SMSC | Deyes High School

Our Aims

The SMSC Department aims to:

To ensure that everyone connected with the school is aware of our values and principles
To ensure a consistent approach to the delivery of SMSC, through the curriculum and the general life of the school.
To ensure that a student’s education is set within a context that is meaningful and appropriate to their age, aptitude and background.
To ensure that students know what is expected of them, in school and within our society, and why.
To give each student a range of opportunities to reflect upon and discuss their beliefs, feelings and responses to personal experience.
To enable students to develop an understanding of their individual and group identity.
To enable students to begin to develop an understanding of their social and cultural environment and an appreciation of the many cultures that now enrich our society.
To give each student the opportunity to explore social and moral issues, and develop a sense of social and moral responsibility.

Extra-Curricular Activities

The SMSC team look to develop the students understanding of the wider world and their role within it by allowing students to participate in various activities and watch performances from external agencies.

In the past these have included mock elections, visits to local aspects of government, performances of the gang-related piece ‘Terriers’, and ’Chelsea’s Choice’, a performance exploring child exploitation.

All events and performances are targeted at key year groups to provide suitability.

Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8 and 9)

SMSC at Key Stage 3

Through all years, the students look at SMSC through specific PSHE lessons, SRE lessons and Thought for the Day.

PSHE

PSHE takes place once a fortnight. The lessons are taken by form tutors, who not only know the students well, but also play a huge role in developing the students on a day-to-day basis within form time and as part of their on-going pastoral role.

PSHE lessons cover a range of topics, with subject matter that is interesting, informative and above all relevant to the students. The content is aimed at the specific year group to reach them at their level. The work is discussion based, allowing students time to think and interact with each other regarding issues that are, and could potentially, be part of their lives. These focus on the main areas of:

Relationships
Health and Wellbeing
Living in the wider world

RSE

This is taught over 4 lessons in Years 7, 8 and 9. The lessons are taught by a select amount of teachers who are trained in teaching sensitive subject matters. Students are taken out of regular timetabled lessons to be taught in half form groups. This allows for a much smaller group, allowing for greater depth of conversations and interaction about these sensitive questions and topics.

Thought for the Day

The Thought for the Day is an aspect of form time taken each morning. This focuses on themes, events and news that is current and relevant to the students, allowing the students to reflect on their actions, their world and their place within it.

The topics covered are relationship and sex focussed, with escalating topics towards the later years. These cover a variety of issues from, friendships and bullying in Year 7, to domestic violence and sexual exploitation in Year 9. The aim is to view the impact that the topic has on relationships and sexual health on the individual, ensuring students have the knowledge to make informed decisions.

Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11)

Through all years, the students look at SMSC through specific PSHE lessons, SRE lessons and Thought for the Day.

PSHE

PSHE takes place once a fortnight. These lessons are also shared with our careers curriculum at KS4. The lessons are taken by form tutors, who not only know the students well, but also play a huge role in developing the students on a day-to-day basis within form time and as part of their on-going pastoral role.

Relationships
Health and Wellbeing
Living in the wider world

RSE

In years 10 and 11, students receive their RSE through external agencies in a hope to offer a secure and non-bias environment, where students can express their views and reflect upon the content without feeling judged or embarrassed. Again, these sessions cover various topics. However, this can vary year-on-year, dependent on what topics are relevant to that year group. These sessions also offer the opportunity to discuss and evaluate the subject matter, so that students can fully engage with the material.

Thought for the Day

Staff List

Mrs J Richards

Form Tutors

Mr T Owen

Mrs S Rens

Mr C Pascoe

Mr P Smith

Mr D Jones

Leader of SMSC

SMSC Teachers

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

Year 11