| Wellbeing and Health | Keeping Well
Part 1 | A new theme focussed on physical health, including personal hygiene, healthy eating, and self-care. | HPP 1: Personal hygiene, germs and how they are spread, including bacteria and viruses, treatment and prevention of infection, and about antibiotics.
HPP 2: Dental health and the benefits of good oral hygiene, including brushing teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and cleaning between teeth, reducing consumption of sugar-containing food and drinks, and regular check-ups at the dentist.
HPP 3: How and when to self-care for minor ailments, and the role of pharmacists as knowledgeable healthcare professionals.
HPP 5: The facts and scientific evidence relating to vaccination, immunisation and antimicrobial resistance. The introduction of topics relating to vaccination and immunisation should be aligned with when vaccinations are offered to pupils.
HPP 6: The importance of sufficient good-quality sleep for good health, the importance of screen-free time before bed and removing phones from the bedroom, and how a lack of sleep can affect weight, mood and ability to learn.
HE 1: How to maintain healthy eating and the links between a poor diet and health risks, including tooth decay, unhealthy weight gain, and cardiovascular disease.
HE 2: The risks of unhealthy weight gain, including increased risks of cancer, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
HE 3: The impacts of alcohol on diet and unhealthy weight gain. |
| Safe and Well | Basic First Aid
Part 1 | A focus unit introducing Basic First Aid and activities to teach treatment for bleeding and head injuries. | BFA 1: Basic treatment for common injuries and ailments. |
Year 8 |
Focus | Theme Title | New Content | RSHE Curriculum reference* |
| Wellbeing and Health | Keeping Well
Part 2 | A new theme looking at mental health, including managing emotions and everyday challenges. | MW 1: How to talk about their emotions accurately and sensitively, using appropriate vocabulary.
MW 2: The benefits and importance of physical activity, sleep, time outdoors, community participation and volunteering or acts of kindness for mental wellbeing and happiness.
MW 3: That happiness is linked to being connected to others. Pupils should be supported to understand what makes them feel happy and what makes them feel unhappy, while recognising that loneliness can be for most people an inevitable part of life at times and is not something of which to be ashamed.
MW 4: That worrying and feeling down are normal, can affect everyone at different times and are not in themselves a sign of a mental health condition, and that managing those feelings can be helped by seeing them as normal.
MW 7: Understanding how to overcome anxiety or other barriers to participating in fun, enjoyable or rewarding activities – that it’s possible to overcome those barriers using coping strategies, and that finding the courage to participate in activities which initially feel challenging may decrease anxiety over time rather than increasing it.
DB 2: The facts about puberty, the changing adolescent body, including brain development. |
| Safe and Well | Basic First Aid
Part 2 | A focus unit introducing Basic First Aid and activities to teach treatment for asthma, choking and allergies. | BFA 1: Basic treatment for common injuries and ailments. |
Year 9 |
Focus | Theme Title | New Content | RSHE Curriculum reference* |
| Wellbeing and Health | Drug and Smoking Awareness | A focus unit tackling the facts, risks and law regarding illegal drugs, smoking and vaping. | DATV 1: The facts about which drugs are illegal, the risks of taking illegal drugs, including the increased risk of potent synthetic drugs being added to illegal drugs, the risks of illicit vapes containing drugs, illicit drugs and counterfeit medicines, and the potential health harms, including the link to poor mental health.
DATV 2: The law relating to the supply and possession of illegal substances.
DATV 6: The facts about the multiple serious harms from smoking tobacco (particularly the link to lung cancer and cardiovascular disease), the benefits of quitting and how to access support to do so.
DATV 7: The facts about vaping, including the harms posed to young people, and the role that vapes can play in helping adult smokers to quit.
MW 6: How to critically evaluate which activities will contribute to their overall wellbeing. |
| Online Awareness | Safe and Smart Online | A new theme covering aspects of wellbeing and behaviour online, as well as being able to recognise fakes and scams. | WO 1: About the benefits of limiting time spent online, the risks of excessive time spent on electronic devices and the impact of positive and negative content online on their own and others’ mental and physical wellbeing.
WO 2: The similarities and differences between the online world and the physical world, including: the impact of unhealthy or obsessive comparison with others online (including through setting unrealistic expectations for body image); how people may curate a specific image of their life online; the impact that an over-reliance on online relationships, including relationships formed through social media, can have.
WO 3: How to identify harmful behaviours online (including bullying, abuse or harassment) and how to report, or find support, if they have been affected by those behaviours.
OSA 2: Online risks, including the importance of being cautious about sharing personal information online and of using privacy and location settings appropriately to protect information online. Pupils should also understand the difference between public and private online spaces and related safety issues.
OSA 3: The characteristics of social media, including that some social media accounts are fake, and / or may post things which aren’t real / have been created with AI. That social media users may say things in more extreme ways than they might in face-to-face situations, and that some users present highly exaggerated or idealised profiles of themselves online.
