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Educating our Students to Stay Safe
Our students are growing up in a world where they face a number of pressures. The use of the internet and social media, our on-demand society and the evolution of social communication has created a range of worries and dilemmas that our young people face on a day to day basis. In order to achieve our vision we strive to give all of our students the skills that they need to keep themselves safe, identify risk, build confidence and resilience and reach their full potential in future life.
Our ambition to achieve this permeates through everything that we do. Specifically, each year we plan and deliver a number of collapsed curriculum days called SMSC days. Over the 5 years that a students spends at NWHS they will experience a wide range of exciting, diverse and thought provoking opportunities. Please click on the links below for more information about each focus.
We request that parents and carers support the development of our young people by using the information to continue discussion and education in these areas at home.
Positive Relationship & Sex Education
The aim of these sessions is to help students build positive relationships of all kinds.
In year 7 and 8 the focus is to promote positive relationships amongst peers, colleagues etc. and how these relationships can impact their own behaviour. We consider how bullying both online and face to face can be prevented through positive behaviours and where to seek help if relationships do break down. We also consider the different types of relationships that you may experience and what elements make them different.
In year 9 we introduce sex education covering the basic points on contraception and the impacts of taking part in unsafe sex. We aim to build students understanding of human sexuality and to respect themselves and others. We cover the importance of consent and what this means in relationships. Students will also have the opportunity to consider how people can be taken advantage of and exploited in relationships. This is covered in more detail by a visiting theatre who perform a play called Chelsea’s Story. This play depicts the key ideas of child sexual exploitation and the signs to look out for in a relationship of this nature and how to seek help.
In year 10 students will be taught further detail about sexual health and students will be equipped with knowledge on how to make safe and informed choices as they progress through adult life. In classroom based activities students will be able to discuss the various types of contraception and the pros and cons of each. Students will look again at how relationships can become a negative influence and will consider the issues of teen abuse, grooming and coercion.
In year 11 students will look further at sexual relationships and consider how pornographic and explicit material can distort people’s views of sex and damage the way people see themselves in comparison to others. They will also consider the dangers of sharing images with others and how passing on images can lead to a criminal offence. In Ethics and Philosophy topics are covered which compliment the work of SMSC, students are able to explore the values placed on marriage, the changes to the law with regards to same sex marriage and the roles of the family. Contraception, fertility and abortion both pro-choice and pro-life are covered so that students leave with an understanding of their own opinion on these topics.
Showcase
• Chelsea’s Story- AlterEgo theatre production.
http://www.alteregocreativesolutions.co.uk/chelseas-story/
• County Lines- AlterEgo theatre production
http://www.alteregocreativesolutions.co.uk/countylines/
• Planet earth, planet porn resources from:
https://bishtraining.com/#aboutus
• Issues of consent, being ready, same sex relationships and social stigma from:
https://www.truetube.co.uk/film/screwball
How can you support your child further?
• Talk to your child about what they have covered on SMSC days. A letter will be sent home if particularly sensitive material will be discussed so you can plan the chance to have a conversation before hand.
• Make your child aware that you are happy to discuss topics such as sexual health and relationships with them. They may be nervous about approaching you.
• Make clear to your child the expectations of different relationships, how should friends treat each other etc.
British Values
British Values are embedded into all areas of Nunnery Wood. The Student Parliament is valued by students and uptake is strong every year. Parliament is led by the head boy and girl who oversee the ‘House of Prefects’ and the ‘House of Students’ in an attempt to mirror UK democracy and help students to gain a more thorough understanding of how the Houses of Parliament runs. Throughout their time at school students at Nunnery Wood should feel they have the opportunity to share their opinions on matters through the use of student voice.
In Year 7 students focus on elements of mutual respect of those with different faiths and beliefs. They work on classroom based tasks which discuss the multi-cultural nature of Britain today, the impact of stereotyping and how to avoid this, the law and how it affects young people. Alongside this students will also consider how their behaviour towards others can impact people and the punishments they may receive.
Students will look at their role within the local community, how their behaviour affects others and how they should expect people to treat them. They will look at why we pay tax on earnings and how this contributes towards public services in England that they may benefit from. It is when they are thinking about their role in the wider community that they will also consider the role of the government and the importance of democracy in the UK. In year 8 students will have the opportunity to meet magistrates and discuss how they decide on the punishments that criminals receive.
In year 9 students will have the chance to look again at the government and consider how the work that the government does influences them in their day to day life. It is in year 9 that students will cover the importance of equality for all groups within our community and in particular those of a different faith or sexual orientation. All KS3 students will also have the opportunity to see the play ‘Feel the Hate’ by the AlterEgo theatre company. This looks at how hate crime can affect people and what constitutes hate crime. It asks students to consider how this impacts our society on a wider scale and how we can prevent hate crime.
