Jono's end of term round up (Autumn 2025)
Jono here, from the PSHE Association.
I hope you and your colleagues are looking forward to some well-deserved rest and relaxation over the Christmas break.
Here’s a recap of what we’ve been up to this last half-term, and a preview of what’s on the cards for next term.
Starting with our lesson packs, of which there are now over 120 available to members, containing over 400 individual lessons.
We launched our Friendship and bullying lesson pack for pupils with SEND at the beginning of this half-term to coincide with anti-bullying week.
Comprising three lessons for KS2 and four for KS3-4, this pack is designed for pupils with range of learning needs and complements our existing materials on this topic for EYFS, KS1, KS2, KS3 and KS4.
The new lessons have been carefully researched and designed to reflect the learning needs and lived experiences of young people with a range of special educational needs and disabilities, in both special schools and mainstream settings.
This wasn’t the only lesson pack for pupils with SEND we launched this half-term. As part of the BRUSH project, we worked with dentistry experts on a new Dental health for pupils with SEND lesson pack, which you can access for free on our website along with an EYFS activity pack on the same topic.
And staying for a moment with the topic of personal hygiene (which schools are required to tach about under the DfE’s updated 2026 RSHE guidance) our latest KS1-2 lesson pack on the importance of handwashing will help you introduce pupils to the importance of personal hygiene routines, with a particular focus on handwashing.
Of course, helping children and young people to put the necessary foundations in place for good physical health is one of the many important areas PSHE education covers. And we’re excited to expand on this work next term with new lesson packs for KS1-2 and KS3-4 on the benefits of physical activity, and how to maintain an active lifestyle.
But we also need to be able to respond to some of the more recent safeguarding risks that have emerged in the last decade or so, as a result of technological developments that are reshaping our world in real time.
The Department for Education also recognises these risks, which is why the updated 2026 statutory RSHE guidance includes requirements for secondary schools to teach about AI-generated images and deepfakes.
Our Digital deception: Understanding deepfakes lesson pack (KS2-4) and Empowered users: An AI literacy programme for young people (KS2-4), coming next term, will give you everything you need to tackle these areas with confidence and ensure alignment with the new RSHE requirements in plenty of time for the September 2026 implementation window.
We’re also supporting cutting edge research on how to support students to navigate social media and algorithms, which is being undertaken by the Molly Rose Foundation and University of Bristol.
If you’re a secondary school teacher based in England and have 10-15 minutes to spare before the end of term, we’d love to learn more about how you teach about social media and online safety and wellbeing — to help us build a national picture.
You have until Friday next week (19 December ) to submit your response and enter a draw to win a £25 voucher, just in time for Christmas!
Now let’s turn our attention to consider some of the key policy announcements from this last half-term.
Starting with the news that Citizenship education is to become statutory at key stages 1 and 2 from September 2028 following a recommendation in the final Curriculum and Assessment Review, which has been accepted by the Department for Education (see Government response to the Review).
As we outlined in our blog piece at the time, we strongly welcome this decision given Citizenship’s role in improving children and young people’s understanding of democracy, law and climate change.
We were also very pleased to see that the new Citizenship curriculum will include aspects of financial education and media literacy that will complement what is already covered in the statutory RSHE guidance and our own Programme of Study for PSHE education.
A reminder that our updated Programme of Study for PSHE education will be published early next year, alongside new model programmes, and these will outline statutory RSHE and broader PSHE education content including that which relates to economic wellbeing and navigating digital technologies.
Ofsted’s renewed inspection framework also came into effect earlier this half-term (on the 10th November 2025).
There have been concerns from unions and others about the new approach. But setting aside these debates, there are big implications for PSHE education, including statutory RSHE content.
Our recent blog piece looks at five key considerations for PSHE/RSHE leads and school leaders.
We’ve really enjoyed meeting some new faces this half-term at different events around the country, including the Mental Health and Wellbeing in Schools Conference, the Annual Conference for GSA Heads, and other local PSHE events in different regions.
We’re hoping to speak and exhibit at more of these kinds of events going forward, so do come by and say hi if you see us — and be sure to collect some ‘PSHE hero!’ and ‘CHOOSE PSHE’ badges and stickers to take back to your school!
And if it’s training you’re after then take a look at our Spring term live CPD options, which are all live and available to book on our website.
Finally, a reminder that bookings are now open for our Spring online conference, which is taking place next term on Thursday 12 March 2026.
We’ll be announcing more leading speakers in the new year to join our line up alongside Ofsted’s Dr Polly Haste and award-winning poet and author Hollie McNish. In any case, it's shaping up to be an unmissable event!
Stay tuned for further guest speaker announcements and details on the range of live workshops that will be available on the day — including those focused on the DfE’s new RSHE statutory guidance.
On behalf of all of us at the Association, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support this year and wish you a very merry Christmas.
Until next term,
Jono (PSHE Association CEO)