We hear from Faye — a Senior Lecturer in Primary Education based at the University of Brighton — on her role, challenges and the impact of being a PSHE Education Lecturer.
This interview explores how one ITT provider structures and delivers PSHE programmes for their undergraduates, postgraduates and apprenticeship primary trainee teachers.
Top tips are shared on many aspects including:
It is worth noting that the details given may not be applicable to all providers but they do offer useful insights on ways to approach the delivery of PSHE education to trainee teachers.
If you are a PSHE lecturer/tutor for an ITT provider and would like to join our community of providers from across the country, please feel free to join us at our free, online, termly PSHE/RSHE network meetings.
Links to all resources mentioned in the interview:
Faye is a Senior Lecturer in Primary Education at the University of Brighton and is Year 3 lead on the BA (Hons) Primary Education/ BA (Hons) 3-7 programmes. Faye leads PSHE Education across all teacher training programmes, and her research interests include teaching PSHE and Citizenship in the EYFS and Primary age phase, and embedding talk as a tool for learning within a creative curriculum context.
Sarah is a Subject specialist at the PSHE Association with over 25 years’ experience in PSHE education: leading the subject in schools; as a PSHE and Healthy Schools subject advisor for a Local Authority in the North West; and lecturing in PSHE education for undergraduate and postgraduate trainee teachers at a local university.
Sarah Gabbett (SG)
Hi, I'm Sarah Gabbett from the PSHE Association, and I lead on our ITE work. I'd like to introduce our guest today, Faye Worthy-Pauling, a Senior Lecturer in Primary Education at the University of Brighton. Faye has responsibility for PSHE planning and teaching across the primary programme and has done a wonderful job of developing the subject's provision for their primary trainee teachers. So we're here today to learn more from Faye about her role, the challenges, and the impact of being a PSHE education lecturer in ITE. So thanks so much, Faye, for agreeing to share your knowledge and experiences.
Faye Worthy-Pauling (FW-P)
Thank you, Sarah.
SG
So please could we start by you giving us an understanding of your role as a PSHE lecturer and the context of where you're lecturing?
FW-P
Every student at the University of Brighton receives a minimum of six hours input on PSHE on the BA primary. So that's in the first year. On the second year of the course, there's opportunities for 18 hour input with workshops in year two, and then 10 hours of PSHE workshops in the third year of the course. And both of these are opportunities for students to identify gaps and develop their subject and pedagogical knowledge.
But we also have an option on the three-year degree of them choosing a subject study. So it might be in English or geography or history, but PSHE is one of the options. And those students get 48 hours of PSHE and opportunities where I work with a local school and they go in and teach PSHE as well. And our PGCE primary — they get two, three-hour workshops across the year. So one in the first semester, one in the second. And our apprentices get two, two-hour workshops across the year. So, yeah, everyone gets something and there's opportunities for them to embed and deepen their knowledge — depending on the pathways they take on the courses.
SG
But they choose. That's fantastic. So they're all getting varying amounts of teaching of PSHE. But the bottom line is that all trainees get some form of teaching in PSHE. That's fantastic. Thank you. And are you teaching all of those sessions, Faye, or do you have a team working with you?
FW-P
So it's just me teaching it, but we collaborate and ensure that everything maps across and links to the university-based training and the school-based training.
SG
Brilliant. Thank you. When it comes to your PSHE curriculum then — for the trainees — what would you say is your goal, your intent, for that curriculum?
FW-P
Well, for Ofsted Visiting, I put together really an overarching statement, and we talked about just really providing that next generation of teachers. That's our role. And we want them to have the curriculum knowledge, the theory, the policy, and the pedagogical skills required just to be really excellent teachers of PSHE. And we want to empower them. We want them to have that knowledge and understanding to take forward into their teaching. We want them to have that confidence to plan and deliver inclusive and inspiring lessons that really prepare the children with all the knowledge and the skills to live safe, happy, and healthy lives. At the PSHE Association, you talk about preparing the kids for today and tomorrow, and that's a real emphasis on what we do. The Overall aim is that they understand that safe practice and how to teach PSHE well and safely. But they've got that understanding of — before they start their first job — what is statutory? What is it I've to teach and what is an effective way of teaching that in a safe and effective way?