In year 10 Students will consider the rule of law and the importance of mutual respect through a talk by the charity ‘ Stand Against Violence’ who discuss Lloyds story. Year 9, 10 and 11 will also experience the play ‘ County Lines’ by the theatre company AlterEgo. This play focuses on the issues of the rule of law.
Students in year 10 will have the opportunity to nominate themselves for positions of prefects and head boy/ girl. As they move into year 11 these roles will bring responsibility around school and students in year 11 will be able to use these representatives as a tool to express their views on topics that are important to them.
Showcase
• County Lines – AlterEgo theatre production
http://www.alteregocreativesolutions.co.uk/countylines/
• County Lines – AlterEgo theatre production
http://www.alteregocreativesolutions.co.uk/fth/
• Lloyds Story – Stand against violence
https://standagainstviolence.co.uk/
How can you support your child further?
• Talking to your child about issues that arise in the news may be a good way to share ideas about democracy.
• Encouraging your child to find out more about different cultures, religions, places so that they have an understanding of the different make up of our community.
• Encourage your child to take up opportunities at school that would allow them to find out more about different cultures, religions etc.
• Encourage your child to take up a position on the students parliament or run for prefect/ head boy or head girl.
Mental Health & Wellbeing
At Nunnery Wood students health and wellbeing both physically and emotionally is of great importance and our role in teaching students how to be emotionally healthy and aware is vital.
Resilience is a key area of focus as we help students to manage the transition to high school and beyond to further study or the workplace.
Mental and physical health are tied closely together and for this reason year 7’s spend time trying new sports and team work activities so that they can develop their resilience and self confidence. We also aim to build on the excellent work within the PE department to develop a love for sport as they move into adulthood so that this remains a constant in their life. In year 7 students will also experience singing workshops and will sing twice a week as a year group because we all know that singing makes us happy!
Year 8 and year 9 will also have the opportunity to develop their enthusiasm for sport and in the past we have seen groups such as the Worcester Warriors run sessions with students. Nuffield Health have also worked with the school to deliver sessions aimed at healthy eating, sleeping patterns and the impact of technology on physical and mental health.
In year 9’s students also spend time in the classroom considering how to manage stress and solve problems.
In year 10 students will look at how body image can affect students mental health and how the media portrays unrealistic ideals. We will give students the chance to discuss why it is important to have a positive sense of self.
In year 11 students will have the chance to look at techniques to cope with exam stress, including how to manage revision to reduce feeling overwhelmed as exam draw closer. External speakers cover how physical movement and pressure points can be used to eliminate feelings of tension and motivational talks help students to feel empowered about tackling exams.
Showcase
• Worcester Warriors
https://warriors.co.uk/community/community-foundation/education/
• Nuffield Health
https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/gyms/worcester
How can you support your child further?
Take time to talk to your child about how they are managing their work and it may be that they need help organising their time especially as they get closer to important exams.
Encourage your child to take part in sporting activities to help this become a habit.
Consider setting up a routine in regards to electronics to ensure that students turn these off in time so that they can get a good nights sleep.
Online Safety
Online safety is vital in the connected world that we live in. We embed online safety into many areas of school life, ICT lessons, assemblies, PSHE lessons and SMSC days cover vital information about the internet and how to use it in a safe and responsible manner.
In KS3 staying safe online is a key focus for our students. In ICT lessons they start each year with a reminder of the importance of online safety and how to avoid dangerous situations. Through SMSC and ICT students learn what a digital footprint is and how once something is shared on the internet it is no longer within their control. The impacts of ‘sexting’ and the criminal implications of possessing or sharing explicit images will be covered and students will have the chance to discuss who they could seek help from in these instances. Grooming is a topic that is covered across KS3 and there are constant reminders about the typical traits to look out for in someone who may be grooming you. Students will be given clear guidance about who to seek support from if they believe they are in this situation and how to avoid the risks that this presents.
As well as equipping students to be as safe as possible on the internet we will also ensure they have the chance to evaluate the accuracy of online information and why people may create fake accounts. Students will work on recognising when material is fake and when it is genuine and consider the reasons why people may want to spread fake information. This provides opportunities to discuss how hoax emails and scams can take advantage of people and harm them either financially or some other way. Students will be given the chance to look at how to differentiate between websites that have secure markings and those that don’t. Students will be encouraged to keep their data secure by using passcodes and passwords and also to be mindful of phishing scams which will try to discover data to access accounts.
