Visit by Local Authority Officers to Citizenship and PSHE

On Thursday 20 April, at our request, Mrs Zoe Livingstone (Head of Standards) and Mrs Sharna Denver (Education Safeguarding Team Manager), both from the ‘Learning and Achievement’ education team at Bracknell Forest Council, visited the College to look closely at Citizenship and PSHE education in the school.  The visit was a ‘deep dive’ focussing on how Citizenship and PSHE contribute to students’ personal development.  They visited lessons and spoke with key stage 3 and 4 students.  The visit highlighted many positives including:

• Strong subject leadership. Mr Dawson leads this area and his ‘secure subject knowledge’ is translated into a ‘…broad and well-sequenced offer that is both age appropriate and broadly cognisant of students’ needs.’
• The College meets with the statutory requirements of the RSHE (relationships, sex and health education) curriculum.
• Students value GCSE Citizenship at key stage 4.  Lessons cover the AQA specification and other non-assessed PSHE content. Key stage 4 students were highly complementary about these lessons taught by consistent subject specialists.

There were also some areas of development for the College to consider.  These included:

• Ensuring sufficient time in the curriculum model to explore priority topics in depth and ensure all students’ understanding of key areas of the curriculum is secure
• Reviewing the consistency of the delivery of the tutor time programme, and PSHE at key stage 3.   
• At KS4, being careful not to marginalise the PSHE elements in favour of the accredited GCSE Citizenship elements.

We are now exploring options for 2023-24 to ensure there is sufficient time for PSHE within the overall curriculum timetable, including drop down days and extending use of tutorial time, to secure more consistent delivery of the tutor time programme.  We will keep you posted on developments.