Aspire to Be…Bigger! Bolder! Brighter! (A2B)

The Aspire to Be (A2B) Programme is the umbrella term for all activities which support the personal development of our students. The A2B programme includes:

♦ Relationship & Sex Education (Statutory)
♦ PSHE Education (Personal, Social, Health and Economic)
♦ Citizenship
♦ Careers
♦ Online Safety

The A2B programme is delivered by a dedicated team of specialist teachers in the A2B department. In addition, Year 11 tutors deliver aspects of the programme via A2B Values Projects. Students receive the following: 

Year 7-10:
- 2 x timetabled A2B lessons per cycle – 55 min duration
- 1 x A2B Careers sessions per cycle – 25 minute duration (Tutor Programme (Year 9 and 10 only)

Year 11:
- 1 x timetabled A2B lesson per cycle – 55 min duration
- 1 x A2B Values Project session per cycle – 25 minute duration (Tutor Programme)
- 1 x A2B Careers sessions per cycle – 25 minute duration (Tutor Programme)

Woking High School are members of the PSHE Association (the national body for PSHE Education), and we model our curriculum on guidance from this DfE-recognised organisation. We are also members of The Association for Citizenship Teaching, and integrate materials developed by this highly regarded educational charity into the programme. Within the A2B curriculum, students explore three areas in their studies:

♦ Health and Wellbeing
♦ Relationships
♦ Living in the Wider World

Our spiral curriculum allows students to re-visit and build on skills progressively as they work their way up the school. The curriculum content has been shaped by:

♦ Government requirements
♦ The PSHE Association
♦ Public Health data for Surrey
♦ National Curriculum for Citizenship 
♦ The Association for Citizenship Teaching    
♦ Government guidance on ‘Teaching Online Safety in Schools’ -        
♦ The Woking High School Safeguarding Team
♦ The Woking High School SEND Department
♦ The Woking High School Student Voice Community

Year 7 Curriculum Overview

Year 8 Curriculum Overview

Year 9 Curriculum Overview

Year 10 Curriculum Overview

Year 11 Curriculum Overview 

Our RSE Policy has been developed in line with the guidance of the:

PSHE Association.

Department for Education: Relationship and Sex Education Policy

Please find a copy of the Woking High School Relationships and Sex Education Policy:

Woking High School: Relationships and Sex Education Policy

RSE lessons will include teaching about: Healthy relationships (including friendships and intimate relationships); families; growing and changing (including puberty); personal hygiene; changing feelings; becoming more independent; keeping safe and consent; developing self-esteem and confidence. Students will also have opportunities to ask questions that help prepare them for relationships of all kinds in the modern world.

As part of the Sex Education aspect of the programme, as stated in our RSE Policy, Woking High School defines the teaching of sex education specifically to include the study of:

♦ Physical Intimacy and Sexual Intercourse

♦ Methods of Contraception

♦ Sexually Transmitted Infections

There is a Parent/Carer right to withdraw a child from the Sex Education element of this programme up to three terms before the child turns 16 (attached and also available in Appendix 4 of the RSE Policy), but not from Relationships or Health Education at secondary level. This is stipulated in the DfE Government policy entitled ‘Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education’. Please see the extract from our RSE Policy below:

“Parents/carers have the right to withdraw their children from the non-statutory/non-science components of sex education within RSE up to and until three terms before the child turns 16. After this point, if the child wishes to receive sex education rather than being withdrawn, the school will arrange this.”

If you would like your son or daughter to be removed from the Sex Education element of the A2B programme, please complete the attached form and send to Mr M. Crowley (mcrowley@wokinghigh.surrey.sch.uk). 

All year groups will have one assembly per week. Each week will focus on a particular theme which will support students in their personal development. In addition, all assemblies make very clear links with our Woking High School Values, British Values, and the ‘Challenge It’ initiative.

Recent assembly themes have included:

Fest Days are a celebration of ‘Community’ and they take place once per term, resulting in three taking place each year. Winter Fest, Spring Fest and Summer Fest feature the collapse of the normal school timetable, and provide opportunities for students to broaden their horizons and support their personal development.

The range of activities are very broad. Students are able to participate in a variety of workshops, visits, Duke of Edinburgh expeditions or working with visiting speakers and organisations. Each day is completely different, and personalised for each year group.

Recent activities have included:

♦ First Aid Training

♦ Mindfulness and Meditation

♦ Theatre performances from ‘Peer Productions’ and ‘The Guildford Shakespeare Company’

♦ Sustainability Day

♦ McLaren STEM workshop

♦ Author Speakers

♦ Upcoming Music Artists speaking about PSHE topics

♦ Finance Education

♦ Enterprise Skills

♦ GCSE Options Workshops

♦ Post-16 Pathway presentation

♦ Medieval Survival Game

♦ Speed Career Networking

♦ Scientific dissection

♦ Geography field trips

♦ African Drumming

♦ International Cooking

♦ Tai-Chi and Yoga

♦ Bollywood Dance

♦ Dance through the Decades

♦ Team building through Sport

♦ Percussion workshops

♦ Circus Skills

♦ Motivational Speakers

♦ Music for Mental Health: Silent Disco

Staff Contacts:

Mrs M. Abbs-Rowe 

Mrs P. Heller

Mrs K. Wilson

The A2B Department embraces opportunities to deliver enrichment events to support personal development. An example of some of these are below:

♦ First Aid Training (Year 7 and 11): Workshops enabling students to develop skills in the delivery of CPR and the use of Defibrillators.

♦ Puberty and Sanitary Product Education (Year 7, 8 and 9): Workshops supporting students in the journey through puberty, which includes presentation of age-appropriate sanitary products.

