Social Studies

Why we teach Social Studies

Social studies at Melbourn Village college is a combination of Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) and Citizenship.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education is a school subject through which students develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to manage their lives, now and in the future. It helps children and young people to stay healthy and safe, while preparing them to make the most of life and work. PSHE education also helps students to achieve their academic potential. Most of PSHE education is statutory under the Children and Social Work Act 2017. This includes Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) at key stages 3 and 4, and Health Education.

Citizenship education helps to provide students with knowledge, skills and understanding to prepare them to play a full and active part in society. In particular, citizenship fosters students ’ keen awareness and understanding of democracy, government and how laws are made and upheld. Students develop the skills and knowledge to explore political and social issues critically, to weigh evidence, debate and make reasoned arguments. It also prepares students to take their place in society as responsible citizens, manage their money well and make sound financial decisions.

KS3 Social Studies

Overview of content

Year 7 Social studies includes aspects of Citizenship and Personal, Social and Health Education. There is a balance of the PSHE core themes Health and Wellbeing, Relationships, and Living in the Wider World. There is also an introduction to Citizenship.

Year 8 Social studies includes aspects of Citizenship and Personal, Social and Health Education. This includes PSHE core themes Health and Wellbeing, Relationships, and Living in the Wider World and Citizenship topics on British values and the British political system.

Year 9 Social studies includes aspects of Citizenship and Personal, Social and Health Education. The year begins with a study of the British electoral system and then continues with PSHE core themes Health and Wellbeing, Relationships, and Living in the Wider World.

Yr 7 Programme of Study

Half term	Topics studied; skills and knowledge	How this will be assessed
Autumn - 1	Transition to secondary school, Aspirations, Self-esteem, Wants and needs, Prejudice and discrimination, Safe social media, Ethical social media.	Teams short answer and multiple- choice questions. Extended writing literacy focus on Prejudice and discrimination. Completion of ‘Can do’ statements sheet.
Autumn - 2	Budgeting, Savings and loans, Interest rates, Financial products, Financial transactions.	Teams short answer and multiple- choice questions. Extended writing literacy focus on Financial transactions. Completion of ‘Can do’ statements sheet.
Spring - 1	Maintaining genuine friendships, Different types of families, Romance and teenage love, Bullying or banter, Preventing online bullying, Keeping safe and positive relationships.	Teams short answer and multiple- choice questions. Extended writing literacy focus on preventing bullying. Completion of ‘Can do’ statements sheet.
Spring - 2	What is Citizenship? How could you run a country, Rights and responsibilities, What makes a good citizen? How do we identify ourselves, Dental health.	Teams short answer and multiple- choice questions. Extended writing literacy focus on characteristics of a good citizen. Completion of ‘Can do’ statements sheet.
Summer - 1	Healthy living, Balanced diet, Food labels, Consequences of not living healthily, Energy drinks, Active life and exercise, Smoking.	Teams short answer and multiple- choice questions. Extended writing literacy focus on consequences of not living healthily. Completion of ‘Can do’ statements sheet.
Summer - 2	Drugs, Keeping good mental health, Emotional literacy, Puberty, Periods and the menstrual cycle, Female genital mutilation.	Teams short answer and multiple- choice questions. Extended writing literacy focus on mental health. Completion of ‘Can do’ statements sheet.

