Guidance and Social Education - Our Faculty

Guidance Team

Mr R. Drummond	Principal Teacher of Guidance	Clark
Mr J. Fleming	Principal Teacher of Guidance	Douglas
Ms L Milford	Principal Teacher of Guidance	Home
Mrs A. Paulin	Principal Teacher of Guidance	Scott

Every student has a Guidance Teacher. The Guidance Teacher follows the progress of each student in his/hercaseload and will help an individual get the maximum benefit from the time spent at Berwickshire High School.

The present Guidance structure allows pupils to keep the same Guidance Teacher throughout their time at School. Where possible Berwickshire High School tries to arrange sibling continuity.

Parents should contact their child’s Guidance Teacher if there are any problems or questions. Pupils are interviewed as often as is practicable and as soon as possible in ‘crisis situations’. We closely monitor pupils’ academic, emotional and social progress and monitor attendance.

If a student is concerned about something, he/she should also contact his/her Guidance Teacher.

Social Education

Social Education covers a wide variety of topics and every pupil from First to Sixth year has one lesson per week taught by, as far as possible, their Guidance Teacher. In addition, we work with outside agencies who visit and form part of our programme; these include the Police, L.G.B.T. Scotland (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender), Financial Educational Partnership, Alcoholics Anonymous, School Nurse, Drugs Liaison Officer and many more.
The subject is developed as pupils move through their secondary careers.

Social Education covers a wide variety of topics within the broad areas of:

Mental, Emotional, Physical and Social Well Being – e.g. self esteem, bullying, assertiveness, internet safety
Planning for Choices and Changes – e.g. enterprise activities, subject choice information, personal qualities, environmental citizenship, personal finance
Food and Health – lessons run in conjunction with the Health and Wellbeing Faculty
Substance Misuse – i.e. drugs, alcohol, smoking.
Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood – using the SHARE programme (Sexual Health and Relationships Education) a course which places emphasis on personal responsibility and assertiveness skills.

Within Social Education, careful consideration is given to the range of teaching methods and approaches used. There is an emphasis on discussion to promote listening skills, tolerance and reasoned argument in both large and small groups. We aim to develop decision making skills and to provide accurate and up-to-date information, which is relevant to the challenges faced by young people today.

Topics covered in Social Education in Lower School are:

First Year	Second Year	Third Year
Me! Who am I! Feelings Decision Making & Peer Influence Rights and Responsibilities L.G.B.T. visit Human Rights Puberty & Adolescence Eco Environment Preparation for Choice of Course	Review of Whithaugh Park Puberty & Adolescence revisited Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco Alcoholics Anonymous visit Sex Education	Prejudice and Respect for Others Sexual Health (SHARE Programme) Personal Safety Vocational Guidance Study Skills and Exam Preparation Third Year Exams Preparation for Choice of Course

Topics covered in Social Education in Upper School are:

	Fourth Year	Fifth Year	Sixth Year
August – September	Self Evaluation Target setting for S4	Review S4 Target Setting for S5	UCAS and College Application Work
September – October	CV and Letter Writing	Career Box and Choices Future	UCAS and College Application Work
October – November	Stress and Coping Strategies Mental health Exam Success / Techniques/ Study Plans	Working with Others / First Aid/ Mental Health	UCAS and College Application Work
November – December	Exam Success / Techniques/ Study Plans Prelims Alcohol , Sex and Drugs	Drugs and Alcohol	UCAS and College Application Work
January – February	Course Choices Interview Techniques / Fourth Year Interviews Career Box	Course Choices Prelims	Prelims and Current Topics
February - March	Report Analysis / Targets / Action Plan	Budgeting University	Budgeting University
April - May	Revision Study Leave	Revision Study Leave	Revision Study Leave

Excursions

First Year

Whithaugh Park
All S1 pupils are given the opportunity to participate in the S1 residential at Whithaugh Park near Newcastleton. The trip offers the pupils the chance to take part in a wide range of activities promoting self esteem and social skills. It is a highlight of the year enjoyed by all.

Risk Factory
The Risk Factory is a purpose built facility in Edinburgh designed to teach pupils how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations, e.g. internet safety, safety at home, by water, railways, and roads.

Second Year

York Trip
This 4 day trip has been on going for several years. The trip explores various venues of historic value in York. A hotel near to, 15 minutes walk the city centre is booked. The journey to York takes pupils via Beamish, at least 3 hours is spent exploring the open air museum. Dinner, bed and breakfast is the order of each day whilst in York, spending time visiting places such as Jorvik, York Dungeon, York Castle Museum and a Ghost Walk. Any spare time can be used to visit the National Railway Museum, organising a trip on an Open Top Bus or spending time shopping. The journey home is via Richmond, a stop off point for some lunch.

Careers

Appointments can be made with the Careers Advisor, who works closely with the Guidance Team, to ensure that students receive good and timely advice about subject choices and career options.

University/College Applications/References
When students apply for a place at University or College, they see their Guidance Teacher to get advice on completing their application. Information is requested from teachers and the reference is completed. The application flowchart explains the process for students applying to University.

Guidance Survey - Click here to take survey

Guidance & Social Education

Back to Faculties