PSHE STATEMENT

Our vision is to develop well-rounded, confident and responsible individuals who strive to achieve their full potential through a culture of high expectations.

We will do this by providing a welcoming, safe, and calm learning environment in which everyone is equal and all achievements are celebrated.

Our core values of Believe, Strive, Achieve underpin our vision for PSHE at Westfield Academy as we seek to enable students to leave us with the skills and experiences to be successful in their lives outside of school. Within PSHE, it is more important than in other subjects that students leave us with, not only academic skills, but also the core values and skills that will enable them to participate in the wider life of the community as effective and well rounded citizens who can thrive in all stages of their lives.

We understand that our students come from a range of starting points and backgrounds and this is built into our approach for PSHE. We have sought to create a PSHE programme that is designed around students at Westfield Academy, and they are able to see themselves represented in the topics that we study. Our PSHE programme is also designed to support the Academy's curriculum and embed the high aspirations that we have of the students. We want them to believe they can access the best opportunities in life and we understand that the key to this is giving them the best outcomes.

PSHE as a subject has a balance between knowledge and skills. We go beyond the statutory guidance required of schools in PSHE to embed students with the skills and experience needed to be successful, including embedding tolerance and an entrepreneurial spirit in the students. We are focused on creating students who are creative, passionate and can take part in the wider community. This has led us to creating a curriculum that is specific to the Westfield students and this is reflected in the student-centred nature of it.

We want students to progressively assume more responsibility for their learning as they become more proficient in a particular skill or concept. We emphasise this through the use of The Westfield Way in our daily teaching & learning practices. To ensure they build independent skills, students are supported to work independently on extended writing and reading tasks.

Our intent is that the PSHE Curriculum:

• Encourages aspiration and high achievement both within the PSHE classroom but also within the wider curriculum. 
• Provides a broad curriculum that is truly comprehensive and accessible to all students.
• Allows students to gain the skills necessary to take the next steps in their career and life journeys when they leave Westfield Academy.
• Focuses on the key transferable skills that can be taught through PSHE such as debate, discussion, the ability to summarise key information and creating and shaping an argument.
• Expands students’ perspectives by encouraging them to see points of view that are different to their own and developing empathy in this.
• Expands students' perspectives through a range of spiritual, moral, social and cultural opportunities to promote their sense of moral and social responsibility.
• Ensures that all students are able to thrive and develop as healthy individuals & good citizens.
• Ensures that all students are safe and understand how to stay safe including in relationships and sexual situations.
• Allows students to understand a range of legal issues that will impact them throughout life including the equalities act and laws around consent, physical and emotional harm and behaviour in an online space.
• Provides students with age appropriate guidance on relationships.
• Provides an appropriate range of opportunities and experiences to inspire students to succeed in the next stage in their education, training or employment.
• Closes the disadvantaged gap - targeted support for students with SEND.