SG
Yeah, that sounds really comprehensive. And I agree — I think the foundations is definitely "how do we teach PSHE in that safe and effective way" isn't it? Given the number of sensitive topics, tricky topics, that we will have to approach as teachers. And I think on that, there's lots of different topics in PSHE, various aspects of pedagogy we need to approach with trainee teachers. But sometimes we can have limited amounts of time in ITE, can't we, for the subject. Which aspects of PSHE do you then prioritise when you're planning and adapting your PSHE curriculum each year, and why?
FW-P
Yeah, I mean the priority for me is teaching safe and effective practice for both the trainee teachers and the children in their care. So when we're talking about adaptive teaching as well, I really get them to think about the potential subject knowledge, the curriculum they might be teaching, and how do you adapt your teaching beyond: "oh, that kid struggles with reading or writing"... You know, really thinking of the most vulnerable child in their room for that lesson. So we look at safe and effective practice. We also look at regulating emotions and protected behaviours and signposting. So within our PGCEs and the apprentices, they're areas that we really do unpick... All around that... We all have a right to feel safe.
Regulating emotions, particularly around that first placement, aligns beautifully with them starting to understand behaviour management — and that there's a reason that children are demonstrating different behaviours, but how you can teach that. And I've used the PSHE Association ITE Curriculum Plan there just to really map out and look at what students should leave the course with at the basic level and then how we can embed and enhance their learning as the students go through the course.
I think that's our ultimate goal. And what goes into the other workshops can depend and change from year to year, really. Lots of them stay the same. But as we know, PSHE is an ever-changing world, and it's listening to the students — what do they feel they need to develop confidence in? Do I actually need to get someone to come in and do an input with them as well to develop that understanding?
SG
Yeah, absolutely. I think that reflects what we recommend for schools, doesn't it? Reflecting on your curriculum annually and finding out what your pupils' needs are, and in this case, your students' needs, and therefore developing your topics or introducing new topics to continually keep ahead of the game, as it were. In terms of giving your students, and therefore their pupils, the current learning and understanding that they need in PSHE. I think there's new and emerging topics every year, really, isn't there?
FW-P
Yeah, definitely. We did a piece of work with Rachel Maunder from the University of Northampton. And she helped me look at teacher confidence on our specialist modules. So their confidence in teaching with a main focus on relationships education — but at the beginning of the module — and then looked at it again at the end of the module. It really showed that their confidence had grown across the board. But what I need to now look at... There were two areas that they felt they wanted more input on, and that was online relationships and online safety, and working with parents in terms of PSHE. So I just need to really think about how I'm going to incorporate that a bit more. They do look at online safety in their computing modules on the course. So one of my next steps is collaborating with the computing lecturers and looking at... As we were saying before, time can be a restriction... How we can get that right and how we can work together on our two modules.
SG
That sounds great. Thanks, Faye. Is there anything that's worked particularly well when it comes to the delivery of PSHE for your trainees and their progression in the teaching of the subject? Any top tips you could give around that?
FW-P
Yeah. Well, because it's an academic module, and so I've got to get that balance of the theory, the policy, and the pedagogy. I've kind of got a little format for my session. So we'll start with... So say we were looking at relationships education... My session starts with, Well, what is it? And I'll use some literature for that. And obviously, the students are discussing this. So we look at the what is it? Then why should we teach it? And linking it to local data, national data, literature and policy, providing that real context. And then the 'how' should we teach it? So we've got the what is it? Why should we teach it? How should we teach it? So there's effective pedagogies. And then within each session, I always start with a different baseline assessment. So they're becoming familiar with different assessment strategies for PSHE. They always have a noncontact, which is a critical reflection of literature relating to whatever subject area we've covered. And I think the thing that really brings it together is when they get to teach it in schools, which not all students do. But [in] my subject study group, we take them in. So they'll have already completed their second placement.
