PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education)

PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education)

Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) can mean all things to all people, but in a positive way. It enables schools to analyse what they offer to students and to use PSHE programmes to provide the final rounded curriculum. This is not easy as PSHE is not so much a ‘subject’ as a group of learning experiences that need careful binding together lest they become amorphous.

PSHE at its best brings emotional literacy, social skills and healthy attitudes to the core studies of the history, economic state and social make-up of the local and wider community

Ofsted has praised some schools’ multi-faceted approaches to creating a caring and coherent school and reaching out to the local communities, and some schools for delivering sex and relations programmes effectively, and some for their commitment to equality and diversity. Visits and activities outside the classroom can act not only as focal points for a school’s work but as catalysts to reinforce the messages contained in the courses.

In some ways it does not matter where the visit is to. The importance is how well they are planned, the matching of the experiences to the aim, and the enthusiasm staff and students bring to it.

So, typically learning for PSHE takes place whilst undertaking other activities. Here we list a range of ideas which the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom suggest as activities which can engender excellent experiences to benefit students in this area.

Attitudes and values

  • Talking about an object in a museum, or visiting a place of worship can give insight into issues, other cultures or periods of history.
  • Creating your own work of art can give rise to explorations and understandings about the world and our place in it
  • A visit to a farm can stimulate debate about animal husbandry and food production, and provide a context for designing a Fairtrade enterprise.
  • Adventure education can provide opportunities to show different skills, such as leadership or teamwork.
  • Seeing a play on the stage can bring a text alive and stimulate conversations about the values and actions of the characters.
  • A residential can provide a different setting for conversations about what we believe and what we think is important.

Confidence and resilience

  • Learning a new skill, such as map-reading or how to look at a painting, builds independence and confidence.
  • Adventure education enables young people to test themselves in various ways and develop new aptitudes and dispositions.
  • For young people with disabilities, a residential trip can foster independence and give them a rare opportunity to build close relationships outside the family.
  • Planning their own experience or activity helps young people to gain confidence in a wide range of project planning skills.  It can develop resilience in dealing with conflicting opinions, and in finding solutions to project challenges.

Communication and social skills

  • A drama workshop requires teamwork and helps, to strengthen friendship groups.
  • A residential experience enables staff to get to know young people, and young people get to know each other, discovering different aspects of each others’ personalities.
  • An experience, such as visiting a power station, stimulates discussion and encourages young people to share ideas and opinions.
  • A musical performance gives young people a feeling of achievement and a sense of personal success.
  • Young people planning their own programme or activities gives them voice and choice and ensures their active involvement.
  • Undertaking voluntary work in the community gives young people a sense of making a positive contribution.

Knowledge of the world beyond the classroom

  • Young people who live in the country may encounter a town or city for the first time or vice versa.
  • Environmentalists, town planners, artists, curators, scientists, politicians, musicians, dancers and actors can all act as new and powerful role models.
  • Going to an arts venue can encourage young people to try the experience again.
  • Recording the reminiscences of older people gives young people new insight into their community, and brings historical events alive.
  • Going to a local civic institution like a town hall builds knowledge of how communities function.
  • A school or youth council enables young people to learn about and participate in democratic processes
  • Visiting the library enables young people to find out what they have to offer – apart from lending books.
  • Children and young people with profound learning difficulties and disabilities may not often experience visits to galleries, concerts or the countryside because of the difficulties of transport and personal care which parents have to consider and cannot always manage alone. Educational visits may provide the only means for these young people to have such experiences.

Physical development and well-being

  • Visiting a park, field studies centre or making a school garden all provide physical activity and develop an interest in the environment.
  • Participating in recreational activities help to develop physical well-being and the growth of confidence.
  • Many learning outside the classroom activities can also provide attractive alternatives to competitive sports and can lead to a lifelong interest in healthy physical recreation.

Emotional spiritual and moral development

  • An integrated dance workshop with able bodied and disabled participants can help young people empathise and develop awareness of disability.
  • Activities in the natural environment can encourage a feeling of awe and wonder, and an appreciation of silence and solitude.
  • Visiting a place of worship develops an understanding of religion, reflection and spirituality.
  • Engaging with young people in conversations about values and beliefs, right and wrong, good and bad supports their moral development.

Main organisations:

PSHE Association

National Centre for Citizenship and the Law

Inclusion: NASEN

Venues for this Curriculum

The Orange Tree Theatre is a 172-seat theatre which was built specifically as a theatre in the round. It is housed within a disused 1867 primary school, built in Victorian Gothic style.

In the early 19th century Joseph Williamson (1769-1840), a Liverpool businessman known as the Mole of Edge Hill, paid for a vast network of tunnels to be constructed, probably to provide employment for the poor of the area.

Discover the stories behind this eclectic home.

It’s fair to say that Melford Hall has had its share of trials and tribulations, but it’s thanks to many generations from medieval monks to the Hyde Parker family who still live here, that this home still stands.