Students will also cover the impact of different online behaviour and how some can be particularly negative and abusive. Students will begin to recognise when this type of behaviour is illegal. Students will start to differentiate between online bullying, sexual harassment, trolling and intimidation. The illegality of hate crime and blackmail will be discussed and how this can be reported. Students should leave KS3 with a clear understanding of what good online behaviours look like.
The impact of filters and social media influencers will also be covered and how this can impact peoples mental health. Students will consider that what people post on social media is not always a valid reflection of their lifestyle and this is not a tool for comparison to their own lives.
All of this information will leave students in KS3 with a clearer understanding of how their online profile can affect their future prospects. Future employees and colleagues, friends and partners will be able to view this data. This will be reiterated in KS4 when students begin to think about future prospects and their options after leaving school.
At the end of KS3 or during KS4 students will watch the performance Chelsea’s Story by the excellent AlterEgo theatre group. This is an opportunity for students to look in depth at the impacts that sharing information online can have and how this can lead to child sexual exploitation (CSE). This brilliantly focused performance can help students recognise if people are taking advantage of them and how to get the help that they need.
Showcase
• Chelsea’s Story- AlterEgo theatre production.
http://www.alteregocreativesolutions.co.uk/chelseas-story/
• CEOP and Think you know is one of the websites we use to help resource our lessons.
How can you support your child further?
• Ask your child to share what they have learnt in their ICT lessons or on SMSC days. Engage them in conversations about the topics so that they know you are available to them if they need help.
• It is important that you talk to your child about their internet use and are aware of the people that they are talking to online/ over messaging services.
• Students should be encouraged to use devices with internet access in rooms with parents/ carers rather than alone in their room. It would also be beneficial to encourage students to have time away from screens and not to take computers/ phones to bed with them.
• Try to encourage open conversation about their friendships online so that they are able to talk to you if they have concerns.
• Talk to your child about the implications of sharing photos, once images have been shared it can be very difficult to control who sees them.
Look for signs of grooming and CSE – these can be found here https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/types-of-abuse/child-sexual-exploitation
Careers
Careers is an important focus for students and at Nunnery Wood we strive to prepare students for the world of work and introduce the range of opportunities that await them.
Local employers are welcomed to the school in year 7 to run a variety of workshops with students. This is a great opportunity for students to ask questions and find out more about different jobs and the responsibilities that they entail. They will also have the chance to do some classroom based learning on these topics.
In year 8 the National Enterprise competition runs at Nunnery Wood and all students take part with one group being selected to represent the school at the national finals. In the past these have been held at Wembley Stadium and have seen students present their ideas to business professionals. The range of entrepreneurial skills that students showcase is very impressive.
In year 9 students begin to seriously think about their options and future careers. Students receive assemblies and information to guide them in the process. During SMSC this year students will start to look at the financial aspects of a career and how they would use their salary to pay for essential items. They will also take part in classroom based tasks considering different opportunities as they leave school.
In year 10 students are able to use the START programme to explore different career opportunities further. They will also spend time in the classroom considering what would make them happy in a career. In previous years we have been fortunate to have the Medical Mavericks team visit the school and share opportunities linked to medical careers with students who are interested in this area of work. Students have also had workshops delivered by our STEM ambassador Nick Baxter on how to write a CV and have been able to put this in practice. At the end of year 10 students will take part in work experience, a valuable opportunity to find out more about working environments.
In year 11 students take part in mock interviews at the beginning of the year, this opportunity is extremely valuable and provides students with the chance to practice and prepare for an interview. Local employers volunteer their time to run these sessions and provide students with invaluable feedback as they go forward to apply for colleges and apprenticeships. Students also explore the difference between apprenticeships and university and what the different routes entail. Speakers from both of these sections have visited school to answer students questions and share their own experiences.
Showcase
• Mock Interviews
• CV Writing Workshop with Nick Baxter.
https://www.baxterwilliams.com/
• Medical Mavericks
https://www.medicalmavericks.co.uk/
How can you support your child further?
• Take time to talk to your child about career options. Try to research some with them, share your own personal experiences and those of other family members and friends. It is important to highlight that getting a job is a very different process now compared to 20 years ago. We would encourage you to look up college and university requirements etc. and maybe help them to write a CV?
• Helping your child to apply for a part time job may be a great way for them to learn some new skills and prepare them for the world of work.
• Take time to talk about the things that they have covered during SMSC days or in PSHE lessons.
• As you reach the options process in year 9 come along to the open evening, read through information sent by the school and try and help your child make the choices that suit them best.