They've had all the module input. And then we work with a local primary school. So the students — every Wednesday afternoon for three or four weeks, depending on the term — teach the PSHE on a Wednesday afternoon across the whole school. They plan it, they teach it and then review it and link that to your ITE [professional development] framework as well. I think that format seems to work really well. And just getting the students to have a chance to try out the activities, to try out the different ways we might teach it. And giving time for them to step back and reflect and keep coming back to their own confidence and really considering... We really think [about] and unpick: "why do we think we might prioritise some areas over others?" And coming back to our own identity and teacher identity and who we are. I think that rhythm seems to work and they get the balance. I think particularly looking at statistics, Brighton & Hove do an amazing Safe and Wellbeing at School survey. It's a real interactive survey, and I use that in all of my teaching so we can really unpick that normative approach. And the students are usually very surprised by the statistics.
They usually expect more children to be participating in smoking or vaping and things like that. So I think those statistics just make it real. And that helps me frame it on reflecting on your community. Whatever it is you're using for your teaching, bring it back to your community.
SG
Yeah, that's really great. I think it probably makes it more meaningful for the students, and therefore they invest in it more when it comes to the teaching of the subject, I imagine. And again, that reflects the practice in schools, doesn't it? Of looking at the data to find out your pupil needs so that your lessons are then meeting needs. I think that's a really great tip, Faye, in terms of lecturers within ITE, tutors in ITE, finding out what are the needs of the pupils in the areas where students may go on placements. And therefore, hopefully, then making their teaching more meaningful when it comes to PSHE. And that structure you explained as well, I could see how that could be really effective. It reminded me, I mentioned in one of our recent ITE network meetings, a document that we've got of "[PSHE:] what it is and why it works". And how that's got all the research for the different topics and the statistics and so on. So that could be of use to our colleagues in the world of ITE as well when it comes to planning their PSHE sessions.
FW-P
Definitely. I was just thinking that we were using the data the other day, the Safe and Well School survey, and one of the areas they look at is bullying. So it's up at key stage two and secondary children across Brighton & Hove. The data shows actually the children have reported the biggest increase in bullying since 2011, last year. Then I got them to really unpick, well, what is the 'why'? They realised, well, the main reason for bullying is by appearance. We thought about, well, if you were working in a school, then, what do we need to do with our curriculum? How would we need to adapt it? What needs to be your focus? Let's ensure we're not having a reactive... But our curriculum is proactive, not reactive. So it's just a really useful way to get them to think about making the learning real to that context as well.
SG
Yes, tailoring the curriculum when the time comes. And I think for those of them who end up being PSHE leads in the future, what a brilliant skill you'll have taught them there in terms of adapting and tailoring their curriculum, to suit the needs of those pupils. I know that I've had lots of questions recently from our colleagues in ITE asking about how they might go about assessing their trainees progress in PSHE. Have you be able to build in any form of training assessment to your PSHE modules at all?
FW-P
Yeah, definitely. So our PGCE students, they're currently writing essays, but what we have done is PSHE has become part of all of the foundation subject modules on every course. So for example, the PGCE students are randomly allocated a subject, so they might get history or RE or PSHE or art. And so I've got a small group of students who are writing a 3,500-word essay, really looking at policy literature and pedagogy and exploring possible tensions in delivering your subject and effective strategies. So that's fully embedded now. My specialists, so my second years who have [PSHE] as a focus, their assessment is they have to write... They choose any area of PSHE and any year group that they're interested in. So they might choose Relationships, Education, and they might focus on friendships in year two, for example. They have to write a midterm plan, so six lessons. So they write the midterm plan. They have to develop a resource bank for those lessons. Then they also have to write a thousand-word rationale for the place of that PSHE subject in the primary and/or early years curriculum. These are great, and they're really good to read and get the students really thinking about how we build upon that learning, how we plan.
Within that, we consider the PSHE Association's 12 Principles of Effective Practice. And I get the students to really consider that... And thinking [about] are we using baseline assessments? How are we engaging the students in their learning? Really, are we developing subject knowledge and the skills? The students are currently working on that as well, which is great and they've had some great ideas. To track progress, engagement, and confidence in teaching PSHE overall — in the BA Primary — in year two and three, we ask the students at the end of each placement to track... We do a mixture of what did you observe being taught, and what did you teach yourself? So each year — and they do it at the end of year one as well — they can really identify gaps in their own subject knowledge in school. Then what we do when they're picking their workshops, of which PSHE is in year two and year three, They have to pick the subjects where they're less confident and they may have gaps. So they get a chance to... So although it's not an assessment as such, they are reflecting upon gaps in their own subject knowledge, and then they're piecing that together. So we got some students who are paired with the PSHE lead as their mentor and class teacher and see it being taught really effectively all the time.
