Purpose and impact of the curriculum
SMSC is the Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural education of students in UHS, ensuring that all students receive a balanced and positive education throughout their teenage years. With this, citizenship co-ordinates approximately 80 tutors across years 7-13 with a rigorous combined citizenship, PSHE and careers programme taught over a two-week cycle. Tutors are supported and the skills they learn are encouraged throughout the school.
Mental health and equality is a focus for this year, building on the excellent foundation of the past few years. With this in mind we have introduced mental health ambassadors and anti-bullying leaders and ambassadors which meet on a weekly rotation in the open reflection space – which provides a safe, open and understanding place for students at lunchtime. We have also developed the school ‘PRIDE’ club which meets twice a week to discuss LGBT issues amongst students and staff. We continue to improve this in the coming year through partnership with Healthwatch Hillingdon.
With regards to the wider citizenship curriculum we have established and improved LORIC values, careers, PHSE and RSE teaching, including updating the RSE policy for 2020 governmental guidance. Knife crime and radicalisation continues to be a focus, with awareness between staff and students improved through external agency links through the MET and Kidscape.
Active Citizenship and British Values are fully standardised and students regularly take an active part in their local community through charity work, including donations and volunteering towards a number of charities including the Hillingdon Food Bank, Kidscape and the Guide Dogs.
How the curriculum is designed and delivered Foundation, transition, mastery, advanced; skills, knowledge and concepts (including local context factor);
The Citizenship/SMSC curriculum is specifically designed to enable learners to gain the skills and knowledge to understand the world around them, their local area and themselves as modern British citizens, including a rigorous understanding of RSE, British values, careers and their personal, social and health education.
What is the end point KS4 – KS5 – higher education / life skills
Students are expected to utilise everything they have learned and experienced throughout their school career to progress into sixth form, college or vocational skill of their choice. Careers studied gives them the opportunity and foresight to understand what they need to succeed and understand their own strengths and weaknesses within modern Britain. At KS5 students are prepared for university and beyond through careers workshops, links with universities and experiences such as talks and visits that enable them to strive to be the best they can be.
Wider curriculum
Citizenship and SMSC encourages students to take an active part in the wider world and links heavily with every other curriculum through real everyday situations, trips and visits, extra-curricular activities and the very basis of what makes the modern education system. Students study a wide variety of subjects within citizenship and have a great opportunity to study and improve literacy, maths, humanities, business and more as they progress through school and into the sixth form.
Photo and student quote
“We’re here to learn about the world around us and how to be good people in the UK and the world. It’s about equality, understanding and being the best person we can be – whatever we want to be when were older” JP (Year 9 student, July 2019)