OSA 5: That keeping or forwarding indecent or sexual images of someone under 18 is a crime, even if the photo is of themselves or of someone who has consented, and even if the image was created by the child and/or using AI generated imagery. Pupils should understand the potentially serious consequences of acquiring or generating indecent or sexual images of someone under 18, including the potential for criminal charges and severe penalties including imprisonment. Pupils should know how to seek support and should understand that they will not be in trouble for asking for help, either at school or with the police, if an image of themselves has been shared. Pupils should also understand that sharing indecent images of people over 18 without consent is a crime.
OSA 6: What to do and how to report when they are concerned about material that has been circulated, including personal information, images or videos, and how to manage issues online.
OSA 7: About the prevalence of deepfakes including videos and photos, how deepfakes can be used maliciously as well as for entertainment, the harms that can be caused by deepfakes and how to identify them.
OSA 12: How information and data is generated, collected, shared and used online.
OSA 13: That websites may share personal data about their users, and information collected on their internet use, for commercial purposes (e.g. to enable targeted advertising).
OSA 14: That criminals can operate online scams, for example using fake websites or emails to extort money or valuable personal information. This information can be used to the detriment of the person or wider society. About risks of
sextortion, how to identify online scams relating to sex, and how to seek support if they have been scammed or involved in sextortion.
OSA 15: That AI chatbots are an example of how AI is rapidly developing, and that these can pose risks by creating fake intimacy or offering harmful advice. It is important to be able to critically think about new types of technology as they appear online and how they might pose a risk. |
| Safe and Well | Out and About | A new theme exploring personal safety in public settings. This will include safety around roads, railways and water, as well as how peer pressure can influence these situations. | PS 1: How to identify risk and manage personal safety in increasingly independent situations, including around roads, railways – including level crossings - and water (including the water safety code), and in unfamiliar social or work settings (for example the first time a young person goes on holiday without their parents).PS 2: How to recognise and manage peer influence in relation to risk-taking behaviour and personal safety, including peer influence online and on social media. |
| Safe and Well | Lifesaving Skills | A focus unit looking further at life-saving skills and defibrillators. | BFA 2: Life-saving skills, including how to administer CPR.
BFA 3: The purpose of defibrillators, when one might be needed and who can use them. |
Year 10 |
Focus | Theme Title | New Content | RSHE Curriculum reference* |
| Online Awareness | Online Influences | A new theme covering influencers and online sub-cultures. This will also include discussing the variety of information, misinformation and disinformation online. | RR12: Pupils should have an opportunity to discuss how some sub-cultures might influence our understanding of sexual ethics, including the sexual norms endorsed by so-called “involuntary celibates” (incels) or online influencers.
OSA 7: About the prevalence of deepfakes including videos and photos, how deepfakes can be used maliciously as well as for entertainment, the harms that can be caused by deepfakes and how to identify them.
OSA 8: That the internet contains inappropriate and upsetting content, some of which is illegal, including unacceptable content that encourages misogyny, violence or use of weapons. Pupils should be taught where to go for advice and support about something they have seen online. Pupils should understand that online content can present a distorted picture of the world and normalise or glamorise behaviours which are unhealthy and wrong.
OSA 9: That social media can lead to escalations in conflicts, how to avoid these escalations and where to go for help and advice.
OSA 10: How to identify when technology and social media is used as part of bullying, harassment, stalking, coercive and controlling behaviour, and other forms of abusive and/or illegal behaviour and how to seek support about concerns.
BS11: The concepts and laws relating to harms which are exploitative, including sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation and abuse, grooming, and financial exploitation.
WO 3: How to identify harmful behaviours online (including bullying, abuse or harassment) and how to report, or find support, if they have been affected by those behaviours.
WO 5: How advertising and information is targeted at them and how to be a discerning consumer of information online, understanding the prevalence of misinformation and disinformation online, including conspiracy theories.
WO 6: The risks of illegal behaviours online, including drug and knife supply or the sale or purchasing of illicit drugs online.
WO 7: The serious risks of viewing online content that promotes self-harm, suicide or violence, including how to safely report this material and how to access support after viewing it. |
| Safe and Well | Out in Public | A focus unit covering behaviour in public towards friends and strangers, managing dangerous situations (including violent behaviour and knife crime) as well as personal safety. | PS 3: How to develop key social and emotional skills that will increase pupils’ safety from involvement in conflict and violence. These include skills to support self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making, as well as skills to recognise and manage peer pressure.
PS 4: Understanding which trusted adults they can talk to if pupils are worried about violence and/or knife crime.
PS 5: The law as it relates to knives and violence. Content and examples should relate to the local context and avoid using fear as an educational tool. Children should be taught that carrying weapons is uncommon, and should not be scared into the perception that many young people are carrying knives (which can lead to the misconception that they need to carry a knife too).