So that's a way of us plugging some of those gaps as well. But the main assessment, the PGCEs are being assessed and subject study are being assessed. But they also have a final year project where they can write about anything that interests them in education. And lots of students choose many PSHE-related subjects, around mental health, et cetera. Bereavement seems to be one lots of them pick. So there's an opportunity there. And some of them in the third year workshops do a presentation around how they've identified that gap. They've come to sessions with me; they've practised it in school, and then how they've developed their subject knowledge. So that's a presentation assessment. So not everyone's assessed, but....
SG
So a whole variety of summative assessments going on, but also some more AFL-type strategies as well that you have going on as well, don't you? Depending on which modules they're on, which year group they're in, etc.
FW-P
Yes, definitely.
SG
A whole variety. I know that that really varies depending on whether it's a school direct provider or university provider, how long the programme is, et cetera. But certainly that's something that we can support our ITE colleagues with if they want to email in and ask about that. So thanks for that, Faye. I just wondered what are some of the challenges of teaching PSHE on a teacher training programme and how you've gone about overcoming those challenges?
FW-P
Yeah, I think time is a huge obstacle. There's so much to teach the students and only so much university-based time. I also offer all of the students an opportunity to complete your online PSHE course. I always say to them if they'd like to complete the accreditation that my subject study students do, that once they've finished their final year placement, I'm happy to support them with that as well. So we try and signpost as much as possible. But yeah, I think time... In every subject, a lecturer would say the same thing. I think the other thing is a school's priority. So depending on the school they're in [during] placement, what is the skills, confidence, and attitude towards teaching the subject? I've definitely seen that change over time, particularly since the mandatory curriculum came in [for RSHE]... Lots more students are observing it... More than they ever did five or six years ago. But yeah, whether they get to teach it, I think, can often depend on the school. For some schools, rightly so, they don't want the students teaching PSHE because of the nature of the subject. But the students get to observe really excellent practice, which is equally as valuable.
But yeah, I would say that was definitely one of the issues. I suppose when you're setting assignments, I have to be a bit more creative in the literature. So any other subject... Not creative, but I have to think outside [the box more than] any other subjects. So geography has got so many books on teaching primary geography and all of those things. So that's more limited. But I don't see it as a problem. It just depends on your assignment, if it's general PSHE or if it's relating to a specific PSHE subject/aspect. But there's more and more coming through over the last few years, which is great. I know five, six years ago, in terms of journal articles and things, it was a bit more limited.
SG
A bit more sparse, wasn't it. But certainly now, I agree, there's lots more coming through, isn't there? What would you say is the impact of your trainees being knowledgeable and confident in the effective delivery of PSHE?
FW-P
Well, I brought together a few quotes for you, actually.
SG
Oh, lovely.
FW-P
They've emailed into me — because I just thought it's better to come from them.
SG
Absolutely.
FW-P
One pupil just said: "The sessions have really helped me dealing with the difficult issues in the classroom and handling more sensitive subjects on placement. It's also given me lots of pedagogical ideas that I can incorporate in all different lessons." Lots of them really love looking at assessment strategies and realising you can really think outside the box. It doesn't have to be an acrostic poem or a diary entry. We can think more widely. One of them said their confidence in answering those trickier questions: "We look at answering questions safely in the classroom". But they also say "With their emotional connection for those I teach. It allows for a deeper connection built on mutual respect and understanding for a classroom where open discussions can take place without fear". Which I thought was really lovely — that they've got that deeper understanding of the emotional needs of the children. But we talk about 'the subject is bigger than the curriculum itself'. All students as well get an input on where we look at the place of PSHE within safeguarding.
