Resource brief

What is MENDCitizenship& PSHE?

MEND Citizenship& PSHEis a healthy living educational teaching resource for 11-14 year olds which is designed to support elements of the Citizenship and Personal Social Health and Economic wellbeing (PSHE) Education curricula for Key Stage 3 students.

It aims to encourage youngpeople to evaluate information on healthy lifestyles, makeinformed judgments and reflect on the consequences oftheir actions now as well as in the future.Teachers are giventhe tools (lesson plans, teacher resources, student worksheets andfilms clips and mini-dramas made by young people) to inspire young people to be healthier and become active citizens by promoting healthy lifestyles to their peers and community.

Background

MEND (Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do It!) is a health organisation which develops and delivers free local healthy living programmes to families and alongside our partners in the UK and internationally.

MEND was recently a finalist in the ChiefMedical Officer’s Public Health Awards, demonstrating the Department of Health’s high regard for our organisation.

MEND frequently fields requests for permission to use MEND‘s programme resources in a classroom /school setting.As a result, we feel that there is a clear need for educational resources built on evidence and MEND principles and extensive research for young people of all weights. Focusing on the age group 11-14 extends and complements MEND’s other obesity treatment and prevention work.

Focus groups with young people have highlighted the benefits of using film, especially of young people talking to other young people as these arereal-life stories they can relate to. Film is also an interesting and engaging method for getting key messages across. The short film clips and mini-dramas in this project are utilised to inform class discussions and activities with young people age 11-14 talking about food and physical activity, and what influences their choices.

In the development of this resource, MEND has consulted with teachers and education agencies from across the country.

How does MEND Citizenship& PSHEfit the National Curriculum, SEAL outcomes & PLTS?

The resourcepack has been developed to support Citizenship and PSHE elements of the National Curriculum for Key Stage 3 students and the Healthy School Standards. Every Your Life, Your Choice lesson promotes SEAL learning objectives, the PLTS frameworkand addressesthree of the five key outcomes of Every Child Matters:

  • Being healthy
  • Enjoying and achieving
  • Making a positive contribution

This resource is appropriate for use in Citizenship and Personal Social Health and Economic wellbeing (PSHE) classes, as well as having curriculum overlaps with Design and Food Technology, Physical Education, English, Geography, Maths and Science.

The resource also maps out which SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) outcomes and areas of the PLTS (personal, learning and thinking skills) framework each lesson supports.

How to use the resource

MEND Citizenship& PSHE comes in an A4 pack with everything needed to deliver the lessons. Each pack contains:

  • one complete set of lesson plans, teachers resources and student worksheets
  • DVD with film clips for each lesson with copies of lesson plans, teachersresources and student worksheets

Citizenship contains 3 lessons, 2 of which are spread over 2 periods while PSHE has 4 lessons, 1 of which is spread over 2 periods. Lessonsconsist of class, group and paired activities, film clips and accompanying resources. Each lesson is designed so that it can be delivered in a 50-minute period. However, it is noted that lesson times vary from school to school, and that some Citizenship and PSHE lessons will need to be taught in 45 minutes, or even in 30 minutes. Therefore, timings have been provided for each lesson so that the teacher can adapt the lesson according to their circumstances. Lessons are designed as stand-alone units, though a more complete understanding of healthy lifestyles will be gained if all lessons are undertaken. All lessons include the relevant unit in the curriculum that it corresponds to.

For example, Lesson 3 is entitled ‘Developing skills of democratic participation’ and aims to demonstrate that student voice can change opinion. Students are tasked to find out the views of their fellow class mates in relation to the food served in the school canteen, conduct a poll and analyse the results from the questionnaire and present those results to the school council in the form of a presentation.

2011