Knowledge, skills and understanding

Developing confidence and responsibility and making the most of their abilities

1) Students should be taught:

1. to be aware of and assess their personal qualities, skills, achievements and potential, so that they can set personal goals
2. to have a sense of their own identity and present themselves confidently in a range of situations
3. to be aware of how others see them, manage praise and criticism, and success and failure in a positive way and learn from the experience
4. to recognise influences, pressures and sources of help and respond to them appropriately
5. to use a range of financial tools and services, including budgeting and saving, in managing personal money
6. about the options open to them post-16, including employment and continuing education and training, and about their financial implications
7. to use the careers service to help them choose their next steps, negotiate and plan their post-16 choices with parents and others, develop career management skills, and prepare and put into practice personal action plans.

Developing a healthy, safer lifestyle

2) Students should be taught:

1. to think about the alternatives and long- and short-term consequences when making decisions about personal health
2. to use assertiveness skills to resist unhelpful pressure
3. the causes, symptoms and treatments for stress and depression, and to identify strategies for prevention and management
4. about the link between eating patterns and self-image, including eating disorders
5. about the health risks of alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, early sexual activity and pregnancy, different food choices and sunbathing, and about safer choices they can make
6. in the context of the importance of relationships, how different forms of contraception work, and where to get advice, in order to inform future choices
7. to seek professional advice confidently and find information about health
8. to recognise and follow health and safety requirements and develop the skills to cope with emergency situations that require basic aid procedures, including resuscitation techniques.

Developing good relationships and respecting the differences between people

3) Students should be taught:

1. about the diversity of different ethnic groups and the power of prejudice
2. to be aware of exploitation in relationships
3. to challenge offending behaviour, prejudice, bullying, racism and discrimination assertively and take the initiative in giving and receiving support
4. to work cooperatively with a range of people who are different from themselves
5. to be able to talk about relationships and feelings
6. to deal with changing relationships in a positive way, showing goodwill to others and using strategies to resolve disagreements peacefully
7. about the nature and importance of marriage for family life and bringing up children
8. about the role and responsibilities of a parent, and the qualities of good parenting and its value to family life
9. about the impact of separation, divorce and bereavement on families and how to adapt to changing circumstances
10. to know about the statutory and voluntary organisations that support relationships in crisis
11. to develop working relationships with a range of adults, including people they meet during work experience, personal guidance and community activities.

Breadth of study

4) During the key stage, students should be taught the Knowledge, skills and understanding through opportunities to:

1. take responsibility [for example, by representing the school to visitors and at outside events]
2. feel positive about themselves [for example, by gaining recognition for the role they play in school life, such as organising activities for younger students or working in a resource centre]
3. participate [for example, in an initiative to improve their local community; in challenging activities involving physical performance, public performance or organised events outside the school]
4. make real choices and decisions [for example, about their priorities, plans and use of time; about their choices post-16, with regular review and support]
5. meet and work with people [for example, through activities such as work experience and industry days; through having an employer as a mentor]
6. develop relationships [for example, by discussing relationships in single and mixed sex groups]
7. consider social and moral dilemmas [for example, young parenthood, genetic engineering, attitudes to the law]
8. find information and provide advice [for example, by providing peer support services to other students]
9. prepare for change [for example, in relation to progression to further education and training].