Wildern School

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Welcome to the Education for Life page on our website!

At Wildern, we not only value academic achievement but also place a huge value on the whole child. We recognise that our young people are growing up in an increasingly complex world faced with even more challenges on and offline. We want to ensure that students leave the school prepared for the wider world with an understanding of who they are and their role as an active global citizen.

Education for Life (EL) is a specifically designed course in which students acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to manage their lives, now and in the future.

During these lessons students will develop the qualities and attributes they need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society. The curriculum is written in line with the Government’s Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) statutory framework which was updated in 2026. There are three key themes that all year groups will focus on throughout the year:

Relationships & Wellbeing - this theme explores a range of topics such as mental health, harm reduction, resilience and identity

Living in The Wider World - this theme will expose our students to topics such as banking, finance, gambling and careers, to help prepare for life in Modern Britain

Citizenship - this themes explores democracy, parliament, human rights, the Protected Characteristics and disinformation

The Protected Characteristics and British Values are the golden thread through all of our themes:

In their lessons, students will explore a wide range of issues relevant to their current and future lives and these lessons will provide students with the opportunity to develop their own arguments and viewpoints. A key part of Education for Life will be to enable students to express their opinions whilst also recognising and respecting those who hold differing views, thus promoting the core values of being a Unicef Gold accredited Rights Respecting School.

Our Ground Rules are an important way of setting up safe and respectful classroom cultures, where all students have the opportunity to voice their opinions.

The programme of study is designed so that students revisit topics and issues they have previously explored so that they build on their knowledge, skills and understanding as they progress through the school. It is also designed so that students are provided with ample opportunity to develop our Wildern attributes of curiosity, determination, pride, reflection, respect and kindness.

Through their Education for Life lessons and Period 1 sessions we will:

support the development of physically, emotionally and socially healthy young people, including how to make healthy choices with regards to exercise and healthy eating and providing students with strategies for maintaining positive emotional wellbeing
support the development of essential employability skills for the 21st century ensuring students are well prepared for the next stage of their education, employment, self-employment or training
reduce or remove barriers to learning, such as bullying, low self-esteem and unhealthy or risky behaviours
equip students to keep themselves and others safe from risks, including domestic abuse, forced marriage, drug and alcohol abuse
promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of students
prepare students for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life
promote British values, including democracy and prepare students to become active members of society
promote equality and diversity so that students respect others, as well as promoting tolerance and understanding of different religious beliefs

There will be visiting speakers to supplement the Education for Life curriculum and theatre productions to enhance the learning in the classroom. Students are strongly encouraged to discuss the themes studied at home with family and friends.

For our RSE Policy, click here.

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