Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education

At The Motiv8 School, our PSHE curriculum equips learners with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to lead safe, healthy and fulfilling lives. PSHE is central to our wider curriculum and supports our mission to prepare young people for adulthood, further education, employment and independent living.

We follow a structured, sequenced programme across Key Stage 4, covering three core themes:

1. Health and Well-Being

Learners develop the skills to:

– Look after their physical, emotional and mental health
– Manage stress, self-esteem and body image
– Understand healthy lifestyles, nutrition and exercise
– Make informed choices about substances such as alcohol, vaping and drugs
– Access help, advice and support services
– Respond in emergencies and administer basic first aid

Topics include emotional regulation, personal safety, sexual health, consent, mental health awareness, and first aid.

2. Relationships

Learners explore how to build safe, respectful and positive relationships. This includes:

– Healthy friendships and romantic relationships
– Consent, respect and boundaries
– Recognising unhealthy or abusive relationships
– Online safety, online grooming and sexual exploitation
– Managing conflict, loss and change
– Equality, diversity and LGBTQ+ inclusion
– PREVENT awareness and understanding risk of radicalisation

We place strong emphasis on self-worth, emotional literacy, communication and safeguarding.

3. Living in the Wider World

We prepare learners for life beyond school by teaching:

– Rights, responsibilities and active citizenship
– British Values and diversity
– Financial education, budgeting and consumer rights
– Digital literacy and media awareness
– Employability skills, goal-setting and work readiness
– CV writing, applications and mock interviews
– Preparation for college, apprenticeships and work placements

This includes careers guidance, world-of-work readiness and enterprise education.

How we teach PSHE

– Weekly PSHE lessons, linked to real-life scenarios
-Practical activities, discussions and supported reflection
– Trauma-informed and SEND-adapted delivery
– Regular revisiting of key safety topics (e.g., online safety, consent, substance misuse)
– External agencies and specialist providers where appropriate
– Integrated safeguarding themes throughout the year

PSHE also contributes to statutory RSE, Safeguarding, PREVENT, British Values and Careers (Gatsby Benchmarks).

Our Aims

Through our PSHE curriculum, students learn to:

– Stay safe, physically and emotionally
– Build healthy relationships and respectful behaviours
– Manage risk and make informed decisions
– Understand themselves and others
– Prepare confidently for adulthood and employment
– Be responsible, informed and active members of society

Our aim is for every learner to leave Motiv8 with the values, confidence and practical skills needed to thrive in modern life.

The Motiv8 School