Human and Life Skills
The purpose of the Human and Life Skills’ curriculum at Harris Academy Wimbledon is to provide all our students, regardless of gender, sexuality, disability, or religion, with a ‘curriculum for life’.
Human and Life Skills Overview
Our Human and Life Skills curriculum develops essential knowledge, skills and attributes that contribute to a positive and productive life experience. Through engagement in the Human and Life Skills curriculum, students will further their knowledge of contemporary issues and be equipped with the skills to unpack and understand increasingly complex and challenging scenarios. Students will develop skills that are highly prized in the workplace through discussion, teamwork and debate in a variety of situations. Throughout, students develop their self-confidence and esteem, raising aspiration and preparing them to take their place in society and make a difference.
Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) is a core part of the Human and Life Skills Curriculum. When students leave us, we want them to understand what being in a healthy and respectful relationship entails and to respect the fact that relationships can take many different forms. For further information on our RSE provision, please see our RSE Policy (September 2019).
How is the Human and Life Skills Curriculum delivered?
Here at the Academy, we follow a thematic approach to aid the successful delivery of the curriculum. We cover; Families and Respectful Relationships, Online safety, Being Safe and Intimate Sexual Health, Mental Wellbeing and Physical Health, Substance misuse and Health Prevention and Adolescence.
These key themes are addressed sequentially, year on year and cover the RSE statutory guidance and topics highlighted by the PSHE Association. This approach mirrors the maturation of the students and enables complex and relevant issues to be tackled in more depth over time. Each key theme is broken down into discreet lessons that serve to inform students about the facts, legalities and different viewpoints of important issues. In lessons, students are encouraged to discuss issues with their peers, serving to break down barriers and build relationships of trust and mutual respect. These discussions are chaired by Tutors who have received training in how to deliver such topics. The outcomes are that students are better equipped to talk about the issues that affect them and know what frameworks are in place for their protection and for society as a whole.
Human and Life Skills are addressed during Deep Learning Days. Deep Learning Days are days in the school calendar that are set aside to focus on key aspects of the curriculum, best suited to be delivered over the course of a day. The curriculum focuses these days on careers, workplace skills and economic education. At Key Stage 3, they culminate in the outdoor activity week, a time when all students are invited to develop soft skills outside of the classroom. All Year 9 students take part in the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award scheme and have the opportunity to progress onto the Silver Award in Year 10
Our assembly programme serves to address key contextual issues for our students and their communities. It enables assembly leaders to be responsive to the needs and challenges that occur throughout the lives of our students. It is a forum in which staff and external presenters can discuss notable dates such as Black History Month, Holocaust Awareness and others. Assemblies begin with a performance from our students, raising awareness of the talents and abilities of peers and giving students a chance to appreciate cultural capital.
We use the Human and Life skills curriculum to respond to contextual matters within and around our school community. This dynamic response has most recently served to inform our students about mental health following the pandemic, sexual harassment and consent, and the conflict in Eastern Europe. This flexibility ensures that we are able to adapt to the needs of our students, thus ensuring that we deliver our, ‘curriculum for life’.
