We believe that every student should leave Guilsborough Academy with the knowledge, skills and mind-set necessary to achieve their full potential and become role model citizens in society.

Students will believe:

• There is no limit to my academic potential
• I have plenty of options available post-16 and post-18
• Hard work, commitment and drive will open doors for me
• Modelling respect, responsibility and equality will make me a valued member of society and a valuable employee.

Students will develop an in-depth understanding of:

• Physical health
• Mental wellbeing
• Healthy relationships
• Living in the wider world
• Career options and Educational Pathways
• Citizenship
• British Values: Democracy, Rule of Law, Individual Liberty & Respect and Tolerance

Guilsborough Academy’s Personal Development Programme Delivery

Life Skills Programme:

Our Life Skills lessons are taught by a specialist Life Skills Teacher and supporting staff, including Form Tutors. There is a scheme of learning covering:

• Relationships: including developing and maintaining positive relationships and dealing with negative relationships. This may include learning about bullying, consent, how to communicate effectively, inappropriate behaviour in relationships and, at a later stage, topics such as sexual coercion and grooming.
• Developing independence, resilience and responsibility: including preparing children and young people to face life’s challenges and make the most of life’s opportunities. This area includes online safety including learning about AI and the increase in the use of deepfake technology.
• Health: including healthy lifestyles, healthy eating and exercise; mental and emotional health; drug, alcohol and tobacco education; emergency life-saving skills.
• Managing risk: including understanding personal safety and online safety; financial choices and risks; appreciating the value of taking risks in certain situations (e.g. entrepreneurial risks).
• Economic wellbeing: including the role of money, influences on our use of money, gambling, careers education, exploring the tax system, international issues and rights and responsibilities.
• Employability skills: including learning about enterprise, business and finance. Developing the skills and attributes to succeed at work, including communication skills and confidence.

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)

We believe RSE is an important aspect of the Life Skills programme which makes a significant contribution to the development of personal skills needed by students to establish and maintain positive, healthy relationships. RSE enables our students to make responsible and well-informed decisions about their health and wellbeing. It supports them in forming positive beliefs and attitudes about sex and sexuality, relationships and feelings.

RSE is taught in a spiral curriculum, meaning that topics are repeated as they progress up the year groups adding further detail to the subject for an age-appropriate understanding. Resources for teaching are taken from the PSHE Association and Cre8tive Curriculum. The content that is studied is summarised below and follows the statutory Health Education Guidance for RS(H)E 2020. It is currently being updated in the light of new government guidance which comes into force in September 2026.

The curriculum outline is below:

Year 7 – Friendships, Respect and Relationships

This unit looks at consent and boundaries and evaluates why personal space and boundaries are important when growing up. It then looks at the wide range of relationships that young people have and the qualities of good friendships. The unit then finishes looking at how to manage these relationships and looks at pressures and influences within different types of relationships.

Year 8 – Identity, Relationships and Sex Education

This unit starts with an introduction to RSE looking at what makes a healthy relationship. It deals with conflict that can happen within relationships. Students will look at the difference between sex and gender and the harmful prejudices and stereotypes that can be associated with these. All students learn about the menstrual cycle. The unit finishes with a brief look at what is love and an introduction to the concept of contraception.

Year 9 – Sex the Law and Consent

Year 9 starts looking at the law concerning sexual consent and FGM. It then looks at delaying sexual activity (emphasising the law around the age of consent) and the pressures that can be associated with this. It covers the positive and negative reasons to have sex and explores the consequences of making a relationship sexual. Then to finish students debate the sexualisation of the media and the impact this is having on teens.

Year 9 - Contraception and STIs

In the second half-term of RSE Year 9, study STIs in detail. They then look at different forms of contraception, looking at how they work and the pros and cons of each type. The realities of contraception and the link between pregnancy and STIs are also studied. The laws and legal frameworks linked to sexual harassment and stalking are explored and then knowing the difference between flirting and sexual harassment. The unit finishes looking at HIV and AIDS in more detail.

Year 10 – Exploring Relationships and Sex Education

This looks at the legal, emotional and social consequences of sending 'sexts'. This is then explored further with pornography looking at what is and is not legal and identifying the differences between what is seen in pornography and real life. It explores how common access to pornographic material can affect attitudes and beliefs towards sex, relationships and self. Sexual violence is covered looking at assault and rape. The unit progresses onto pleasure and looks at masturbation and the risk associated with different sexual activities.

Year 11 – Sexual Health

Year 11s study the importance of their sexual health and the impact bad choices can have. They revisit contraception and STIs in further detail. They look at respect in relationships and the importance of this. They then look at fertility and what can impact fertility, leading on to different types of fertility treatment.