Life
The LIFE curriculum at Chaucer aims to be accessible to all and gives students the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy and safe and to prepare them to be successful in life and work in the today’s society.
LIFE develops pupils in 4 main areas, Learning and thinking skills, Interpersonal skills, Financial Awareness and Emotional Intelligence. Most of the modules students will study meet more than one of these areas creating links and opportunities for critical evaluation. We try to be as responsive as possible so issues that occur within school or locally, nationally or globally are frequently covered in LIFE.
We aim to help students develop the ability to thrive as individuals, as members of a family and members of society and to provide them with a knowledge of their world, locally, nationally and globally and to give them the confidence to tackle the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. We aim to help students learn about their rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be part of a diverse society. We teach students skills in a wide range of topics from making responsible decisions around smoking, alcohol and drugs to succeeding in college and employment. LIFE helps pupils to manage critical opportunities, challenges and responsibilities they will face growing up in an ever-changing world.
Curriculum Intent
“Better People make better Students”
Our Curriculum aims to “realise the Life chances and dreams of every child.” In LIFE we recognise that this is about more than academic success. We will prepare our young people for life outside the classroom through following the nationally approved guidelines and recognising the issues most important to our young people. Life will help our students to be high achieving young people, who are active and engaged citizens of their community, this city, modern Britain, and the wider world.
Key Stage 3 Curriculum Overview
In year 7 students will learn about the following issues
- Emotional Intelligence Module 1 – Students will learn about their new secondary school and their subjects, about making new friends and being an active part of the school community. They will look at how to be mentally and physically healthy. Students will also celebrate diversity with Black History Month lessons.
- Financial Awareness Module 1 – Students will begin to look at their strengths and interests as part of a careers module. They will look at job families and prospective careers. Students will also complete an enterprise project, utilising team working skills to raise money for charity.
- Interpersonal skills Module 1 – Students will look at building relationships and friendships and how to manage disagreements. They will also begin to look at gangs, online safety and general boundaries.
- Emotional intelligence Module 2 – Students will develop their knowledge on staying healthy and complete a project on anti smoking.
- Financial awareness Module 2 – Students will look at various aspects of finance including wants and needs, basic saving and borrowing, ethical finance and making good choices.
- Interpersonal skills Module 2 – Students will learn about diversity and British values.
In year 8 students will learn about
- Interpersonal skills Module 1 – Students will refocus on their relationships with themselves and others. They will begin to look at how to recognise and find help for mental health issues in others and look at how extremism affects life in Britain.
- Financial awareness module 1 – Students will look at careers and how they can access them. They will firstly look at the personal side of careers, goal setting, behaviour for success and discrimination, before looking at future pathways, local market information and further and higher education.
- Emotional intelligence module 1 – Students will cover the statutory RSE content for this year
- Interpersonal skills module 2 – Students will complete a unit on preventing addiction ( drugs and alcohol), they will also look at first aid and the prevention of weapons in society. They will also look at exploitation and the signs that someone is at risk.
- Financial Awareness Module 2 – Students will look at staying financially safe, including online behaviours. This will include the reliability of media, gambling and online gaming. They will then look at crime and punishment.
In year 9 students will learn about
- Interpersonal skills 1 - Students will settle back into school and look at how people behave in different situations, including gangs, drugs and drug addiction and recognising at risk behaviours. Students will also look at peer pressure and keeping a growth mindset.
- Financial awareness 1 – Students will look at careers and how they can access them. They will firstly look at the personal side of careers, goal setting, behaviour for success and discrimination, before looking at future pathways, local market information and further and higher education.
- Emotional intelligence 1 – Students will look at families and parenting, including with how to deal with relationships ending
- Interpersonal skills 2 – Students will learn about British values and identity
- Financial awareness 2 – Students will learn more about managing money and personal information
- Emotional intelligence 2 – Students will learn about keeping safe and healthy both now and in the future.
Year 7 Curriculum Content
Topics Covered:
- Changes and feelings
- Friendships and relationships
- First aid
- Personal hygiene, puberty and healthy living
- Diversity and discrimination
- Online safety
- Mental health
- Personal finance
- Careers
Key Knowledge and Skills:
- How to deal with change and what to expect
- Strategies to understand and build resilience and respond to disappointments and setbacks
- Basic first aid skills
- How to stay healthy and what to expect through adolescence
- How to safely and responsibly form, maintain and manage positive relationships, including online
- How to manage money, be risk aware and ethically minded.
