Life Skills is a subject also known as PHSCE/M (Personal Health Social and Citizenship Education/Morals).  At Orwell Park School, we believe that learning can only be fully beneficial if one knows how to cope with the trials and indeed joys that life has to offer.  Therefore, pupils in Form IV-VI are offered one lesson per week of Life Skills and students in younger years have the opportunity to explore Life Skills in various cross-curricular activities. 

Life Skills is taught in a number of ways including discussions, debates, group and individual work.  We use a variety of written and audio-visual materials to cover a range of themes. 

In PSHE, we cover such topics as rights and responsibilities, prejudices and racism, staying healthy and coping with peer pressure.
In Citizenship, we find out more about the local, national and global community, the media and learn important skills such as the “Manual Alphabet”.

All these topics are underpinned by morals.  Though we are a predominantly Christian community, the respect of all faiths is paramount to our teaching.  Our aim is to help students develop lively, enquiring minds; to help them be positive about what they can achieve; to improve their ability to deal with others and to learn to value the worth of everyone in the community.   

By the end of the course, students should appreciate diversity and have a natural curiosity towards other cultures.  These principles will support them in their future lives, wherever they go and whatever they decide to become.  

Nathalie Roberts