Junior School

The Year 3’s started their Spring Term with Economic Wellbeing, looking into different aspects of money. They spent time analysing the value of money, why we spend, the importance of saving and what constitutes needs and wants. The latter part of the term was dedicated to understanding what giving and receiving of permission is, having the correct knowledge of appropriate and inappropriate touch and how to navigate personal space. We ended off the term by raising awareness for World Water Day and the importance of assisting, which Durston House does by donating to the Water Aid charity to enable change to be accelerated.

The Year 4’s started their term reinforcing why Diversity is so important especially in different communities. They moved on to Dental Health, once again highlighting the importance of good dental care. My Body, My Choice took up the majority of the second half of the term with the Year 4’s spending quality time getting into the nitty-gritty of consent, personal boundaries and singing along to the Pantasaurus song to familiarise themselves with its meaning and what it stands for.

Middle and Upper School

The Spring Term kicked off with the Year 5’s unpacking the benefits of a balanced lifestyle and how it positively impacts all aspects of their lives. Following that, they spent time discovering what it means to be British, especially the values that are so important and the impact it has on their daily life. The rest of the term was dedicated to discussing what giving and receiving consent is, and how important personal boundaries are in being safe and comfortable.

The Year 6 boys started their term exploring the media, how information is fact checked before being published, and being able to identify fake news. Next, they delved into the concept of exploring risk, focusing on probability and how you are never assured of a positive outcome. The rest of the term was devoted to money, focusing on its impact on emotional wellbeing and how being a critical consumer ticks the political, ethical and environmental boxes.

The Year 7’s started their Spring term focusing on Gender Identity and the importance of using the appropriate terminology. The rest of the term had the boys looking closely at the British Board of Film Classification and the responsibility they have towards the viewing public. They looked at decisions made on what to watch bearing the age classification in mind, as well as how relationships are portrayed on-screen and how this aspect can affect relationship expectations. The final part of the PSHME lesson on the BBFC was spent dissecting challenging content and recommendations for selecting appropriate viewing content.

The Year 8 boys focused on two major chapters in PSHME during the Spring Term. The first one was First Aid, where the main focus was bringing awareness to the challenges they could face when exposed to instances of bleeding, allergies and asthma, and what the expectations were when dealing with said situations. The second issue was the drug trafficking referred to as County Lines. The boys were taken through the steps involved when young people are targeted and recruited to transport and sell drugs, how their lives and that of their families and friends are negatively affected, and what could be done to safely extricate themselves from the dangerous situations they find themselves in.

Mrs Williams – Head of PSHME