At Channing we take great pride in the quality of pastoral care offered to our girls. PSHE lessons are an essential part of this care and are designed to help pupils to become active citizens who can make healthy and informed choices.

Pupils in Years 7 to 11 have one lesson of PSHE per week with either their form tutor or co-tutor. Pupils follow a scheme of work that has been devised to meet the specific needs of our girls. PSHE is also a time for pupils and staff to establish closer relationships based on mutual understanding and respect for the views of others.

Girls in Years 10 and 11 are currently involved in helping the Head of PSHE to develop a new programme of study in conjunction with the National Healthy Schools Programme. Taking into account the views of pupils is an essential part of the process when developing a scheme of work that aims to be relevant and up-to-date.

PSHE has undergone great changes in recent years. It is a dynamic subject whose subject matter is constantly in the news. The content of lessons is influenced by the needs of pupils, the views of parents, the opinions of teachers and, of course, the recommendations of both local and national governments.

In line with government guidelines, the PSHE curriculum contains lessons on Citizenship, Sex and Relationships Education, Drugs Education, and Economic Wellbeing. We are currently working with organisations such as Pfeg (the Personal Finance Education Group), The Brook Advisory Service, DRED UK (Drugs Education UK) and the McLellan Practice to help us achieve our aims.

In Year 11, pupils also have health education lessons to help them stay safe and understand the responsibilities that come with the increasing number of choices they have to make in their lives.

The PSHE Department also helps parents and teachers to understand the issues that affect the lives of young people today. These include Parenting For Prevention Evenings, and staff in-service training sessions on subjects such as drugs awareness, personal safety and self-harm.