Curriculum Intent

The curriculum at James Bateman is rich in knowledge.

James Bateman Middle School provides opportunities for all our pupils through our curriculum and wider educational opportunities. Our intent is to ensure that all pupils make outstanding progress and that our curriculum will remove any barriers that may affect their learning.

Subject-specifically, the curriculum is built around a progression model that ensures pupils incrementally gain deep knowledge and skills that are fundamental to each subject. Purposeful assessment is integral to the curriculum to ensure knowledge is fully embedded and highlights areas for development.

Throughout the curriculum there is a strong emphasis on developing;

• a ‘love of learning’.
• readiness, resilience and respectfulness: the skills required to be a productive member a diverse 21st century society
• an understanding of ‘British Values’ and the implications for life in modern day Britain.
• pupils spiritual, moral, social and cultural learning.
• independence and enabling pupils to become creative, critical thinkers.
• an understanding of the importance, through the careers programme, of the opportunities available to pupils once they leave school.

At the heart of the school is the focus on broadening pupils’ cultural horizons to ensure they are able to continue to the next stage of their educational journey.

Implementation

PSHE and RSHE are taught weekly by experienced staff in a safe, supportive and respectful environment. We take a whole-school planning approach, giving teachers ownership of the programme while ensuring consistency and progression across all year groups.

Lessons are delivered sensitively and thoughtfully. We avoid shock tactics and instead focus on building knowledge, resilience and understanding through open discussion and guided learning. British Values are woven throughout every unit, and pupils reflect on their learning using simple “I can” statements, supporting confidence and self-awareness. Inclusivity is central to our approach, recognising that families and lived experiences come in many different forms, all of which are respected and valued.

Our PSHE curriculum follows a spiral approach, with key themes revisited and developed as pupils progress through the school. Content is carefully adapted to reflect pupils’ increasing maturity, understanding and life experience, allowing learning to deepen over time. This ensures pupils build on prior knowledge in an age-appropriate way, supporting confidence, resilience and meaningful understanding at each stage of their development.

Year 5
Pupils focus on positive friendships, peer influence and resolving disputes. They learn how to stay safe and healthy through topics such as sleep, hygiene, outdoor safety and first aid. Lessons also explore identity, individuality and early body changes, alongside caring for the environment, consumer choices, media awareness, digital safety and an introduction to careers.

Year 6
Pupils begin to explore more mature themes, including attraction, healthy and unhealthy relationships and consent. They learn about bullying, emotions, loss, and the risks of drugs and alcohol. Financial education becomes more practical, focusing on value for money, decision-making and recognising financial exploitation. Reproduction is taught through a life-cycle and personal development lens, rather than a biological one.

Year 7
Pupils develop greater independence and resilience as they learn to manage adolescence and emotional wellbeing. Lessons cover consent, conflict resolution, online influences, diversity, equality and democratic responsibility. Financial education includes budgeting, wages, bills and taxes, alongside awareness of scams, peer pressure and unfair financial practices.

Year 8
Pupils are prepared for upper school through carefully sequenced, age-appropriate content aligned with the new RSHE guidance. Learning focuses on healthy relationships, respect, consent and personal boundaries, with consent explored in broad and general terms. This includes a particular focus on digital consent and understanding boundaries in relationships, reflecting the increasing online and social pressures faced by young people at this age and helping to prepare pupils for the more detailed learning they will encounter as they move into Year 9. Pupils also build resilience against online influences such as social media pressure, misogyny, incel ideology, AI, deepfakes and inappropriate online content. Lessons support pupils in recognising harmful behaviour, knowing how to seek help, and making safe, informed choices.

As part of our whole-school approach to careers education, one career is identified each half term and linked directly to the PSHE lesson block being taught. This helps pupils make meaningful connections between the skills and knowledge they are developing in PSHE and the world of work. By linking each unit to a relevant career, pupils gain a clearer understanding of how attributes such as communication, respect, decision-making and resilience are valued in different professions, supporting aspiration and real-world relevance.

Impact

Ready, resilient, respectful

By the end of Year 8, pupils leave James Bateman Middle School with the maturity, awareness and resilience to face new challenges and make positive choices for their future. The PSHE and RSHE curriculum supports pupils to value themselves and others, communicate effectively, form healthy relationships, respond positively to challenge and make informed decisions.

PSHE and RSHE are reinforced daily through assemblies, visiting speakers, community engagement and pupils’ roles and responsibilities within school life.

Initiatives such as School Council, Peer Mentors, Prefects and Anti-Bullying Ambassadors provide meaningful opportunities for pupils to develop leadership, contribute to school life and feel that their voice matters.

Evidence of knowledge/skills

Assessment of pupils’ learning in PSHE is an ongoing process, with teachers monitoring pupils’ understanding, knowledge and skills throughout lessons. A range of strategies are used, including discussion, questioning, reflection tasks and end-of-unit activities. Pupils assess their progress in each lesson through simple “I can” reflections, helping them build confidence, self-awareness and ownership of their learning.

Student voice

Pupils are encouraged to share their experiences, thoughts and questions about their lives and the issues they encounter on a daily basis. We strongly believe that an effective PSHE curriculum should be shaped by the needs and experiences of our pupils, and opportunities for pupil voice are built into lessons through discussion, reflection and feedback. This ensures that PSHE at James Bateman Middle School remains relevant, responsive and supportive of the world our pupils are growing up in.