- Personal strengths and weaknesses
Assessment:
- Baseline questions and progress tasks
- End of half-term/term reviews and quizzes
Homework:
- Project based homework once per term
- Support and further advice signposted for every topic.
Links to Careers and Preparation for Life in Modern Britain:
- Recognising their own strengths and weaknesses
- Building resilience
- Promoting inclusion and awareness of protected characteristics
- Promoting diversity
- Awareness of different careers via a dedicated careers module.
- Being confidence in themselves: mental health, resilience, physically healthy, healthy relationships
Year 8 Curriculum Content
Topics Covered:
- Online safety: bullying; positive online relationships
- Building resilience; accepting responsibility and managing criticism
- Team working
- Managing misunderstandings, unfair expectations and family disputes
- Careers
- Extremism
- Media safety
- Mental health; positive self-talk; anxiety depression and stigma
- Romantic relationships
- Risky behaviour, including gangs and weapons
Key Knowledge and Skills:
- Team working
- Active listening
- Communication skills
- Negotiation skills
- How to take responsibility and building resilience
- How to recognise bias and demonstrate media literacy
- How to recognise mental health issues and seek support
- How to evaluate risky behaviour
Assessment:
- Baseline questions and progress tasks
- End of half-term/term reviews and quizzes
Homework:
- Project based homework once per term
- Support and further advice signposted for every topic.
Links to Careers and Preparation for Life in Modern Britain:
- Planning for future careers and aspirations
- Recognising extremist behaviour from all backgrounds
- Promoting inclusion
- Understanding and supporting mental health issues
- Being able to make decisions on risky behaviours and avoid behaviours that could cause future problems
Year 9 Curriculum Content
Topics Covered:
- Standing up for others (bullying, mental health, LGBTQ+, abusive behaviour)
- Careers
- RSE
- Relationships: growth, change and loss
- Financial awareness: debt; money worries
- Benefits of social media
- Peer pressure and consent
- Addiction and the law
Key Knowledge and Skills:
- How to stay safe as you grow up
- How to develop confidence and be able to say no
- Recognising abusive behaviour
- Recognising and celebrating diversity
- How to stay safe
- How to build health relationships
- Communication skills
- Evaluating your own needs
Assessment:
- Baseline questions and progress tasks
- End of half-term/term reviews and quizzes
Homework:
- Project based homework once per term
- Support and further advice signposted for every topic.
Links to Careers and Preparation for Life in Modern Britain:
- Planning for future careers
- Understanding the rule of law
- Debt and money support
- Health and safe lifestyles
- Different types of families
Key Stage 4 Curriculum Content
In Year 10 students will learn
- Interpersonal skills 1 – Students will learn about how other people can affect their lives. This includes learning about study skills, learning about how screen time and the internet and mental health and stress.
- Financial awareness 1 – Students will learn about how to manage money when they leave school. They will learn about how to read a wage slip, how to pay bills and their consumer rights.
- Emotional Intelligence 1 – Students will look at how to manage relationships and how to recognise a healthy relationship and seek help for an unhealthy relationship
- Interpersonal skills 2 – Students will look at influences others can have on their life. Students will also learn about peer pressure through a short film called collision.
- Financial awareness 2 – Students will learn about what they need to do to access the next stage of their education and careers. They will also look at preparing for work experience and job interviews
- Emotional intelligence 2 – Students will look at Communities and the challenges of modern society. Students will look at how to challenge extremism and extremist behaviour.
In year 11
Students focus on their future careers, looking at different pathways for the future, college applications and prospective interviews. This will be supported by a programme of assemblies.
The rest of the LIFE curriculum is passed over to careers and college applications. Once complete this give the students the opportunity to revise with key subject staff.
Key knowledge and skills in Key stage 4 (Years 10 & 11)
- How to recognise stress anxiety and depression
- Awareness of the impact of life changes on mental health
- Religious education
- RSE – understanding and making the right choices in relationships
- How to develop and sustain relationships
- Understanding and dealing with relationship loss
- Understanding my values and the values of others
- How to apply for the right college course
- Employment skills: CV writing; personal statements; making choices
- Positive self-talk
- How to stay safe