Yr 8 Programme of Study

Half term	Topics studied; skills and knowledge	How this will be assessed
Autumn - 1	Consent, Contraception, The dangers of pornography, Sexting and image share danger, Sexually transmitted infections, Male body image, Domestic conflict.	Teams short answer and multiple- choice questions. Extended writing literacy focus on Healthy sexual relationships.
Autumn - 2	British values: Tolerance, Radical groups, Extremism, How do leaders attract converts, Sharia law in the UK, Preventing radicalisation and extremism, Prejudice and discrimination: Religion, Anti-Vaxxers, organ donation and stem cell research.	Teams short answer and multiple- choice questions. Extended writing literacy focus on preventing radicalisation and extremism.
Spring - 1	Finance, income and expenditure, Tax and National Insurance, How public money is spent in the UK, Budgeting and saving, Entrepreneurs.	Teams short answer and multiple- choice questions. Extended writing literacy focus on How public money is spent in the UK.
Spring - 2	Free speech and hate speech, Civil liberties, Protecting religious freedom, How can we prevent racism? British values.	Teams short answer and multiple- choice questions. Extended writing literacy focus on British values.
Summer - 1	Vaping, nicotine and addiction, Cancer awareness, Personal safety and first aid, Teenage pregnancy, Stereotypes and prejudice: Disability, LGBT discrimination around the world, Discrimination and stereotypes: Teenagers.	Teams short answer and multiple- choice questions. Extended writing literacy focus on prejudice and discrimination.
Summer - 2	British politics, The political spectrum, Political parties, Which part would I vote for?	Teams short answer and multiple- choice questions. Extended writing literacy focus on the UK political spectrum.

Yr 9 Programme of Study

Half term	Topics studied; skills and knowledge	How this will be assessed
Autumn - 1	British politics and elections, Election campaigns, Why should I vote? Are children responsible enough to vote? Should the voting age be lowered?	Teams short answer and multiple- choice questions. Extended writing literacy focus on whether the voting age should be lowered.
Autumn - 2	Child sexual exploitation, Abusive relationships, Peer pressure, The LGBTQAI+ community, Alcohol awareness, Drugs and the law, Acid attacks, Self-harm.	Teams short answer and multiple- choice questions. Extended writing literacy focus on drugs and the law.
Spring - 1	Human rights: access to education, Interpersonal skills, Growth mindset, Coping with stress, Managing anxiety, Selfie safety.	Teams short answer and multiple- choice questions. Extended writing literacy focus on stress and anxiety.
Spring - 2	Careers and enterprise, Grief, Risk taking.	Teams short answer and multiple- choice questions. Extended writing literacy focus on grief.
Summer - 1	Finance and careers, Avoiding debt, Managing money, Consumer rights, Applying and preparing for the world of work, Animal rights, Carbon footprint, Digital footprints.	Teams short answer and multiple- choice questions. Extended writing literacy focus on animal rights.
Summer - 2	The work of UNICEF, Human rights: Trafficking, How the UK helps people in other countries, Sustainable living, How the law deals with young offenders, Knife crime.	Teams short answer and multiple- choice questions. Extended writing literacy focus on living sustainably.

Homework

There is no homework in Social studies but students will be encouraged to keep up with current affairs through mainstream media.

Learning outside the classroom

There will be a Social Studies notice board that students may wish to use to write articles or produce artwork about the issues covered in the lessons.

Parental support and extension

Please take the time to talk to your child about any issues that arise in the news or other popular media about Health and wellbeing, relationships between people, groups or countries and skills or rights regarding the world of work. Some useful websites include:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news

https://www.brook.org.uk/

https://classroom.thenational.academy/subjects-by-year/year-7/subjects/rshe-pshe

https://www.theatlantic.com/world/

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/

Format of KS4 PSHE tutor time lessons

The aim of these sessions are to enrich students’ personal development in line with the PSHE curriculum. The tutor time sessions will typically take 15mins of teaching and learning. Tutors will lead the sessions with students , and will ensure that students engage with the topics and that they record their progress.

The sessions have been designed to be relevant to the students at the stage of their learning, as well as compliment the delivery of PSHE through drop down days. The tutor time sessions cover topics that may also be covered on the drop down days but tend to lean away from the “heavier” PSHE topics.

Practicalities

Typically there are 4 – 5 pre prepared lessons (this will be a powerpoint) per half term, offering some wiggle room for tutors to explore things further.
Students will have a small exercise book to record their work from the short session. Title, date and a few key notes/answers to Qs are expected.
The exercise book will be the record for what students have done in these sessions.
The exercise book will also be used on the PSHE drop down days.