♦ Contraception Education (Year 10 and 11): Workshops introducing students to the different forms of contraception.

♦ The Big Research Project: Workshops enabling students to explore how music can improve Mental Health. Through participation in a ‘Silent Disco’, students are able to collect data on the impact that music can have on our emotional wellbeing.

♦ Mental Health Week: In order to celebrate World Mental Health Day, an array of activities are delivered via assemblies and through the Tutor programme to promote positive Mental Health. Furthermore, we raise money for the charity ‘YoungMinds’ by supporting ‘Hello Yellow Day’; the whole community are invited to wear yellow, and to remind each other that ‘You’re not alone. Let’s talk’.

♦ The Christmas Giving Campaign: Fundraising and charity have always been such an important aspect of Woking High School life, and as part of the National Curriculum for Citizenship, it is also one of our goals to educate young people about the different ways a citizen can contribute to the improvement of their community. Consequently, both the Student Voice and A2B programmes have developed the ‘Christmas Giving Campaign’ in which Shoeboxes, Gift Packages and Hampers are created by the students, which are then donated to local charities and organisations.

Personal development is the responsibility of all at Woking High School. Consequently, we also have enrichment events and organisations delivered by many departments which support our young people to grow into successful British citizens:

♦ The Head Student Team

♦ School Council

♦  Anti-bullying Ambassadors

♦ Peer Educators

♦ Peer Mentors

♦ The Pride Group

♦ Election Week

♦ Celebration of Remembrance

♦ Anti-Bullying Week

♦ The Mock Trial Programme

♦ Woking HighLights: Student Newsletter

We have a variety of visiting speakers and external agencies to support us in our delivery of A2B activities. A sample may be seen below of events over the last three years, as well as some to be delivered during this academic year:

PSHE Focus:

♦ Anita Ho: Leading Tai Chi workshops to promote understanding of wellbeing.

♦ Back to Life: Leading workshops on Emergency First Aid.

♦ Bezerkaz Circus: Leading workshops on Circus Skills and building resilience.

♦ The British Red Cross: Leading workshops on Emergency First Aid.

♦ The British Army: Leading workshops on Team Building.

♦ Dance Woking: Leading Dance workshops to promote wellbeing.

♦ Defeat, Don’t Repeat: Rhys Rutledge established this initiative, featuring a presentation delivering an inspirational message about the dangers of Drug crime and turning one’s life around.

♦ Echofox: Leading African Drumming workshops to promote understanding of community.

♦ Mark Agnew: As European Adventurer of the Year 2023 and World Record Holder, Mark delivered motivational presentations about his career.

♦ Music Performance Artists from ‘The Prime Agency’:

♦ Here At Last: Mental Health

♦ Natalie Gray – Mental Health, Body Image, and LGBTQ+.

♦ The Mercians – Mental Health, Discrimination and Misogyny

♦ Absnt Minds – Mental Health, Body Image, Stress, and Online Safety

♦ The Oddballs Foundation: Presentations to promote awareness of Testicular Cancer.

♦ Paul Hannaford: Presentations to promote Drug Awareness.

♦ Peer Productions: The highly respected theatre company are regular visitors to Woking High School, presenting theatre performances with a powerful, educational message. Productions focus upon Knife Crime, Mental Health, and Relationship and Sex Education.

♦ RASASC : Presentations to explore Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships.

♦ Sabotage Theatre Company: Leading of Drama workshops, using Mask and Puppetry to support Emotional Wellbeing.

♦ Take the Jump: Presentations promoting simple lifestyle changes that will help the planet.

♦ WEAct: Woking Environment Action is a local organisation who conducted presentations promoting projects in the area to support Sustainability.

♦ Vibez: Leading Bollywood Dance workshops to promote understanding of community.

Careers:

♦ The BBC 100 ‘Share Your Story’ Initiative: Alex Mansuroglu, David Harper and Hetal Bapodra shared their inspirational stories, prompting student consideration of Careers opportunities, as well as the process of overcoming obstacles.

♦ McLaren: Leading an Engineering workshop to promote careers in STEM industries.

♦ NHS Carers: Theatre performance to inform students of the diversity of careers opportunities available to them in the NHS, and exploring the fascinating world of healthcare.

♦ University of Surrey: A presentation about Post-16 and 18 Careers.

♦ Association of Learning Providers: A presentation about Apprenticeships.

♦ Dreaming Fish: A workshop promoting careers for Women in the Film Industry.

♦ Astellas Pharmaceuticals: A mock interview workshop.

♦ Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: A workshop on careers delivered by a STEM Ambassador about her career &  jobs in the environmental industry.

♦ BAE Roadshow: An MGA collaboration with BAE Systems, The Royal Air Force, and The Royal Navy to deliver an engaging theatre roadshow celebrating STEM.

♦ Speed Networking: Over 30 employers from a variety of different industries deliver a Speed Networking event.

In keeping with our commitment to provide students with outstanding careers guidance and tailored support when choosing the next steps beyond secondary school, we also use Unifrog within our A2B Careers programme. Unifrog is an award-winning online careers platform which works with over half the schools in the United Kingdom.

The Unifrog platform is designed to support learners in making the most informed decisions about their futures and has a range of tools that are suitable for all year groups. Key features of the platform include:

Exploring Pathways – personality quizzes, career and subject profiles and webinars.
Recording – self-reflection about extra-curricular activities and key employability skills.
Opportunities – search tools showing live vacancies/courses/placements for apprenticeships, FE, virtual work experience and much more.
Applications – tools to help students build applications for a range of pathways (e.g, CVs, Personal Statements).