Skills for Life
Our Skills for Life Curriculum encompasses personal, social, health and wellbeing alongside Citizenship, SMSC and Careers Education. Our students experience a range of different topics which not only upskill their knowledge and understanding of different topics, but provide them with the skills which they need to develop the confidence to be able to ask the right questions about these topics and know when, where and how to seek additional support, if required. We want our students to both know how to contribute positively to society and know why this is important, whilst also understanding the role that they play within the communities of which they are a part of. We provide opportunities for them to practise expressing their views appropriately and through these opportunities, we hope that they feel empowered to do so. We aim for our students to be challenged appropriately during these sessions, so that they ultimately understand more about themselves and others, explore what makes them happy and healthy and to ultimately develop the ability to go on to succeed across all areas of their lives.
Year 7
A student in Year 7 at Sale Grammar School will be taught to:
Economic Wellbeing
- Begin to understand the functions and uses of money and the importance and practice of budgeting
- Begin to have an awareness of the rights and responsibilities we have as citizens of our school, local and national communities
- Begin to appreciate diverse national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom and the need for mutual respect and understanding
- Begin to understand the roles played by public institutions and voluntary groups in society, and the ways in which citizens work together to improve their communities
Personal Wellbeing
- Recognise individual personal strengths, how this affects self-confidence/self-esteem and begin to understand that self-esteem can change with personal circumstances, such as those associated with family and friendships, achievements and employment.
- Begin to recognize the importance of, and ways of, taking increased responsibility for their own physical health (including personal hygiene) including, the benefits of and managing physical activity, what constitutes a balanced diet.
- Begin to recognize areas of risk and how to reduce that risk, minimizing harm and strategies for getting help in emergency and risky situations. For example home and electrical safety, road and cycling safety.
- Show an awareness of the positive and negative roles played by drugs in society including; alcohol, volatile substances, new psychoactive substances, tobacco, e-cigarettes, shisha, e-shisha and cannabis.
- Recognise the personal and social risks and consequences of substance use and misuse, including the benefits of not drinking alcohol (or delaying the age at which to start) and the benefits of not smoking including not harming others with second-hand smoke.
- Begin to understand the qualities and behaviours they should expect and exhibit in a wide variety of positive relationships (including teams, class, friendships etc.), including the features of positive and stable relationships and those of unhealthy relationships.
- Understand the nature and importance of marriage, civil partnerships and other stable, long-term relationships for family life and the roles/ responsibilities of parents, careers and children in families.
- Recognise bullying and abuse in all its forms (including prejudice-based bullying both in person and online/via text, abuse, exploitation and trafficking) and to have the skills and strategies to manage being targeted or witnessing others being targeted.
- Recognise peer pressure and have strategies to manage it, including recognising ‘group think’ and to develop strategies for dealing with it.
- To understand the feelings and pressure that the need for peer approval can generate, including in relation to the purchase and use of tobacco and alcohol (including cheap/illicit alcohol & cigarettes), drugs and other risky behaviours
- Understand the safe and responsible use of information communication technology (including safe management of own and others’ personal data including images)
Year 8
A student in Year 8 at Sale Grammar School will be taught to:
Economic Wellbeing
- Understand the development of the political system of democratic government in the United Kingdom, including the roles of citizens, Parliament and the monarch
- Understand the operation of Parliament, including voting and elections, and the role of political parties
- Demonstrate an awareness of the precious liberties enjoyed by the citizens of the United Kingdom
- Developed appreciation for the roles played by public institutions and voluntary groups in society, and the ways in which citizens work together to improve their communities
- Developed understanding of the practice of budgeting and managing risk.
- Begin to explore the world of careers and know the legal restrictions for youth employment.
Personal Wellbeing
- Understand how to maintain physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing and how to make informed choices about health and wellbeing matters, including how to assess and manage risks to health to keep themselves and others safe (identifying and accessing help, advice and support).
- Recognise their personal strengths and how this affects their self-confidence and self-esteem and develop the ability to accept helpful feedback or reject unhelpful criticism and understand that self-esteem can change with personal circumstances, such as those associated with family and friendships, achievements and employment
- Understand the characteristics of mental and emotional health and strategies for managing it; a range of healthy coping strategies; the causes and triggers for unhealthy coping strategies, such as self-harm and eating disorders; how to recognise when they or others need help, sources of help and strategies for accessing it
- Understand ways of recognising and reducing risk, minimising harm and strategies for getting help in emergency and risky situations
- Be aware of factual information about legal and illegal substances, and the law relating to the supply, use and misuse of legal and illegal substances, including the safe use of prescribed and over the counter medicines.
- Recognise strategies to manage different influences (including peer influence) on students’ decisions about the use of substances, (including clarifying and challenging their own perceptions, values and beliefs).
- Understand the risks and consequences of ‘experimental’ and ‘occasional’ substance use and the terms ‘dependence’ and ‘addiction’ and how to access local health services and other sources of support such as smoking cessation services or if concerned about own or others’ alcohol or substance use.
- Understand what expectations might be of having a girl/boyfriend and consider different levels of intimacy and their consequences; acknowledging and respecting the right not to have intimate relationships until ready.
Year 9
A student in Year 9 at Sale Grammar School will be taught to:
Economic Wellbeing
- Understand some of the other systems and forms of government, both democratic and non-democratic, beyond the United Kingdom
- Appreciate the difference between local, regional and international governance and the United Kingdom’s relations with the rest of Europe, the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the wider world
- Developed understanding of the legal system in the UK, different sources of law and how the law helps society deal with complex problems
- Demonstrates an understanding of the nature of rules and laws and the justice system, including the role of the police and the operation of courts and tribunals
- Understand the different ways in which a citizen can contribute to the improvement of his or her community
- Develop our understanding of budgeting, the costs of borrowing and insurance
- Develop knowledge about careers through options work, careers advice and careers research
Personal Wellbeing
- Recognise their personal strengths and how this affects their self-confidence and self-esteem and understand how to maintain physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing.
- Explain how the media portrays young people; to recognise its possible impact on body image and health issues and understand that identity is affected by a range of factors, including the media and a positive sense of self.
- Show a detailed awareness of; legal and illegal substances, the law relating to the supply, use and misuse of legal and illegal substances, the risks and consequences of ‘experimental’ and ‘occasional’ substance use and how to access local health services and other sources of support.
- Understand the terms ‘habit’, ‘dependence’ and ‘addiction’ in a wide variety of contexts (including substance use and information technology) and where and how to access support if they have concerns
- Develop their understanding of intimacy and the concept of consent; that the seeker of consent is responsible for ensuring that consent has been given and if consent is not given or is withdrawn, that decision should always be respected.
- Explain about the law in relation to consent (including the legal age of consent for sexual activity, the legal definition of consent and the responsibility in law for the seeker of consent to ensure that consent has been given) and how to seek the consent of another person and be sure that consent has been given; how to assertively withhold or withdraw consent.
- Know about the use of contraception, including the condom and pill; to negotiate condom use and an understanding that certain infections can be spread through sexual activity and that barrier contraceptives offer some protection against certain STIs.
- Show an awareness of contraception, including the condom and pill and to develop communication and negotiation skills necessary for contraceptive use in healthy relationships and about the risks related to unprotected sex.