They both work hand in hand. You can have a safeguarding policy and you could read your Keeping Children Safe in School. But that does state that the school needs an effective PSHE curriculum. One of them, I'm just summarising this, but they've said: "yeah, it's built their understanding of not just the subject knowledge, but the benefit to the wider curriculum that if they're teaching the skills and knowledge in PSHE, how that can actually impact all of the other subjects."
SG
Lovely
FW-P
And some of them have just said that "[they] love that it's a subject that's personally challenging. So It challenges them because they've got to constantly learn and grow."
SG
Interesting, yeah.
FW-P
Yeah. That's the main thing. But that impact... I just had some photographs sent from one of my first year ECTs from last year, showing me all the different areas she created around her classroom to support children with emotional learning and ideas she'd taken from our PSHE subject study, which was really nice.
SG
Really rewarding.
FW-P
Yeah, and I think the impact is taking it forward. I think we still have a little battle of people who may feel it's still a bit of a 'huggy' subject.
SG
Yes.
FW-P
But yeah, they've got that real understanding of the challenges of the subject and how to teach it well.
SG
Yeah. Thanks, Faye. I think as well from my own experiences of lecturing in PSHE, I've found that those trainees who have been able to talk confidently in interviews about their knowledge and experiences of teaching PSHE have then fed back to me that they believed it really helped them to secure the post. I think it seems that senior leadership teams are increasingly placing high value on having teachers in post who are trained in the effective delivery of PSHE. So I think that's another unique selling point for trainees, isn't it, when they go to interview.
FW-P
Yeah, I've had exactly the same feedback. Or on final placement where they've said: "Ooh, you're a PSHE specialist. Brilliant!" And take them on board. With interviews as well.
SG
It can really make them stand out from the crowd, can't it. So what do you most enjoy joy about teaching PSHE to trainee teachers?
FW-P
I think for me, it's just the engagement. I think, like the student was saying.. But they're really curious. They come from a range of backgrounds, a range of educational backgrounds. And often it's really interesting if we get students from other countries coming in, or if they're really reflecting on their own experiences and what they want it to look like in the classroom. And that they're interested and often surprised. So I really enjoy that. I enjoy that. It's ever-changing. It keeps me on my toes. I've got to keep learning. But it's also that feedback from the students. I just had one of my final year placement students email me today about how well it's going, and she's putting lots of nurturing strategies in place. And just that feedback that they keep in touch and tell you... "I'm trying this and it's going really well". And hearing that positivity.
SG
And the impact it's having on the children that they're teaching and the young people they're teaching as well. I think that's just really rewarding, isn't it? That it's you teaching the trainee teachers then has an impact on all of those children and young people as well.
FW-P
Definitely. It's just watching their confidence grow. They come and they start and they're a bit wobbly, but by the end, they're ready to go. That group we take into school, by the end of it... And we complete the framework with you guys... They realise, wow, I've got all of this subject knowledge, all of this pedagogical knowledge. I'm ready. I'm ready to go in and teach this now.
SG
Brilliant. Absolutely. Thanks, Faye. We're nearly at the end now, but I just wanted to ask if you've got any tips remaining that we haven't said already that you could give to any other PSHE tutors and lecturers out there that are working in this sector.
FW-P
Yeah, I think my opportunity to develop it, which was before the mandatory curriculum came out, was really listening to student voice and feedback, and just feeding that back to the course leaders and the senior management team. I think that's been central to the development. That's what the students are saying they're wanting. It's just being creative with the limited time you've got to get it right. For me as well, the ITT network meetings have been brilliant. Lots of us are the only person teaching the subject in our universities. And I just think it's been really useful — a great way to keep up to date with latest evidence-based research. But also speaking to fellow colleagues in similar situations.
SG
Thanks, Faye. It's great to hear that you've taken so much from the meetings. And thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experiences of leading PSHE in ITE. I'm sure that others in similar roles around the country will have found this really informative. You've worked so hard to get this subject where it is now for your trainee teachers. And I know that them and their pupils will be benefiting from your excellent teaching of PSHE education. So thank you.
FW-P
Thank you. Thanks so much. And I'm always happy to chat with people who are developing the PSHE in their universities if they think that's helpful. Thank you, Sarah.
SG
Brilliant. Thanks, Faye..