Virtues Education
Mrs Emma Bentley
Our virtues are a key part of Personal Development here at St. Thomas Aquinas and virtue education includes the following aspects of the Personal Development framework: Relationships and Sex education, Financial education, Careers education, PSHE and mental health and wellbeing sessions.
Throughout their time here, students will learn about themselves, the wider world, and how to navigate life in relationships with others and themselves, as consumers, and in future careers.
The learning is delivered in the following ways:
Year 7: 1 hour timetabled lesson every two weeks
Year 8: 1 hour timetabled lesson every two weeks
Year 9: Half termly focus delivered during form time every day in rotation with the Literary canon.
Year 10: Weekly form time session
Year 11: 1 themed week every half term with a different focus dependent upon student need
Our virtue education uses some principles of character education whilst focusing on our own Virtues of SERVICE, INTEGRITY, being INTENTIONAL, having COMPASSION, showing ELOQUENCE and being ATTENTIVE. By focusing on these virtues through our learning, we place God and the dignity of the human person at the centre of the decisions we make as we grow both physically, morally and spiritually.
Virtues Education
Curriculum
KS3 Overview
Year 7
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Term 1 |
Term 2 |
Term 3 |
Year 7 |
Being ATTENTIVE to our bodies 1 – How to look after ourselves and our bodies 2 – How are we different? Puberty and the menstrual cycle 3 – How we view ourselves – body image and social media 4 – What is normal? FGM 5 – Substance abuse and its effects |
Being INTENTIONAL in our relationships and staying safe 1 - What makes a good friend? Resolving disagreements 2 - Bullying 4 - Cyberbullying and the law 5 -Sexual bullying and harassment 6 – Online grooming and safer internet use 7 – What is consent?
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Having INTEGRITY and ELOQUENCE as we move through the world 1 – Financial education – bank accounts and their function 2 – Consumer rights – How to raise a complaint and express ourselves through email 3 – Poverty and its effects in our area 4 – Our aspirations for the next school year and how I will achieve them 5 – Reflection lesson – What have I learnt this year?
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Year 8
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Term 1 |
Term 2 |
Term 3 |
Year 8 |
Having INTEGRITY in the way we express ourselves 1 – My identity and who I am 2 – How I present myself to the world – hygiene recap and Mental health 3 – How I express myself in the online world safely – grooming and CSE 4 – Racial identity and different cultures in Birmingham 5 – Gender identity and expression of self |
Showing COMPASSION in all things 1 – Building resilience and having compassion for ourselves 2 – Showing compassion towards people different to ourselves – Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia 3 – What happens discrimination isn’t challenged- Holocaust 4 – What happens when discrimination isn’t challenged - Holocaust 5 – Stories of hope and resilience – Nicholas Winton and other case studies |
Being ELOQUENT in our relationships through good communication 1 – Learning how to resolve issues – forgiveness 2 – Different types of families in our communities 3 – Sexism and its effects in our society – The media and body image 4 – Racism and its effect in our society - Representation 5 – How can I affect change? Social interaction, letter to MP |
Ks4 Overview
Year 9
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Term 1 |
Term 2 |
Term 3 |
Year 9 |
Being ATTENTIVE to our future goals 1 – What are my skills, what will be required of me in a job? 2 – Different types of qualifications, post 16 options 3 – Financial education week 1 – Bank accounts, base rates and budgets 4 – Financial education week 2 – Debt and financial wellbeing 5 – Online financial safety – online gambling, phishing scams, financial scams 5 – Debt bondage and county lines activity |
Having INTEGRITY in our relationships and the way we treat others 1 – Sexual harassment – What is it? 2 – A maybe is a NO – consent 3 – Romantic relationships – compromise and control – co-ercive control and manipulation 4 – Romantic relationships – real bodies/ body image 5 – Romantic relationships – Expectations of relationships and sex.
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Being INTENTIONAL in the wider world 1 – Racism and discrimination – micro-aggressions 2 – Sexism – gender stereotypes and the issues they create – male mental health 3 – Homophobia 4 – Online safety – cyberbullying and its effects 5 – Online safety – What should we share? 6 – Online working relationships – What’s appropriate in the workplace?
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Year 10
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Term 1 |
Term 2 |
Term 3 |
Year 10
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Being INTENTIONAL in my choices 1 – Choices I make online, cyberbullying, image sharing 2 – Violence in relationships – always a choice 3 – Sexual health choices – Contraception, pregnancy and STIs 4 – Choices I get to make in my relationships – consent (physical and non-physical) 5 – Choices I make about my body – Substance abuse and vaping |
Having INTEGRITY in the way I communicate 1 – Emotional abuse – how it affects familial relationships 2 – Working out relationships – lesson 1 – 2 sessions 3 – Working out relationships – lesson 2 – 2 sessions 5 – Communicating with friends – “banter”, it’s okay not to be okay 6 – Communicating efficiently - conflict resolution in different settings
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Being ATTENTIVE to injustice in the world 1 – What is injustice? 2 – Unconscious bias, micro aggressions and racism 3 – The protected characteristics and where they are overlooked throughout the world – women’s rights and misogyny/gay rights 4 – Representation of different groups in the media – why does it happen? Gatekeeping etc. 5 - PREVENT duty
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“Levelling up” week – Last week of term – Interview and CV day, Work based tasks day (Wilmott Dixon) University visit, Sports day. |
Year 11
Year 11 |
Themed week 1 –– MENTAL HEALTH WEEK – October Content – Routines, self regulation, self care and mindfulness – Yoga in PE lessons – Journalling workshop – staying organised
Themed week 2 - SAFER RELATIONSHIPS WEEK – December Content – Healthy/unhealthy communication in a relationship/friendship, radicalisation in online communities, Time to talk wellness walk.
Themed week 3 – INTERNET SAFETY WEEK – February CEOP, Online sharing – what is and what isn’t appropriate, law.
Themed week 4 – SAFER RELATIONSHIPS WEEK 2 – March The four types of abuse, What can be done about them?
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