This term our year 8 students looked at skills needed for life after school with budgeting and handling money. They also looked at their own skills and began to think about what career path may best suit them. Using the University of Sussex’ education programme allows students to have a deeper understanding of what is available at University and to raise their aspirations. Year 8s have also been exploring different issues to do with animal rights, including hunting, animal experimentation, animals for entertainment, eating meat and veganism.

During the Summer term our year 8s will gain a clear understanding of the Human Rights outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights written by the United Nations. They will be given the opportunity to focus on key human rights and understand the importance of these in ensuring safety and development across the globe. They will also be discussing how people can speak out if they think that a human right is being violated as they look at case studies from the UK and abroad. Year 8s will also be looking at different scenarios where first aid is required and will learn basic first aid skills to promote health within the community. This will include: head injuries, cuts and wounds, CPR, and allergies.

Student comments:

“What I enjoy about SME is we get to learn things that happen around the world. I think it is really important to learn about diversity as it helps others to understand each other’s lives, cultures etc.” Poppy in year 8

“I like SME because you learn about how many different people live their lives and how you can make good choices. Plus, all the teachers are kind and informative.” Ben in year 8

“It’s a really interesting subject because you get to learn about all sorts of things.” Grace in year 8

“SME is good because it’s very interactive and the teacher is very nice and also supportive and kind.” Stanley in year 8