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Brentwood County High School


		11-16 schools

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A single scheme of work for personal development and a high degree of coordination produces planned learning opportunities across the curriculum.

The school

Brentwood County High School is a mixed 11-18 school in an urban location with approximately 1,500 students. It is highly popular and is regularly over-subscribed by well over double the number of available places.

The personal development programme

The personal development curriculum at the school is called Personal and Social Education (PSE). It combines citizenship, PSHE, sex and relationship education, careers guidance, drugs education and work-related learning. Students are aware that PSE is an umbrella title for these different areas, especially as the programme is structured as a series of distinct units corresponding to each area of personal development (such citizenship and careers).

Most of the programme is taught by form tutors in PSE lessons. In key stage 3 PSE is taught in two one-hour lessons every fortnight. In key stage 4 there is a single one-hour lesson per fortnight. In addition, PSE forms part of the daily afternoon registration period (20 minutes per day) and the twice-weekly assemblies.

The school regularly assigns whole or half off-timetable days to additional activities such an Insight into Industry (year 10) and drama workshops on sexual health (year 9). The programme is designed to be as active and participative as possible, although naturally some work involves writing and record keeping. Discussion and debate are encouraged. Role play is often used.

Various local agencies contribute to the programme, including the fire service, representatives from the local council, road safety officers, the Army, colleges, Connexions advisers and the Citizenship Foundation. In years 10 and 11 students participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and the Bar National Mock Trials.

Coordination

PSE is coordinated by the head of careers, PSE and citizenship. RE is separate from PSE and is coordinated by the head of RE. The PSE coordinator has carried out an audit of RE content and liaises with the head of RE to ensure consistent coverage and avoid unnecessary repetition.

Planned learning opportunities across the curriculum

With one single overall scheme of work for PSE, each year group has a timetable showing what topics are to be covered and when. The aim is to make the most of all opportunities available for addressing personal development across the curriculum. The PSE programme is planned, in consultation with subject heads, to avoid unnecessary duplication while reinforcing learning. For example, the programme is designed so that discussions on animal rights are covered jointly by staff within English and PSE, with each emphasising distinctive aspects.

Invitations to visiting speakers are also coordinated to avoid the possibility of clashes and to ensure that demands on individual guests are shared, for example keeping the number of requests to each speaker to a realistic level. Co-ordination also ensures that the school makes the most of visiting speakers, for example using a single visit from a guest speaker to contribute to more than one curriculum area and avoiding the possibility of two staff inviting similar speakers in at the same time.

Assessment

All students in key stage 4 participate in two nationally recognised forms of accreditation:

the Level 1 or 2 Certificate in Career Planning (an ASDAN national award)
the Certificate in Work Experience (a Trident certificate of achievement).

Students can also opt to take the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.