BS 4: How to increase their personal safety in public spaces, including when socialising with friends, family, the wider community or strangers. Pupils should learn ways of seeking help when needed and how to report harmful behaviour. Pupils should understand that there are strategies they can use to increase their safety, and that this does not mean they will be blamed if they are victims of harmful behaviour. Pupils might reflect on the importance of trusting their instincts when something doesn’t feel right, and should understand that in some situations a person might appear trustworthy but have harmful intentions.
RR 2: How to evaluate their impact on other people and treat others with kindness and respect, including in public spaces and including strangers. Pupils should understand the legal rights and responsibilities regarding equality, and that everyone is unique and equal.
RR 5: The practical steps pupils can take and skills they can develop to support respectful and kind relationships. This includes skills for communicating respectfully within relationships and with strangers, including in situations of conflict.
RR 6: The different types of bullying (including online bullying), the impact of bullying, the responsibilities of bystanders to report bullying and how and where to get help. |
Year 11 |
Focus | Theme Title | New Content | RSHE Curriculum reference* |
| My Body | Alcohol, Drugs & Dependency | A new theme (replacing the previous ‘Addiction’ theme) covering the risks and consequences associated with alcohol, illegal drugs and other illegal behaviour. | DATV 1: The facts about which drugs are illegal, the risks of taking illegal drugs, including the increased risk of potent synthetic drugs being added to illegal drugs, the risks of illicit vapes containing drugs, illicit drugs and counterfeit medicines, and the potential health harms, including the link to poor mental health.
DATV 3: The physical and psychological risks associated with alcohol consumption. What constitutes low risk alcohol consumption in adulthood, and the legal age of sale for alcohol in England. Understanding how to increase personal safety while drinking alcohol, including how to decrease the risks of having a drink spiked or of poisoning from potentially fatal substances such as methanol.
DATV 4: The physical and psychological consequences of problem-use of alcohol, including alcohol dependency.
ISR 10: How the use of alcohol and drugs can lead people to take risks in their sexual behaviour.
MW 6: How to critically evaluate which activities will contribute to their overall wellbeing.
WO 6: The risks of illegal behaviours online, including drug and knife supply or the sale or purchasing of illicit drugs online.
HE 3: The impacts of alcohol on diet and unhealthy weight gain.
BS 16: How to seek support for their own worrying or abusive behaviour or for worrying or abusive behaviour they have experienced from others, including information on where to report abuse, and where to seek medical attention when
required, for example after an assault. |
| Wellbeing & Health | Mental Wellbeing | A new theme covering the ups and downs all people face in life, as well as more serious mental health conditions. | MW 1: How to talk about their emotions accurately and sensitively, using appropriate vocabulary.
MW 4: That worrying and feeling down are normal, can affect everyone at different times and are not in themselves a sign of a mental health condition, and that managing those feelings can be helped by seeing them as normal.
MW 5: Characteristics of common types of mental ill health (e.g. anxiety and depression), including carefully-presented factual information about the prevalence and characteristics of more serious mental health conditions. This should not be discussed in a way that encourages normal feelings to be labelled as mental health conditions.
MW 6: How to critically evaluate which activities will contribute to their overall wellbeing.
MW 8: That gambling can lead to serious mental health harms, including anxiety, depression, and suicide, and that some gambling products are more likely to cause these harms than others.
MW 9: That the co-occurrence of alcohol/drug use and poor mental health is common and that the relationship is bi-directional: mental health problems can increase the risk of alcohol/drug use, and alcohol/drug use can trigger mental health problems or exacerbate existing ones. That stopping smoking can improve people’s mental health and decrease anxiety.
WO 4: The risks related to online gambling and gambling-like content within gaming, including the accumulation of debt.
HPP 9: The concept of Gillick competence. That the legal age of medical consent is 16. That before this, a child’s parents will have responsibility for consenting to medical treatment on their behalf unless they are Gillick competent to take this decision for themselves. Pupils should understand the circumstances in which someone over 16 may not be deemed to have capacity to make decisions about medical treatment. |
| Wellbeing & Health | Health & Fitness | This theme is likely to be short bite-sized videos looking at what a healthy lifestyle looks like as well as blood and organ donation, and information about the different health concerns for men and women. | PHF 1: The characteristics of a healthy lifestyle, including physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight, including the links between an inactive lifestyle and ill-health, including cardiovascular ill-health.
PH 2: Factual information about the prevalence and characteristics of more serious health conditions.
PHF 3: That physical activity can promote wellbeing and combat stress
PHF 4: The science relating to blood, organ and stem cell donation.
DB3: About menstrual and gynaecological health, including: what is an average period; period problems such as premenstrual syndrome; heavy menstrual bleeding; endometriosis; and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). When to seek help from healthcare professionals.
HPP 4: The importance of taking responsibility for their own health, and the benefits of regular self-examination and screening.
HPP 8: How to navigate their local healthcare system: what a GP is; when to use A&E / minor injuries; accessing sexual health and family planning clinics; the role of local pharmacies; and how to seek help via local third sector partners which may have specialist services. |
