Metropolitan Police and local RSE charities. It is overseen by the Director of Christian Ethos, Mr Sam Brown (s.brown@fulhamboysschool.org.uk). Parents are encouraged to get in touch with him if they have any questions.
The PSHCE and RSE curricula are not be ‘driven’ by events in the news, but we recognise the importance of referencing, responding to and discussing issues that may be of particular concern or confusion to boys and wider society.
PSHCE & RSE are also supported through the teaching of the whole curriculum, notably (but not limited to) Science, Physical Education, Religious Education and Computing, as well as co-curricular sessions and the sports programme. The pastoral system, including assemblies and form times, also play a key role in supporting the teaching of this content.
Policy
You can find out more about the school’s approach to PSHCE and RSE in our policy page here. This includes information on the statutory basis for PSHCE and RSE, the staff involved in leading it, the way it is delivered and monitored, how the policy and curriculum have been developed, the parental right to withdraw a child from sex education, and a more detailed overview of the curriculum.
The PSHCE and RSE curriculum has been designed in light of our context and pupils, best practice, the ethos of the school and the latest statutory guidance on Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (here).
