Rebecca Mills, English & Sociology Teacher, Head of PSHE (Personal Wellbeing), Tendring Technology College. Sat down to discuss how using Life Lessons has helped elevate the RSHE curriculum at Tendring Technology College.

Before Life Lessons what were some of the problems you/your organisation was facing with delivering RSHE lessons and curriculum?

We were struggling with same sex classes which were organised in PE groups, which have been moved since I took on the role of PSHE lead and since Life Lessons were involved. We faced issues with relatable content, peer on peer abuse and misunderstanding of how to deliver the lessons.

How was your organisation delivering RSHE lessons before using Life Lessons?

We were delivering content using some of the PSHE Association resources and textbooks (which were outdated) as well as worksheets. There was not a lot of collaboration across the school and a lack of consistency was evident.

How has Life Lessons helped with your delivery of your RSHE curriculum?

Achieved consistent approach and I love the Gogglebox approach of using relatable video content. I enjoy the key terms and ground rules slide and it is very clear that we have set out the Schemes of Work and follow a set programme so all year groups are following the same content at the same time- this enables us to tackle any issues with pre-reading and understanding difficult issues to check for triggers. 

What are some of the positive impacts so far or changes Life Lessons has had on students?

Students like the consistency of the powerpoints, the structure of the information they are given, they find it easy to understand and relate to and have more productive discussions.

What are some of the positive impacts or changes Life Lessons has had on staff?

Staff know what they are doing way ahead of time and are clear on what is expected of the students. Life Lessons have helped to organise staff and to enable accountability for each class’s progress.

Do you feel there has been any change to your school culture (considering a whole-school approach) since adopting Life Lessons?

Yes definitely- staff look forward to teaching the lessons.

Any further details or thoughts you would like to share 

I have found the support from April and Jamie very helpful and I like that they take my ideas on board.