Twitter

30/11/23

Felix, Year 10, reports on our Student Council's visit to a Neurodiversity Conference hosted by Southwark Schools Learning Partnership . Read Felix's report at https://t.co/RCcraxXdUi pic.twitter.com/5m1M6rwZP7

16/11/23

Zain, Year 10, reports on his visit to the newly opened campus of the Access Creative College in Whitechapel, where students made an app, sang, learned about careers in gaming and graphic design and much more. . Full story https://t.co/DXerFEYEfP pic.twitter.com/uFxpDDSx8X

15/11/23

Students were blown away by the sound of a live orchestra during their visit to . They listened to Ravel, Stravinsky and Rossini and got the chance to meet the orchestra and ask lots of questions too. Fantastic! Lots more music news at https://t.co/nFTfTr93om pic.twitter.com/VOr86ahMYE

13/11/23

Year 12 and visited Queen Mary's University London for a day recently. They loved their day of lectures, with question and answer sessions, as well as a campus tour. A really insightful experience into what life at university is like. pic.twitter.com/Jh9bsQ0cTc

06/11/23

Congratulations to our latest Bronze Badge award winners. You have to earn 175 Harris Points to receive your Bronze lapel badge. Pupils receive positive points for embodying HBAED values such as exemplary manners and consistent hard work. Well done boys! pic.twitter.com/plyEjg2jdG

06/11/23

Felix, Year 10, has been nominated for the BAFTA Young Game Designers award after teaching himself new programming skills from tutorials on YouTube. Read full story at https://t.co/AxqiaPTfv4 pic.twitter.com/qr6xU0xeHK

30/10/23

Harris Dulwich Boys welcomed five schools from across Southwark to compete in the annual KS3 basketball Olympic-style 3 vs 3 tournament. Our Yr 8 students represented the school with great pride. Congrats to St Thomas the Apostle College for winning the event! pic.twitter.com/7QTIilhTl2

26/10/23

Former student Alfie talks about his early STEM career at . "My key responsibilities are procuring and raising infrastructure orders for the contractors who work for Network Rail, but I'm learning about all aspects of planning." Find out more: https://t.co/bbXCvLGUQX pic.twitter.com/0V2nPA8hIZ

25/10/23

Surely day 2 of can’t be even better? Wrong! Gulfoss. pic.twitter.com/PgqtG40sAn

25/10/23

Photos of our students enjoying the stunning landscapes of Iceland on day two of our Geography field trip. The day finished with a visit to the spectacular Seljalandsfoss Waterfall where the boys were able to walk behind the waterfall. More pics at https://t.co/nNtWS1ZA2E pic.twitter.com/5aGEV13iLc

02/10/23

This Summer, eight students embarked on a four-week expedition to Kenya with , working on community projects such as building a school and beach conservation. Read Caleb and Stanley's diary at https://t.co/geAKm8Qmfk pic.twitter.com/nPBGSAbePZ

02/10/23

Students Anishan and Adam fly a Cessna 152 as part of a ten-month training programme with Fantasy Wings. Each year we work with Fantasy Wings to enable three students to learn more about careers in aviation and experience flying. More https://t.co/J8X8r5itHq pic.twitter.com/Pa5DmukmWy

02/10/23

Our GCSE Drama students loved their visit to to see 'Red Pitch' by Tyrell Williams. "Seeing how a play can use such a unique stage setup to tell a compelling story was truly inspiring." More at https://t.co/Ap0XHTjfbO pic.twitter.com/rjgaWAjM2a

21/09/23

Surrey County Cricket Club is encouraging students applying for sixth form studies in September 2024 to apply for the Club’s new Sixth Form State School Cricket Programme. Details at https://t.co/1zqB8v8xY7 pic.twitter.com/o54SvTpJQW

14/09/23

Our Gardening Club has had a bumper crop of tomatoes and peppers. A  special shout-out to Dominic, Year 9, for helping with the harvest! pic.twitter.com/kPKqGtNWjM

12/09/23

Visit our academy and meet our staff and teachers. Open Evening, Thursday 28th September, 5pm-7pm. Drop-in mornings from 8.45-10.30am on Mon 2nd Oct, Tues 3rd Oct and Weds 4th Oct. We look forward to welcoming you. Details at https://t.co/R3J31rz8No pic.twitter.com/vh4duLz9k2

12/09/23

We are pleased to announce that all students can now get a free bowl of porridge from 7.30 am to 8am. Available free from our canteen! pic.twitter.com/eCfFQItb2q

24/08/23

“I am so proud of our students for what they have achieved in their GCSE results. They are so resilient and really deserve the success. Thank you to everyone involved in the Academy - staff, parents and, of course, our fantastic students." Chris Brett, Head of Academy. pic.twitter.com/CP0NdZQo4Q

24/08/23

Students at Harris Boys' Academy East Dulwich are celebrating an incredible set of GCSE results this year. The students have achieved great outcomes and have surpassed the last standardised results of 2019 in their attainment and progress. Full story https://t.co/cbilcm4CCk pic.twitter.com/4QP7cYqXNb

19/07/23

First Silver DofE groups finish at Birling Gap in the South Downs National Park and venture onto the beach! pic.twitter.com/FYcdXR6le2

Harris Academies
All Academies in our Federation aim to transform the lives of the students they serve by bringing about rapid improvement in examination results, personal development and aspiration.

