One great accomplishment of the British curriculum is the introduction of a subject of PSHE. Have you ever found yourself wondering how much trigonometry and mechanics you studied, only to end up in a field of humanities with no understanding of how to… calculate taxes for example? Or perhaps you are spending hours researching up-to-date information about your own health, personal development and critical thinking?
Lucky for UK’s students, they have an entire subject at schools which encompasses a multitude of real-life topics, delivered by equipped specialists (Note to parents: This means no more embarrassing questions you may not know the answer to. We’ve got this!)
PSHE stands for Personal, Social, Health and Economic education and focuses on your personal journey, from physical growth and changes during adolescence to building strong relationships with family, friends, and educators.
The subject was introduced in the year 2000, and at this time 90% of primary and 80% of secondary UK schools surveyed include PSHE in their curriculum. And rightly so! The introduction of the subject has directly contributed to the growth of self-awareness, critical thinking skills and understanding of society among school kids.
Let’s have a look at some of the topics covered by PSHE (And as a bonus, Diana Hastings- our headteacher assistant will talk about topics her school covered, which turned out to be rather helpful!)
Generally, the subject covers, but isn’t limited to the following:
- Relationships
- Personal health
- Financial literacy
- Drug awareness
- Mental health
- Bullying
- Internet safety
- Other forms of health and safety
- Stereotypes and prejudice
“One thing that I remember studying which came in to be exceptionally helpful when we studied the process of Jury Service for an entire term. We followed an actual script of court proceedings which we acted out in class with my classmates playing the jury, the judge, the defendant and even the audience (which is of course that’s where I was).
The most ironic aspect is that it was an entirely novel concept to me, and I was the first person of my generation that I know to receive Jury summons at the age of eighteen, shortly after my birthday.”
– Diana Hastings, Headteacher Assistant at LEO School
As a Cambridge International school, we opted for a compulsory PSHE in our online school curriculum for our primary and secondary school students. We strive to educate our students on critical thinking and self-awareness skills, which can not only help them later in life, but be a useful asset to their education.
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