PSHE at Yavneh College
PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) helps our students develop the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to stay healthy and safe, build positive relationships, make informed decisions and prepare for life beyond school.
Our PSHE programme is built around four key strands:
- Health & Wellbeing
- Relationships & Sex Education (RSE)
- Living in the Wider World
- British Values
The programme follows the updated statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education guidance published by the Department for Education in 2025.
A spiral curriculum
Our PSHE curriculum follows a spiral model, which means that important topics are revisited throughout Years 7–11. Topics such as consent, online safety, mental health, and drugs and alcohol are returned to at different stages, with the content becoming more detailed and age-appropriate as students mature.
The frequency with which topics are revisited reflects their importance and the changing needs of our students. This approach helps students build on previous learning and develop a deeper understanding over time.
How PSHE is delivered
All students in Years 7–11 have PSHE at the same time each week, on Friday Period 1.
Each year group also completes an Assessment and Reflection Point at least once each term. This gives students an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the content covered and to reflect on their learning. Students are also encouraged to share their thoughts and feedback on the unit and to make suggestions to tutors about future lessons and topics.
Working with external organisations
We work with a number of trusted external organisations to complement our PSHE curriculum and provide specialist input at key points throughout the learning journeys. These include:
- Streetwise / CST – personal safety, antisemitism and tolerance across different key stages
- Links Academy – drugs, vaping and alcohol at several key stages
- Learn2Rescue – first aid training for Year 8
These sessions are designed to complement, rather than replace, the teaching delivered by our own staff.
The Kavod Committee
Each year, we work with the Kavod Committee, a Sixth Form committee that delivers peer-led PSHE sessions to younger students. Each new committee chooses its own area of focus, allowing students to respond to issues that are particularly relevant to their peers.
Previous sessions have explored topics including consent, inclusion, social media and phone use.
In 2026–27, the committee will deliver sessions for:
- Year 8: Social Groups
- Year 10: Party Culture
We are very grateful to Keshet UK for supporting the committee in developing its resources and ensuring that the sessions are inclusive and thoughtful.
Careers through PSHE
A significant part of our Careers Education is delivered through PSHE. The programme begins in Year 7 with study skills, identifying strengths and developing an initial understanding of careers. It then progresses through GCSE options, career pathways and post-16 choices, before preparing students for work experience, CV writing and life beyond school.
We use Unifrog as our online careers platform. From Year 7, students use Unifrog to build their personal profile, record their activities and skills, and explore future opportunities and pathways.
Further information, including our Careers Policy and details of how parents can access or sign up to Unifrog, can be found in the Careers section of our website.
Year Group Overviews
Year 7
Starting secondary school is a significant transition. For many students, Year 7 is also the first time they are travelling to and from school independently and spending more time socialising outside of school. Many students also receive their first phone during this year.
Our PSHE programme therefore focuses on online safety, healthy friendships, respectful behaviour, managing emotions and personal safety. We also cover puberty, personal hygiene, sleep and healthy habits, alongside study skills and students’ first steps in exploring careers.
The increased independence that comes with starting secondary school makes personal safety an important focus in Year 7. Streetwise / CST deliver individual sessions on personal safety and an introduction to antisemitism, helping students understand how to stay safe, recognise concerning behaviour and respond appropriately to situations they may encounter.
All Year 7 students also take part in a one-off Krav Maga workshop, focusing on the basics of self-defence and developing students’ awareness and confidence in keeping themselves safe.
As students begin attending and participating in more celebrations and social events including Bat Mitzvahs, we also explore how to behave respectfully and safely in different settings.
Year 8
Year 8 brings new social experiences, including bar mitzvah celebrations for many students. We build on the foundations established in Year 7, with a particular focus on respect, kindness, consent, appropriate behaviour, peer pressure and bullying.
As students become increasingly active online, we explore topics including image sharing and the law, deepfakes, sextortion, scams and misinformation. Students also learn about mental health, substance use, gambling and democracy.
Year 8 students also complete first aid training with Learn2Rescue, developing practical skills that can help them respond confidently in an emergency
Year 9
As students begin their GCSE courses, Year 9 focuses on developing independence, resilience and self-care.
Topics include anxiety and asking for help, sleep and healthy eating, drugs and vaping, body image and gym culture, healthy relationships and coercive control, personal safety, money and work.
Students also develop their GCSE study skills and begin to think more carefully about their future pathways and careers.
This learning supports students as they prepare for YCIT, our three-week residential trip abroad at the end of Year 9, where they will experience greater independence and new responsibilities.
Year 10
As students become increasingly independent both socially and online, Year 10 provides more detailed and mature learning in Relationships and Sex Education.
Topics include consent and the law, contraception and sexual health, pornography, exploitation and grooming, and online radicalisation. Students also explore goal-setting, post-16 options and preparation for work experience.
Alongside this, students develop their understanding of faith, equality and human rights, helping them to engage thoughtfully with the wider world.
Year 11
Year 11 prepares students for the transition beyond GCSEs and the increased independence that comes with life after school. This includes preparing for Israel Tour, where students will have greater responsibility for themselves and their wellbeing.
PSHE covers personal safety, consent, coercion and staying safe online, alongside practical preparation for adult life, including money management, post-16 planning and CV writing.
As students approach their GCSE examinations, dedicated sessions focus on wellbeing, managing pressure and coping with exam stress, helping students to look after themselves during an important and demanding period.
Working with Parents
Parents are an important part of our PSHE programme, and we aim to keep families informed about what students are learning.
- Heads of Year provide regular updates about PSHE through their weekly newsletters and inform parents about upcoming topics.
- Parents have the right to review teaching resources in advance.
- Parents may request to withdraw their child from the sex education element of RSE. The relationships and health education elements of the programme are compulsory.
Our full RSE Policy is available on the school website and provides further information about the content of the programme, parental rights and how RSE is delivered at Yavneh College.
Please click on the image above to enlarge it and see the Whole School Learning Journey.
