Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE)
“The educational responses of the past are no longer sufficient in the face of today’s complex and speedily changing realities. The paradigm shift, more specifically the change of emphasis from education to learning and to lifelong learning, has already demonstrated the growing need to understand and keep re-constructing one’s life, and constantly to acquire new skills.”
(UNESCO: Nurturing the Treasure 2007).
The philosophy of the PSHE department is inspired by Prof Arthur Costas’ Habits of Mind dispositions, a curriculum that hopes to create a more thoughtful, spiritual, cooperative, compassionate generation of people who are skilful in resolving social, environmental, economic, and political world problems.
The PSHE course is thematic and holistic in its approach, incorporating amongst others the disciplines of Philosophy, Theory of Knowledge, Psychology, Theology and Sociology.
The course is designed to instil in students skills and dispositions such as empathy, critical thinking, resilience and meta-cognition. Students will formally Self-Assess their progress on the development of these dispositions and these reflections are recorded.
The academic programme of study is supported and augmented by academic teaching and discipline in many departments, by staff in the Medical Centre and the Chaplaincy, by the School Counsellor and other associated professionals, and above all by the attentive eyes and ears of Housemasters and Housemistresses, Matrons, and others in pastoral roles.
PSHE delivery at Stowe requires students to passionately and actively participate in the lesson through debate, questioning, presentations and role-play. In addition students are encouraged to cogitate on their disposition to acquire skills in the following six areas: Self-Management, Working with Others, Critical and Creative Thinking, Leadership, Enquiry and Reflection.
Students are presented with a thematic curriculum, which builds knowledge as students progress from Third through to Fifth Form, ensuring that information is age appropriate and crucially is not repetitive.
In addition where appropriate outside speakers are utilised; these are fundamental to a students understanding and empathy for the subject matter; experiencing the narrative of someone who has life experience in dealing with such matters as addiction or self esteem are inestimable.
The PSHE outline curriculum is available here:
PHSE Framework Third Form - Fifth Form
The objective is to ensure progression of knowledge and thinking skills but within a framework that conceptually creates themes and connections within the topics studied.
However, the curriculum content is flexible to allow for impromptu topic delivery to a particular form or year group as the need arises. These specific issues may range from amongst others; bereavement, relationships or bullying and can be requested by students, tutors or housemasters in response to a particular issue within a form or year group.
Ms Kirsten McLintock
Head of Department PSHE