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RSHE & PSHE

It is our aim to develop all our students into Active Citizens by providing them with the knowledge and skills required to be resilient, respectful, curious, confident and ambitious young people, capable of living healthy and fulfilling lives.  

Young people today are growing up in an increasingly complex world and living their lives seamlessly on and offline. This presents many positive and exciting opportunities, but also challenges and risks.

In this environment, children and young people need to know how to be safe and healthy, and how to manage their academic, personal and social lives in a positive way. 

Below you will find an overview of the Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (RSHE) and the Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) curriculum for Harris Boys’ Academy East Dulwich. 

The curriculum covers Year 7 to 13, with a full academic year of lessons, based on one lesson per week. This curriculum is rooted in the (September 2020) statutory guidance for RSHE. The curriculum design has also been informed by the work of the Cre8tive Curriculum (TES Award Winners 2021) as well as the PSHE Association and we are grateful for their ongoing support. 

Download our policy. The Personal Development (RSHE, PSHE, SMSC and British Values) Policy can be downloaded from our Teaching & Learning Page.


Knowledge organisation 

There are 13 topics in the statutory guidance for secondary schools and these are interleaved through the units and across the year groups. The sequence of units within each year is derived in such a way as to enable pupils to make connections and links between topics/units.

The development of each topic, and how all the units relating to that topic build from Year 7 to 13, has been derived from a judgement regarding the age-appropriateness of the content.

The substantive PSHE and RSHE knowledge is designed to be delivered in a sequence that allows for connection-making across the topics. The knowledge becomes more complex and age-specific as students progress through the academic year. All substantive RSHE knowledge to be delivered is taken directly from the RSHE statutory guidance document. Each one of the topics becomes a thread of knowledge building throughout this entire secondary curriculum, although there are clear links across topics, which are highlighted throughout.  

To embed the substantive knowledge relating to RSHE, pupils need to reflect on the human experience. Pupils’ understanding of the topics will be enhanced through stories and scenario-based considerations and reflections. Their hinterland knowledge will complement the substantive knowledge delivered through teachers sharing examples and stories that relate to the topics. 


Knowledge selection 

The selection of knowledge in this curriculum is informed by the RSHE Statutory Guidance 2020, the PSHE Association’s suggested curriculum and The Gatsby Benchmarks.  

For clarity, here listed are the RSHE topics from the guidance, from which knowledge and units in this curriculum are derived: 

Relationship/Sex Education topics

  • Online and Media 
  • Being Safe 
  • Respectful Relationships, including Friendships 
  • Intimate and Sexual Relationships, including Sexual Health 
  • Families 

Health topics

  • Healthy Eating 
  • Health and Prevention 
  • Mental Wellbeing 
  • Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco 
  • Basic First Aid 
  • Internet Safety and Harms 
  • Changing Adolescent Body 
  • Physical Health and Fitness 

The curriculum has been designed with a presumption that pupils will not have been taught all of the statutory primary content for RSHE. Knowing that the guidance only became statutory in September 2020, where necessary, lessons have been included that re-cap primary content, to ensure our secondary curriculum can be fully accessed. 


Inclusive and ambitious  

Learning within this curriculum is, by law, an entitlement of all children in the UK. By nature of the subject matter, certain elements may resonate with specific pupils more than others, based on their background and life experience.

However, the content is designed to be taught to all pupils on the basis that it aims to build understanding and appreciation of others in order to further strengthen relationships and preparedness for adult life.

Content relating to sex and relationships will be taught in such a way as to be equally applicable to LGBTQ+ young people as to CIS opposite sex relationships. It is hoped that in delivering this curriculum, teachers are further embracing and enhancing inclusivity within our community. 

The curriculum breaks down lengthy guidance into deliverable, manageable chunks. It aims to challenge pupils to deeply reflect, and to embrace a wide range of subject (and topic) specific vocabulary, to equip them with the tools needed to navigate their lives as teenagers and adults, and to understand experiences that might affect friends, relations, partners and colleagues both now and in the future, thus hopefully making them more empathetic individuals.  

Resilience and character building. These should include character traits such as belief in achieving goals and persevering with tasks, as well as personal attributes such as honesty, integrity, courage, humility, kindness, generosity, trustworthiness and a sense of justice, underpinned by an understanding of the importance of self-respect and self-worth providing planned opportunities for young people to undertake social action, active citizenship and voluntary service to others locally or more widely.

RSE delivered through other areas of the curriculum

Science. At Key Stage 3 and 4, it includes teaching about reproduction in humans. For example, the structure and function of the male and female reproductive systems, menstrual cycle, gametes, fertilisation, gestation, birth and HIV/AIDS.

