Our Philosophy

The primary aim of the L4L department at TVA is to contribute to the personal and social development of all our students.  We strongly believe in developing individuals to become independent learners and actively encourage them to pursue life-long learning through our excellent careers programme and work experience opportunities.

We actively promote a strong sense of community within our students and provide opportunities to do so by developing links with community based organisations.

The Team

We are very fortunate at TVA in having a specialist team to deliver PSHE and Citizenship studies. The teaching staff are highly motivated and strongly believe in the value of the work that they do. The three team members bring to the department a rich and varied level of experience and skills which collectively have made the department extremely successful at TVA.

We are very proud of the contribution that we have made towards achieving the Healthy Schools Award, the International Schools Award and to the comments in the recent Ofsted report.

The Curriculum

The department takes responsibility at KS3 and KS4 for the delivery of PSHE including Careers and Work Experience. In addition to this we also deliver an active Citizenship programme. Our PSHE course is accredited and we have produced some excellent results in the time that we have existed as a department. We are continually looking towards the future to ensure that we provide our students with relevant and valuable learning opportunities which will have value in their future choice of post 16 training opportunities.

What is PSHE education?

PSHE education deals with real life issues which affect children and young people, their families and their communities. It engages with the social, health and economic realities of their lives, their experiences and their attitudes. Our PSHE education programme contributes to our pupils’ spiritual, moral and cultural development

The benefits of PSHE education are universal, supporting all children and young people – the highest achievers as well as the vulnerable and excluded – to achieve their fullest potential.

Why is PSHE education important?

Because:

• It helps to increase children and young people’s independence and ultimately enables them to take responsibility for themselves. It prepares them for their future role as parents, employees and leaders. 
• It underpins young people’s future employability through the development of the personal and social skills which commerce and industry demand from our workforce.
• It makes a major contribution to  the health and wellbeing of children and young people as set out in the current legislation 
• It contributes to the health of the nation and ultimately helps reduce National Health Service spending 
• It contributes to the safety and protection of children and young people.

What does PSHE education provide for children?

Opportunities to learn about:

• Relationships: developing and maintaining positive relationships; dealing with negative relationships, which may include bullying and sexual violence.
• Health: healthy lifestyles; healthy eating and exercise; mental and emotional health; drug, alcohol and tobacco education.
• Personal finance: savings, debt and budgeting.
• Risk: financial and careers choices; personal safety; internet safety and violent incidents
• Career choices; enterprise, business and finance.
• Change: managing transition, adversity and developing resilience.
• Loss: bereavement, separation and divorce.

In addition to literacy and numeracy employers and parents want young people who are healthy, able to manage themselves and their relationships, willing and able to take responsibility, manage risk and be resilient in one of the most diverse and rapidly changing periods in our history.

PSHE education makes a unique contribution to addressing these outcomes.