Personal Development (PD)
​and
Relationships and Sexual Education (RSE)

From September 2020 ALL secondary schools in England will be required to teach young people about Relationship and Sex Education (RSE).
​The new guidance also includes a change to parents right to withdraw young people from RSE, please see more here: RSE Secondary Schools Guide For Parents
​
Tutor Time Programme
Tutor time has a rigorous Personal development timetable, with students learning about their learning within the PD curriculum once a week, and how to act, think and act scholarly, as well as current affairs and clubs during the school and after school day within PD Core. Tutors can check in each morning, ensure that students are supported to pass on any key information.
Once a term, students complete an end of unit quiz with their tutor and peers, assessing their learning, which is aligned with the personal development curriculum during lesson time, each term focuses on the unit that has been covered during Personal development lessons. 

Personal Development

​Students receive one hour a week of Personal development. These lessons are delivered by our specialist teachers, with whom all have access to up to today CPD and support within the planning of the curriculum.
Our Curriculum covers six thematic topics set out by the DFE and PSHE Association on the six thematic topics, these themes are:
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Living in the wider society
  • Online and offline safety
  • Rights, responsibility and British values
  • Celebrating Diversity and equality
  • Life beyond school
Personal development lessons are taught by our specialist teachers.  Our curriculum is a spiral curriculum, building on knowledge throughout the academic years. Teaching our students appropriately based on their age.
We work closely with stakeholders within the personal development curriculum, with an annual RSE consultation within the Autumn term. Student and Parent voice are also once a term, this impacts the delivery of the lessons, as we can address any misconceptions and have flexibility to what we are teaching to best support our students and the community.
We are also from the student and parent voice able to add, move lessons to suit the needs of the students, supporting and safeguarding our young people, equipping them with the skills to be global citizens. 
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Year 7 and 8:
Pupils receive 1 hour of curriculum Personal development (PSHE) per week.
In addition, pupils receive RSHE and Personal development during ‘Extended Learning’ sessions periodically through the year.  This includes external visitors, brought in to tackle misogyny, bullying/banter.
Students have access to unifrog, where they can seek career options, find out about their personality and track enrichment opportunities, looking at future careers.
Within tutor time, students have a Personal development passport, where they are encouraged to join a club and represent the college through joining clubs. This personal development passport is kept throughout the school journey, with students adding their personal achievements.
 
Year 9 and 10:
Pupils receive 1 hour of curriculum Personal development (PSHE) per week.
In addition, pupils receive RSHE and personal development during ‘Extended Learning’ sessions periodically through the year.  This includes external visitors, brought in to tackle misogyny, bullying/banter.
Students have access to unifrog, where they can seek career options, find out about their personality and track enrichment opportunities, looking at future careers.
Year 9 have an additional term for RSE during Summer 1. This is to prepare, teach and educate students on contraception and the different purposes of contraception, within this term, students will learn to apply a condom using condom demonstrators by our specialist teachers.

Year 11
Pupils receive 1 hour of curriculum Personal development (PSHE) per week. Year 11 also cover elements of the PSHE curriculum in their PE lessons.
Students have access to unifrog, where they can seek career options, find out about their personality and track enrichment opportunities, looking at future careers.
 
Year 12 and 13
Pupils receive personal development lessons during tutor time.
Students have access to unifrog, where they can seek career options, find out about their personality and track enrichment opportunities, looking at future careers.
Year 12’s have external visitors from ‘Learn2Live’ on road safety and driving awareness, along with an educational workshop from ‘Positively You’ and Relationship and Sexual Health workshops from ‘Sexplain’ on Reproductive & Sexual Health and Sexual Violence.

Right to withdraw your child
​
 It is important that all children receive content on Health Education and the Relationships Education element of Relationships and Sex Education, covering topics such as friendships and how to stay safe. Parents and carers do not have the right to withdraw their child, because it is important that all children receive this content. If parents and carers do not wish for their child to take part in some or all of the Sex Education lessons, they can ask that they are withdrawn. The Principal of Okehampton College will consider this request and discuss it with the parents and carers, and will grant this in all but exceptional circumstances, up until three school terms before the pupil turns 16. At this age, the child can choose to receive Sex Education if they would like to, and Okehampton College will arrange for your child to receive this teaching in one of those three terms (unless there are exceptional circumstances). Please see here for further details here.

 Our college Sex and Relationship Education policy can be read here: rse_policy_oc_draft_24-25.pdf

Support Sites and Resources for Parents and Carers
 
Relationships and Sex Education, including puberty:
Family Planning Association - great resources and information for parents, including books and leaflets to begin conversations with your young people:

Teaching puberty and the changing adolescent body.

When children can talk to their parents about sex and relationships, they're more ready for puberty, understand more about relationships, and are less likely to do things just because their friends are.

Where to get help Places that can help you with your sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing, including trusted places to help you if you've experienced sexual assault.

Where can I get sexual health advice, now? - NHS
Hormones, puberty and sexuality
www.nhs.uk

Puberty is when a child's body begins to develop and change as they become an adult. Girls develop breasts and start their periods. Boys develop a deeper voice, and facial hair will start to appear. The average age for girls to begin puberty is 11, while for boys the average age is 12.
Young people who identify as LGBTQ+

 We know that for many young people and adults, understanding about gender, sexuality and LGBT+ identities can be confusing. But fear not, help is at hand. In this section, you’ll find a wealth of resources for young people, youth workers, teachers, health workers, etc. There’s lots of information, produced by The Proud Trust, and other trusted organisations, all here to help.

FFLAG supports parents and carers of young people who identify as LGBT:

https://www.fflag.org.uk/

Welcome - FFLAG
www.fflag.org.uk

A national voluntary organisation and charity dedicated to supporting parents and their lesbian, gay, bisexual and Trans sons and daughters

The Proud Trust supports young people who identify as LGBTQ+, lots of great resources and information to download for parents too.
https://www.theproudtrust.org/resources/

Resources - The Proud Trust
www.theproudtrust.org

Self-harm and mental health:

There are a number of online resources out there for pupils who are struggling with their mental health.
This website is a part of the mental health charity ‘Mind’ and has information about a range of conditions.

https://youngminds.org.uk/
 
Kooth is a Free, safe and anonymous online support for young people that allows them to create an account, access information, complete well-being surveys and have support from online counsellors.

https://www.kooth.com/
 
Lifesigns has great support information sheets for parents, friends and carers of people who might be self-harming

http://www.lifesigns.org.uk/what/
What self-injury is | LifeSIGNS
www.lifesigns.org.uk

Self-Harm and Self-Injury. Self-harm is an umbrella term that includes a variety of behaviours that damage, or cause harm to a person. Self-injury falls under the umbrella of self-harm, and is a direct behaviour that causes injury and damage to one’s body.

Mind.org.uk booklet to download to help understand why some people self-harm and how to support them:
 
https://www.mind.org.uk/media-a/2956/self-harm-2016.pdf

 Understanding self-harm This booklet is for anyone who self-harms, and their friends and family. It explains what self-harm is, the reasons for it and how to go about making changes.