Computing. E-safety, with progression in the content to reflect the different and escalating risks that young people face as they get older. This includes how to use technology safely, responsibly, respectfully and securely, how to keep personal information private, and where to go for help and support.

PE. For example, health education can complement what is taught through PE by developing core knowledge and broader understanding that enables people to lead healthy, active lives.


Pupil engagement and motivation 

Through scenario-based teaching, coupled with clear, honest approaches, this curriculum will come to life for pupils as they will understand the relevance and applicability of the content to their own lives. The knowledge needed to access the building sequence of lessons will be challenging, but will allow learners to recognise the worth in the lessons.

By carefully matching the content to the age-appropriate level, the relevance and challenge level will further enhance engagement. It will be clearly recognisable how each topic builds vertically through the year groups over a long span of time, and how topics interconnect horizontally across a given academic year.  


A contextualised curriculum 

We have taken into account the contextual needs of our students when designing the curriculum.  We have gathered information through the use of in-school student surveys, student focus groups, work with the school Safeguarding Team and internal results from Votes for Schools SMSC debates. Data from the Southwark Sheu Report and Health and Wellbeing Surveys have also been factored into our decision-making over the time allocated to individual topics. 

This has led to additional curriculum time being devoted to the following areas: 

  • Mental Wellbeing 
  • Relationships and Consent 
  • Staying Safe Online and Offline 
  • Celebrating Diversity and Equality  

Ultimately, this curriculum aims to equip young people to live their lives safely and happily, treating others with care and respect. It aims to give them the knowledge to make their own informed lifestyle decisions (within the law), and to maintain their own self-care, through the embedding of this knowledge and the skill of deep reflection and consideration of perspective. 


Extra-curricular links 

As we deliver the curriculum, we draw clear links to how students can engage with both our in-school extra-curricular programme as well as our opportunities with our external partners.

For example, in our Health and Wellbeing module, we provide students with resources and information on how to stay physically active through our extra-curricular sports programme as well as information on where they can gain wellbeing support through our Mindfulness Champions.


Parental engagement

PSHE/RSHE is best delivered through a collaborative partnership between parents and the Academy. Each year in Term 2B we offer parents the opportunity to attend an evening to find out more about our PSHE & RHSE curriculum. In Term 3B, parents are consulted in preparation for the delivery of the following year's curriculum. Please see below for an overview of the curriculum across each year group. If you have any questions about our PSHE/RSHE curriculum or wish to review any of the teaching and learning materials used, please contact Jamie Allison Assistant Principal for Personal Development at j.allison@harrisdulwichboys.org.uk.


The right to withdraw from sex education 

Parents/guardians cannnot withdraw their child from any aspect of relationships education or health education. If a parent/carer wishes that their child be removed from sex education, they should write to the Principal to request withdrawal. The Academy will arrange a meeting with them to discuss the matter further. Where necessary, we will provide support by signposting parents to where they can find out more information on parental guidance about sex education. Parents will be able to withdraw their child (following discussion with the school) from any or all aspects of sex education, other than those which are part of the science curriculum, up to and until three terms before the age of 16.  After that point, if a student wishes to receive sex education rather than be withdrawn, the Academy will make arrangements to provide the child with sex education during one of those terms. Where students are withdrawn from sex education, we will ensure that the pupil receives appropriate, purposeful education during the period of withdrawal.


Curriculum summary

PHSE1

PSHE2

PSHE3


Respect for others

Gender 1Our Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education curriculum is planned with an understanding of the contextual challenges and risks facing our students. We are an all-boys school from 11-16 and serving a vibrant and diverse community. We recognise the vital importance of educating our students about respect for others and this theme of respect runs throughout our curriculum across a range of issues.

We devote additional curriculum time to issues as diverse as consent, sexual harassment and sexual violence; challenges facing the LGBTQ+ community and staying safe in the community. 

To enrich our work in these areas, we work with appropriate external agencies such as Action Break Silence (pictured), The Raising Awareness and Prevention Foundation (RAP) and the Metropolitan Police to supplement the education provided by our trained PSHE teachers.


A lifelong process

The curriculum teaches young people to understand human sexuality and to respect themselves and others. It does not encourage early sexual experimentation. It enables young people to be mature, build their confidence and self-esteem and understand the reasons for delaying sexual activity. Effective relationships and sex education also supports people, throughout life, to develop safe, fulfilling and healthy sexual relationships, at the appropriate time. Effective health education focuses on both physical health, mental wellbeing, online safety and basic first aid. 

Learning about relationships, sex and health is a lifelong process and we recognise that parents are key figures in helping their children to cope with the emotional and physical aspects of growing up and the challenges and responsibilities that sexual maturity brings. 

The Academy offers its Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum as an integral part of a broad and balanced PSHE programme and within the Science National Curriculum. Our curriculum is delivered in a balanced and sensitive manner, within a moral and caring framework. This is intended to complement and support the role of parents.


Click on the links below to see some sample resources on the following topics, used as part of our RSHE and PSHE curriculum.