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PDE Curriculum

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Personal Development Education (PDE) at Uppingham Community College 

Personal Development Education (PDE), previously known as PSHE, is taught weekly to all students at Uppingham Community College. It is delivered as a discrete session on a Wednesday in tutor groups, by a dedicated team of teachers who teach in areas where they have particular interest or expertise. This helps ensure high‑quality delivery and the best outcomes for students. 

Curriculum structure 

PDE is organised into six rotations across the year. Each rotation consists of six 30‑minute sessions, giving students time to learn new knowledge, reflect on important issues through discussion, and develop the skills they need to make healthy, safe decisions as they grow. 

The rotations cover the essential and statutory content for Personal Development and safeguarding, and are grouped under the three core themes: 

  • Core Theme 1: Relationships (RSE) 

  • Three rotations across the year are dedicated to Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), covering the statutory content in an age‑appropriate, sequential way. 

  • Core Theme 3: Health and Wellbeing 

  • One rotation each is dedicated to: 

  • Drugs and Alcohol education 

  • Health education 

  • Emotional Health and Wellbeing (EHWB) 

This structure ensures that all statutory content for Core Themes 1 and 3 is covered while allowing students to revisit key themes as they progress through the school. The PDE curriculum is designed to give students the knowledge, skills and language they need to make healthy, safe decisions now and in the future, and it sits at the heart of the school’s safeguarding agenda. 

The full PDE curriculum overview can be viewed in the attachment below. 

Core Theme 2 – Living in the Wider World (Form Time) 

Core Theme 2 – Living in the Wider World is not delivered through the Wednesday PDE sessions. Instead, it is taught through half‑termly topics in form time on a different day. This includes: 

  • Careers and Financial Capability 

  • Communities and Citizenship 

This approach allows these areas to be explored regularly in tutor groups alongside the wider pastoral programme, while the Wednesday PDE sessions focus on RSE and Health and Wellbeing. 

Specialist Weeks 

Running throughout the year, we hold a number of Specialist Weeks with a whole‑school focus through PDE, assemblies and in‑school activities. These enable us to explore national and global issues that are relevant and important to our students, such as mental health, online safety, Anti, Bullying Week and Pride Month. 

Additional Curriculum Experience (ACE) Days 

PDE is further enriched by our Additional Curriculum Experience (ACE) Days, which develop the PDE curriculum and offer experiences beyond the academic timetable. These include: 

  • Enterprise, Ambition and Aspiration Day 

  • Citizenship Day 

  • Culture and Diversity Day 

ACE Days also support the new expectation for at least five days of meaningful work encounters or work experience by the end of Key Stage 3, giving students early opportunities to engage with the world of work, explore careers, and build confidence in professional settings. 

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