Autumn Term 1	Preparation for GCSE
	1	Expectations and differences between KS3 and KS4
	2	Structure of GCSEs e.g. when are mocks, GCSE Exams
	3	Taking responsibility for learning
	4	Time management e.g. deadlines
Autumn Term 2	Respectful Relationships
	1	Positive and Healthy Friendships e.g. trust, respect, honesty, kindness, generosity, boundaries, privacy, consent and the management of conflict, reconciliation and ending relationships
	2	Relationships in school and the wider community - mutual respect, tolerance –
	3 - 4	Different types of relationships and the history behind relationships e.g. same sex relationships. Link to Equality Act 2010
Spring Term 1	Online and Media Safety
	1	Screen Time
	2	Fake News
	3	Social Media – Risks and Opportunities
	4	Sad Fishing and Like Farming
Spring Term 2	Work Experience and equal opportunities at work
	1	World of Work and Working Relationships
	2	Work – Equal Opportunities
	3	Protection at Work
	4	Work Experience
	5	Citizenship and the Workplace
Summer Term 1	Revision Skills
	1	What is revision and How do I revise?
	2	Revision Timetables
	3	Trial of a revision strategy e.g. flash cards, mind maps etc
	4	Trial of a revision strategy e.g. flash cards, mind maps etc
Summer Term 2	Citizenship
	1	Homelessness
	2	Privilege
	3	Money Laundering
	4	Criminal Justice

PSHE drop down days

Year 10		3 Hours – 2^nd Nov	2 Hours – 13^th Sept
Term 1	Equal Opportunities	Session 1 Sexism – Equality Act 2010, how stereotypes can cause damage, respect and tolerance, bullying Link to use of language e.g. sexist and derogatory words Session 2 Racism – Equality Act 2010, how stereotypes can cause damage, respect and tolerance, bullying Link to language e.g. racist, derogatory Session 3 Extremism/Radicalisation and Hate Crimes Law – Extremism/Radicalisation and Hate Crime	Session 1 Gender and LGBT+ - Equality Act 2010, how stereotypes can cause damage, respect and tolerance, different types of bullying Link to the use of language e.g. derogatory words Law – Gender Identity Session 2 Prejudice – Equality Act 2010, how particular stereotypes can cause damage (e.g. how they might normalise non-consensual behaviour or encourage prejudice), tolerance, bullying. Include prejudice and women
	Sexism Racism Gender Prejudice Language LGBT+ Extremism / Radicalisation / Hate Crime
Term 2	Exploitation	2 Hours – 24^th Jan	Possibly 3 Hours – 4^th March
		Session 1 County Lines: Law - Criminal Exploitation Law – Violence and Exploitation by Gangs Law – Violence against women and girls Session 2 Child Sexual Exploitation – sexual consent, exploitation, abuse, grooming, coercion, harassment, rape, domestic abuse, forced marriage, honour-based violence and FGM, and how these can affect current and future relationships: Law – Criminal Exploitation Law – Violence against women and girls / Female Genital Mutilation	Session 1 Online - rights, responsibilities, opportunities and risks. Law - Online behaviours including image and information sharing Law - Pornography Session 2 Sexual abuse, harassment, including online – sexually explicit material e.g. pornography and link to sexual behaviours. ‘Nudes’, language used, consent, Online Reporting tools – IWF/Childline, CEOP Law - Online behaviours including image and information sharing
	County Lines Child Sexual Exploitation -consent Online – consent, pornography, dark web
Term 3	Sexual Health	2 Hours – 19^th April	2 Hours – 10^th June
		Session 1 Safe sex, contraception – positive aspects of healthy/intimate relationships, facts around reproductive health, fertility, full range of contraceptive choices, choice to delay sex or enjoy intimacy without sex Law – Consent, Age of Consent Law – Sexuality Session 2 Pregnancy and miscarriage - facts around pregnancy and miscarriage, choices in relationship to pregnancy e.g. adoption, abortion, where to go for further help Law - Abortion	Session 1 Risky sexual behaviour, use of contraception, link to drugs alcohol, tobacco Peer pressure, resisting pressure and not pressurising How to get further advice, including confidential sexual and reproductive health advice and treatment Law – Substance Misuse Session 2 STIs – how transmitted, importance of testing and facts around this, prevalence of some STIs, impact of STIs and treatment Advice and support Link LGBT+ Law – Sexuality: Sexual Health
	Safe sex and contraception Pregnancy and miscarriage STI Risky sexual behaviour – drugs and alcohol Advice and support LGBT+

