Priestlands School

At Priestlands School, we believe that the physical and emotional health of our students is of vital importance. As a result we have created a unique scheme of work that builds over the five years.  It has been written and developed to address particular needs in our school and in the wider community.

Throughout Years 7-11, students have a fortnightly health lessons as part of the RSE Programme. These aim to challenge and empower our students, and to create discussion.  They are delivered by a designated team of staff and visitors.

The theme of the RSE Programme at Priestlands is about ‘DELAY’: delaying the time at which our young people become sexually active so that when they do, they understand consent, sexual harassment and will approach it with a strong sense of responsibility, respect for their partner and a high self-esteem.  All lessons have been developed specifically to address the needs of our students and, where possible, include valuable input from our partners in the community.

We recognise that the majority of our young people will not become sexually active until after they leave this school (the national average age is still 17), but we also understand that our media bombards them with images and information that need to be put into context.  We help them to recognise that although sex is made to seem an easy thing to do, it is actually really challenging and works best as part of a respectful and loving relationship.  Every lesson is designed to emphasise the value of delaying their first experience, whilst boosting self-esteem and self-image, as this gives them far more resilience.

The Health Education programme at Priestlands also encompasses topics such as online safety, grooming, positive masculinity, healthy relationships and consent to name a few.

We believe that the holistic approach to the curriculum enables pupils to leave Priestlands being able to make clear and informed choices based on their own physical and mental wellbeing.