Personal, Social, Health, Citizenship & Economic Education (PSHCEE)

PSHCEE at Queen Mary’s High School is taught as a standalone subject in Key Stage 3 with students receiving one to three lessons per fortnight. In Key Stage 4 students take part in Drop Down Days where they are off timetable for the whole day and spend this time participating in various PSHCEE workshops.


The aims of PSHCEE:
  • Education for Citizenship aims to equip young people with the knowledge, skills and understanding to play an effective role in public life.
  • Personal wellbeing aims to help young people embrace change, feel positive about who they are and enjoy healthy, safe, responsible and fulfilled lives.
  • Education for economic wellbeing and financial capability aims to equip pupils with the knowledge, skills and attributes to make the most of changing opportunities in learning and work.
The PSHCEE programme is broken down into three key components: personal wellbeing, economic wellbeing and Citizenship.  Throughout Key Stage 3 & 4 students have the opportunity to investigate the key concepts in PSHCEE and develop the essential skills and processes as part of the 3 key components.

PSHCEE Teacher’s Perspective

‘There are no failures – just experiences and your reactions to them’ Tom Krause 1934

PSHCEE encompasses the two individual aspects of the national curriculum of PSHE and Citizenship.  It is my belief that the value of this subject is pertinent in supporting the other academic subjects within the national curriculum.

I feel Tom Krause’s quote underpins the ethos of the subject.  In PSHCEE students are given the opportunity to explore topics which they may well be faced with during their teenage years and adult life.  It gives students the opportunity to explore these issues and discuss how they and their cohort may deal with them.  They are also given the opportunity to explore the possible pathways their lives may follow.

The PSHCEE department continues to build upon its strength and diversity; we draw on the individual skills of all the teachers within the department.  Creative and innovative teaching and learning strategies are used to deliver the schemes of work designed specifically for each year group.  In the department we believe students should have a safe and secure forum to air their views and explore new ideas.

Finally, as a department we feel our subject is essential in equipping young people with the skills to grow up safely in our society and we add notable value to the time pupils spend at Queen Mary’s High.