Our ambitious and inclusive curriculum is designed to empower our students to become life-long learners and successful global citizens.

At Heston Community School we recognise, not only the importance of allowing students to flourish academically, but we also embrace our wider role in preparing them for their adult life beyond the formal examined curriculum. Part of our role in that preparation is ensuring that our students are able to manage their own personal safety; understand age-appropriate behaviour – including issues around sexual violence and child on child abuse; and develop key skills and attributes such as self-management, empathy, critical thinking, communication, resilience, teamwork and negotiation – all crucial to optimising students’ life chances.

Personal Social Health Economic [PSHE] education allows our students to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy, safe and prepared for life and work. PSHE has an impact on both academic and non-academic outcomes for students, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, supporting them to manage many of the most critical opportunities, challenges and responsibilities they will face growing up.

The School follows the PSHE Association Programmes of Study, where timetabled lessons are delivered throughout Key Stages 3 – 5. We deliver a curriculum that teaches key knowledge in three main strands; Health and well-being, Relationships, Living in the wider world.  This follows the PSHE Association Thematic model, which ensures all topics from each strand above are taught across Key Stage 3, 4 and 5. The spiralled curriculum allows topics and issues to be revisited a number of times during a student’s journey through secondary school, at increasing levels of complexity. Our PSHE curriculum covers core knowledge relating to issues such as online and offline safety, relationships, health, careers and financial literacy, taught in a way which is appropriate to the age and maturity of pupils.

Outside speakers and agencies are regular visitors to the School covering topics like Drugs [Drugs EDUK], Safer Sexual Behaviours [Crossway Clinic], the Respect Agenda [Stonewall], keeping safe [Police], Mindfulness, Managing Stress and Healthy Living. Students are taught Emergency First Aid, targeted to be relevant to the situations they are most likely to encounter to maximise relevance and engagement. Students also participate in a Charity project in Year 10, gaining knowledge of the crucial role charities play in society and their need for support. 

The PSHE programme is unashamedly built around oracy. This allows a wide range of topics to be delivered in depth with a specific focus on the correct and appropriate use of terminology and register. Core literacy skills of effective reading and clear verbal communication are evident in every aspect of the PSHE curriculum.

Each strand within the PSHE curriculum promotes British Values, and are linked to the Hestonian Values. An emphasis on diversity, discrimination, and inclusion is placed throughout each key stage, supporting our students in developing an understanding of their responsibilities as a global citizen.

Our Curriculum Maps outline our curriculum design and the development of knowledge and skills from Years 7-11. 

Relationships and Sexual Health Education [RSHE] resources, for each year group, are available upon request at info@hestoncs.org.