J M Barrie (1860-1937), the creator of much-loved character Peter Pan and a celebrated novelist and dramatist, was born in this two-storied house on 9 May. School visits are welcome by appointment.

Superb Tudor House and Landscape Deer Park

Charlecote has been home to the Lucy family since the 12th century. Their stories are told throughout the house with their portraits as well as through the objects they collected from around the world. See the design influence they had on the house and parkland. Step into the house today and you will see how Mary Elizabeth Lucy spared no expense furnishing it in Victorian times.

Kirkleatham Owl Centre is home to one of the U.K.'s largest collection of owls. Located in the historic and tranquil village of Kirkleatham in the grounds of Kirkleatham Old Hall (Grade 2 Listed Building). 

The ruins of Balmerino Abbey are a fine example of a 13th-century Cistercian monastery. The Abbey was founded in 1229, and became a dwelling house of the lords Balmerino after secularisation in 1603.

School groups are welcome by arrangement through Hill of Tarvit Mansionhouse. Talks can be arranged on history, crafts and wild herbs, as used by the monks.

Established in 1986, Newry and Mourne Museum aims to provide a dynamic and inclusive recreational and educational resource reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the local area. The Museum is located at Bagenal's Castle, an early example of a defended residence.

Rediscovered in 1996, Bagenal's Castle survived enveloped in the premises of the former McCann's Bakery on Abbey Way. The rediscovery has been an exciting opportunity for Newry and Mourne to preserve and restore one of the most important aspects of local heritage.

The name Parliament Piece is believed to relate to Henry III's parliament, which met in Kenilworth in 1266. There is, however, no evidence that the site was actually used by the parliament. The pond and other depressions are probably the remains of old marl or clay pits.

Discovery, tranquillity and history - an ancient gem in the Dartmoor landscape

700-year-old home of Elizabethan seafarers Drake and Grenville.

​In the 13th century, Buckland Abbey was home to the Cistercian monks who built the abbey and the incredible Great Barn and farmed the then vast estate.

Opened in 1831, Dublin Zoo is one of the world's oldest and most popular zoos. It has been transformed in recent decades into a 28 hectare park of gardens, lakes and wonderful natural habitats for over 400 animals.

Many are rare species and their survival in the wild is under threat so many of our animals are part of international breeding programmes for endangered species.

Situated just to the north of Liverpool, Crosby Beach is now the permanent home to ‘Another Place’, the sculpture by internationally acclaimed artist, Antony Gormley. The beach has been awarded the Quality Coast Award by Keep Britain Tidy. The QCA award tells visitors that the standards of beach management are of the highest quality in the UK.

The historic Linacre Reservoirs provide the perfect setting for a quiet, relaxing day out. A network of trails and footpaths crisscross the valley. Visitors can explore ancient beech and oak woodlands or follow the course of the Holme Brook as it cascades down the valley.

Today, Witley Court is a large and impressive ruin, but 100 years ago it was in spectacular condition.

The rich industrialist Sir Herbert Smith bought the house in 1920 and lived there for 17 years until a devastating fire broke out in September 1937 while he was away.

Welcome to Exeter Cathedral, one of the great cathedrals of England, and one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture anywhere. This is a very exciting time in the life of the Cathedral; a time of development and change as we work hard to improve facilities and the experience people have when they visit.

Whatever the weather stroll through the wonderful world of an exotic rainforest: a lush landscape of tropical blossom surrounding splashing waterfalls and fish-filled pools.

Enjoy the unique pleasure of watching hundreds of the world's most spectacular and colourful butterflies flying all around. You can see them feeding and flying in a wonderful tropical environment.

Enjoy a great family day out at one of the top tourist attractions in East Sussex.

The appeal of this exceptional Cistercian abbey remains as enduring as ever.

Amazona Zoo is one of Norfolk’s most fun days out and provides a full day of action-packed adventure and discovery for the whole family.

Home to a wide range of animals from across the world. These animals include many charismatic and exciting species like meerkats, lemurs and otters. The Centre has a wide collection of endangered reptiles.

Unspoilt, rolling hills – that’s what you will discover at Burton Dassett Hills. Whether you are walking, flying a kite or just sitting in your car, the magnificent views from these hills are breathtaking.

The site comprises a series of rugged hilltops affording spectacular views in all directions and Fox Covert, a small woodland with a surfaced footpath.

Fota Wildlife Park is a joint project between the Zoological Society of Ireland and University College Cork (UCC), an idea originally conceived in the 1970s by former Director of Dublin Zoo, Dr. Terry Murphy.

The Trust is an award winning visitor attraction and registered charity dedicated to the conservation of birds of prey. We work with many organisations and conservation groups across the world to deliver conservation programmes, education projects and to generate environmental awareness for the benefit of birds of prey and their habitats.

With 3,800 acres of parkland, gardens, woodlands and a lake, 20 miles of cycle routes and bike hire, plus a Discovery Centre, and a Woodland Play Park. Visit the Discovery Centre to see what children's activities they are offering during the holidays. This National Trust managed Estate offers lots to do.

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