Team Reach

The intent of our Team Reach (PSHE) curriculum 

Our PSHE programme, Team Reach, is designed to develop our students into positive leaders and role models who are able to make healthy choices and build healthy relationships, scholars in their studies and young people who have aspirations for their future. It aims to give students the skills and confidence to enable them to enjoy lives of choice and opportunity, whilst giving them a safe and structured space to be curious and explore key topics relevant to their lives and next steps. Students will leave with the skills and confidence to navigate an increasingly complex, modern world and flourish in their next steps in life. 

Team Reach Curriculum sequencing

Team Reach is a timetabled lesson that forms a part of every student’s week at Reach Academy.  This has been backwards planned from sixth form and designed based on statutory guidance, PSHE Association guidelines and contextual based knowledge that we have of our students and their local environment. Similar themes, appropriate to the age of the pupils, have also been factored in to revisit key themes of the curriculum and remind pupils. It has also been developed using the expertise and knowledge of the Reach Children’s Hub, who champion the ‘cradle to career’ model and have an in-depth understanding of the local area and the families who live here. In order to be able to freely adapt to issues that arise, the curriculum across the school is planned on a 10 week cycle. This allows 3 additional lessons to use as needed without losing core aspects of the curriculum.

Content is covered through three broader themes- living in the wider world, health and wellbeing, and relationships. It is designed in a spiral format, where students deepen their knowledge and understanding of key concepts as they progress through the school. Students will leave with the ability to make positive choices independently and an understanding of their responsibilities to their community.

There are ten scheduled sessions per term, which leaves three sessions per term available to be used for ad-hoc, reactive sessions based on national or local developments. We understand that our cohorts can have a variety of differing needs, and so purposely allow for flexibility in the curriculum to ensure each year group receives appropriate education and support. For example, these extra sessions can be used to cover national or contextual safeguarding events of significance to our students, to respond to specific trends in a year group or for external assessments such as PASS to explore student emotional and social wellbeing. 

The curriculum is planned in conjunction with the Primary and Sixth Form phases, to ensure that there is a clear progression as students move up through the school. The aims are for students to leave with the ability to make healthy choices and build healthy relationships; to be positive role models and leaders; to be scholars in their students and to have aspirations for their future. 

In Year 6, during half-term 6 and again in year 9 cycle 2 we work closely with the First Give organisation to deliver a programme of work externally planned which involves pupils learning about charities nationwide before selecting a local one to represent, raise money for and compete to win a large donation for in a parent facing event just before Easter. This links perfectly in one of our key intents of the character education programme as pupils learn how to be role models within society and give back to the community. Many pupils have continued to work closely with such charities in the community even after the programme has ended and visited them as part of the Community Action Day residential (see below.)

 

Team Reach Days

At the close of each cycle of study, all pupils across the school will take part in an off timetable day called a Team Reach Day. This will involve a full day in focus of a particular theme or enquiry that links into what they have just been studying in Team Reach and one of the main criteria of the intent statement in the character education programme. These days also allow for external delivery of content, alongside teacher led lessons, granting pupils the expertise of individuals in society. As the whole school takes part in this day, those in phase 3 upwards will often be involved in working alongside pupils in phase 1 and 2 to allow them to continue to demonstrate themselves as positive role models. Whilst the content of each Team Reach Day can differ based on the age of the pupils, each term focuses on similar issues.

 

Cycle 1 - Living in the Wider World - Bright Futures Ahead - Aspirations for the Future

A careers based day involves exposure to different careers outside of school, different post-16 education avenues, applying for jobs or schemes and culminating in a careers fair in which members of the community come to school to speak to pupils about a variety of careers and routes into them. 

 

Cycle 2 - Healthy Relationships - SRE Day - Healthy choices and Relationships.

This day will focus on healthy lifestyles with a focus on Sex and Relationships delivered in an age-appropriate way through a mixture of teacher led and external workshops.

 

Cycle 3 - Health and Wellbeing - Positive Choices (Free Choice) - Positive Leaders/Scholars

This day adapts each year based on international affairs or areas of interest raised through student voice. Again this will be delivered through a combination of teachers and external speakers and result in some kind of age appropriate project at the end of the day. Past days have included actions on climate, the General Election and the London Olympics.

 

 

Impact of Team Reach (Marking, feedback and assessment)

Team Reach lessons and written work will be held to the same rigorous academic standards as any other taught lesson at Reach Academy. Impact will be measured in a number of different ways: there will be a number of external assessments used to gauge student emotional and social wellbeing (such as the PASS assessment); there will be elements of formative assessment throughout the topics/lessons, with brief quizzes to assess core understanding (verbal and written); and there will be an element of formative assessment with students completing a project at the end of each Team Reach day, which is related to what they have studied that term. Each topic will start with knowledge checks such as drawing mind maps, which will then be repeated at the end of the lesson/set of lessons in order to show a deepening in their understanding and knowledge of the topic.