Overview

This 6-week scheme of learning is designed for Year 7 SEN students, focusing on Personal and Social Development with two key strands from the National Curriculum and PSHE Association Guidance:

• Dealing with Problems in Everyday Life (Year 1 focus)
• Planning an Enterprise (Year 2 focus)

The scheme incorporates themes from the 2017 PSHE Association Programme of Study for Key Stage 3, aligned to the National Curriculum (England), while explicitly addressing pupils with SEN needs via differentiated learning objectives and scaffolded resources. The novel The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Rauf is embedded throughout, providing a context for empathy, social skills, and resilience-building.

Class Size: 10 students

Lesson Duration: 45 minutes × 6 sessions

---

National Curriculum Links

• PSHE Association Programme of Study KS3:
  • Social and emotional skills, understanding emotions, managing relationships, communication, decision making, mental health awareness, and strategies for resilience.
  • Enterprise education and financial capability: planning, teamwork, and problem-solving in real-world contexts.
• Personal Development: Developing self-awareness, managing feelings, empathy, and conflict resolution skills.
• Computing: Online safety, recognising risks and seeking help.

---

Key Vocabulary

• Emotions: empathy, anxiety, stress, resilience, self-esteem, identity
• Social: friendship, peer pressure, bullying, conflict resolution, communication
• Enterprise: planning, teamwork, problem-solving, ideas, money, budget
• Safety: online safety, privacy, trusted adults, support networks

---

Weekly Breakdown

---

Week 1 – Understanding Emotions & Friendship

Learning Objectives:

• Secure: I can identify and describe a wide range of emotions in myself and others and explain how they affect behaviour.
• Developing: I can recognise basic emotions and explain how they might influence friendships.
• Emerging: I can name simple emotions and say how I or others might feel.

Activities:

• Interactive group reading of selected extracts from The Boy at the Back of the Class focusing on character feelings.
• Emotions matching activity: facial expressions with vocabulary cards.
• Small group discussions about friendship qualities and how emotions influence these.

Assessment:

• Worksheet with 3 questions per objective:
  • Secure: "Describe the feelings of a character and how they showed this in their actions."
  • Developing: "Which emotion do you see in this picture? How might it affect friendship?"
  • Emerging: "Point to a happy face. How do you feel when you are happy?"

---

Week 2 – Peer Pressure & Making Good Choices

Learning Objectives:

• Secure: I can identify different types of peer pressure and explain how to resist them confidently.
• Developing: I can recognise examples of peer pressure and make choices to keep myself safe.
• Emerging: I can say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ when I feel uncomfortable.

Activities:

• Role-play scenarios inspired by The Boy at the Back of the Class (e.g. being asked to exclude someone, or do something they do not want).
• Mind-map “Good Choices” and “Peer Pressure” with the class.
• Guided reflection: How Al's friends made choices.

Assessment:

• Worksheet questions:
  • Secure: "Write down two ways you can say ‘no’ to peer pressure and why they are effective."
  • Developing: "Circle which choice is the safest in these situations."
  • Emerging: "Draw a happy face next to things you would say yes to and a sad face next to things you say no to."

---

Week 3 – Problem-Solving & Communication Skills

Learning Objectives:

• Secure: I can approach problems step-by-step, communicate clearly and use teamwork to find solutions.
• Developing: I can talk through a problem in groups and suggest a solution.
• Emerging: I can tell an adult when I have a problem.

Activities:

• Gang problem-solving challenge: “How can we help the new boy feel welcome?” (based on The Boy at the Back of the Class).
• Communication games (listening pairs and ‘telephone’).
• Group brainstorming and sharing solutions.

Assessment:

• Worksheet questions:
  • Secure: "Explain the steps you took with your group to solve the problem."
  • Developing: "What problem did your group talk about? What solution did you choose?"
  • Emerging: "Who will you tell if you have a problem at school? Write their name."

---

Week 4 – Building Resilience & Managing Stress

Learning Objectives:

• Secure: I can use strategies to manage anxiety and bounce back from setbacks confidently.
• Developing: I can recognise when I feel worried and use 1 or 2 ways to calm down.
• Emerging: I can say how I feel when upset and try the ‘calm breathing’ exercise.

Activities:

• Mindfulness breathing exercises; progressive muscle relaxation.
• Story discussion: How Al and friends cope with difficult situations in the book.
• Create a “Resilience Toolbox” poster of strategies.

Assessment:

• Worksheet questions:
  • Secure: "List 3 ways to help yourself calm down when stressed."
  • Developing: "Circle the things that help you when you feel worried."
  • Emerging: "Can you do the breathing exercise? Show 3 finger breaths."

---

Week 5 – Bullying, Conflict Resolution & Online Safety

Learning Objectives:

• Secure: I can identify bullying behaviours, explain ways to resolve conflicts and know how to keep safe online.
• Developing: I can recognise bullying and understand who to talk to for help.
• Emerging: I can name one trusted adult if I have a problem at home, school, or online.

Activities:

• Read anti-bullying scenes from The Boy at the Back of the Class.
• Conflict resolution role-play: “How to respond when someone is unkind.”
• Online safety quiz and trusted adults chart creation.

Assessment:

• Worksheet questions:
  • Secure: "Describe what bullying is and write three steps to solve a conflict."
  • Developing: "Who would you talk to if someone is bullying you or online?"
  • Emerging: "Draw a picture of a person who helps you at home or school."

---

Week 6 – Planning an Enterprise Project

Learning Objectives:

• Secure: I can plan a simple class enterprise project including ideas, roles, and budgeting with my peers.
• Developing: I can share ideas and help decide roles in a group enterprise task.
• Emerging: I can say one thing I would like to do and listen to others’ ideas.

Activities:

• Group planning of a simple fundraising enterprise inspired by the book’s themes (e.g., cake sale, charity raffle to help refugees).
• Use graphic organisers: idea web, roles chart, and simple budget sheet.
• Presenting the plan to class.

Assessment:

• Worksheet questions:
  • Secure: "Write your enterprise idea, list 3 roles and explain where the money will come from."
  • Developing: "Draw or write one role you want and one idea for the project."
  • Emerging: "Say your favourite idea and listen to your group."

---

Resources to Prepare for Each Lesson

• Extracts from The Boy at the Back of the Class selected for each theme.
• Differentiated worksheets with 3 questions tailored to ‘Secure’, ‘Developing’, and ‘Emerging’ learners per lesson.
• Emotion cards, role-play scripts, mind-mapping materials, breathing exercise guides.
• Online safety scenario cards and trusted adults chart templates.
• Enterprise planning sheets: idea webs, roles charts, simple budgets.

---

Teacher Notes

• Use visual scaffolding, consistent routines and clear expectations tailored for SEN needs.
• Incorporate multisensory learning (talk, drama, art) and allow additional processing time.
• Reinforce vocabulary each lesson with flashcards and recap starter activities.
• Encourage peer support and positively reinforce all contributions.
• Regularly link learning back to The Boy at the Back of the Class to build connection and understanding.

---

This scheme combines core PSHE Personal Development objectives with creative enterprise planning and novel study, tailored to enable SEN students to develop essential skills for resilience, empathy, decision-making, and teamwork in a carefully scaffolded environment.