Autumn Term 1	Preparation for GCSE
	1	Expectations of Year 11 and structure e.g. when are mocks, GCSE Exams
	2	Taking Responsibility and Time Management
	Personal Statement and Post 16
	1	Personal Statement and Post 16
	2	Personal Statement and Post 16
Autumn Term 2	3	Personal Statement and Post 16
	4	Personal Statement and Post 16
	Study Skills and Well Being
	1	Revision and Revision Timetables
	2	Rest and Sleep e.g. good quality sleep. Link to how lack of sleep can affect weight, mood and ability to learn
Spring Term 1	Life Skills
	1	Bank Accounts/credit cards
	2	Wages/Pensions
	3	Tax
	4	Houses – Buying/Renting
Spring Term 2	5	Cars- leasing or buying
	6	Hygiene and check-ups e.g. dentist. Link in regular self-examination and screening
	Preparation for the Future / Being Safe
	1	Break-ups
	2	Antisocial Behaviour
Spring Term 2	3	Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco
	4	Gambling
	5	Tattoos and Piercings
	6	Conflict Management

Year 11 Drop down days

Year 11		3 Hours – 24^th Sept	2 Hours – 2^nd Nov
Term 1	Respectful Relationships	Session 1 Respectful relationships at work Working relationships – positive and healthy friendships, Equality Act 2010, sexual harassment Link to LGBT+ - rights, stereotypes, wider community Law – Gender Identity Session 2 Respectful relationships at home Family Dynamics – different types of relationships, marriage, legal status of relationships, roles and responsibilities of parents Link to LGBT+ - families, legal status of relationships Law – Marriage Law – Gender Identity Session 3 Respectful relationships with yourself Body positivity / filters / social media Eating habits, healthy eating, maintaining a healthy weight – link to inactive lifestyle and ill health, eating disorders, comfort eating Physical and emotional wellbeing	Session 1 Consent and Rape – positive relationships, strategies for identifying and managing sexual pressure, choice to enjoy/delay sex. Further advice, including how and where to access confidential sexual health advice/treatment Link to the use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco – risky sexual behaviour Law – Consent, Age of Consent Session 2 Online – rights, responsibilities, opportunities and risks. How data is generated, collected and shared online. Communicate and recognise consent from others including sexual consent Law – Pornography Law - Online behaviours including image and information sharing
	Working relationships Family dynamics Consent and rape Online – being safe LGBT+ Body Positivity Filters Eating habits Physical and Emotional Wellbeing
Term 2	Preparing for the future – Positive Choices	2 Hours – 18^th Jan	2 Hours – 4^th March
		Positive choices Session 1 CPR – basic treatment for common injuries, how to administer CPR and the purpose of defibrillators and when one might be needed Linked to Taking Responsibility for themselves and others Session 2 Safety including online – rights, responsibilities and risks, sharing material, what to do and where to get support. CSE – grooming, sextortion, harmful behaviours Linked to Taking responsibility for themselves and others	Preparing for the future Session 1 College – what to expect, how college will be different to school Time management - deadlines, getting to college e.g. bus/train Dealing with pressure - deadlines, exams, university applications Session 2 Temptations linked to freedom (tie into previous learning e.g. drugs, alcohol and tobacco and risky sexual behaviour – peer pressure and delaying choices) Taking responsibility for their actions and where to go to for support if necessary Law – Substance Misuse Law – Sexuality – Sexual Orientation and Sexual Health
	College - expectations Time management Dealing with pressure Temptations Freedom Safety including online CPR Taking responsibility Tie into previous learning

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Melbourn Village College
The Moor, Melbourn
Royston SG8 6EF

Tel: 01763 223400
Email: office@melbournvc.org Absence: absence@melbournvc.org

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Melbourn Village College is an academy of The Cam Academy Trust, a company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales with company number 0749 1945.
The registered office is at Comberton Village College, West Street, Comberton, Cambridgeshire, CB23 7DU