Healthy Choices On and Off Pitch

Overview

This 60-minute PSHE lesson helps 16–18-year-old academy footballers make informed decisions about health, assess the reliability of information, understand vaccination choices and plan sensible support for long-term conditions. It builds on prior learning about physical and mental wellbeing, personal responsibility and seeking help, using realistic football-related situations.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• explain how to make informed health decisions using evidence, professional advice and personal circumstances;
• distinguish reliable health information from misleading, commercial or anecdotal claims;
• describe the purpose of vaccinations and identify appropriate sources of advice;
• identify practical ways to manage a long-term health condition safely in training, competition and everyday life;
• recognise when to seek qualified support and how to communicate relevant health information.

Success criteria

• I can use a clear decision-making process to compare health choices.
• I can justify why one health source is more reliable than another.
• I can explain how vaccination decisions should be discussed with an appropriate health professional.
• I can suggest a safe, individualised support plan for someone managing a long-term condition.

Curriculum links

• Health and wellbeing: Secondary — making informed decisions that support physical and mental health.
• Health and wellbeing: Secondary — accessing reliable information and specialised support in sensitive or health-related areas.
• Health and wellbeing: Secondary — using accurate, straightforward and age-appropriate language.
• Health and wellbeing: Secondary — recognising when concerns require safeguarding or professional procedures.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook and ground rules. Teacher opens with the opening scenario and question: “A teammate has seen a social-media post claiming a supplement can prevent illness and improve recovery. What should they do before acting?” Establish respectful discussion, no personal medical disclosures, and the right to pass. Students give an initial response, then suggest what information they would need.

2. 5–15 min · Direct teaching: informed choices. Using the decision-making model, teacher introduces a five-step process: define the decision; identify benefits, risks and uncertainties; check reliable evidence; consider individual circumstances; seek qualified advice and review the decision. Emphasise that a responsible choice is not simply the most popular or convenient choice. Students apply the model to a low-risk example, such as deciding whether to follow a recovery claim seen online.

3. 15–25 min · Source reliability check. Teacher displays the source comparison examples and models checking the author or organisation, date, evidence, purpose, conflicts of interest, language and whether the claim can be verified elsewhere. Students complete the first section of the healthy decisions analysis sheet, ranking three hypothetical sources from most to least reliable and giving reasons. Stress that social media, team-mates and family may offer useful experiences but are not substitutes for professional advice.

4. 25–38 min · Vaccination scenario discussion. Teacher uses the vaccination information and prompts to explain that vaccines reduce the risk of particular infections and that advice can depend on age, medical history, travel, occupation, eligibility and current public-health guidance. Avoid presenting vaccination as a personal test or debating classmates’ private choices. In pairs, students analyse a fictional academy player who is unsure about a recommended vaccination. They identify questions to ask a GP, practice nurse, pharmacist or other qualified professional, and write a balanced response that avoids pressure, misinformation or guarantees.

5. 38–52 min · Long-term condition case study. Teacher introduces three fictional profiles on the case-study instructions: a player with asthma, a player with diabetes and a player managing a long-term mental-health condition. Students work in groups using the second section of the healthy decisions analysis sheet to create a practical support plan covering: trusted professional input; medication or treatment routines as prescribed; training and competition adjustments; warning signs; communication with coaches; emergency arrangements; privacy and consent; and when to seek urgent help. Clarify that students must not diagnose, share medication or advise anyone to stop prescribed treatment.

6. 52–60 min · Review and exit assessment. Teacher returns to the plenary questions. Students complete the final worksheet questions: “One sign of a reliable source is…”, “One professional I could consult is…”, and “One safe action when supporting a player with a long-term condition is…”. Invite volunteers to share general learning, then remind students how to access the academy’s safeguarding, pastoral, medical and wellbeing support.

Resources

• the healthy decisions slide deck
• the healthy decisions analysis sheet
• Projector or interactive display
• Pens and highlighters
• Timer
• School or academy safeguarding and medical-support information
• Teacher access to current, approved health-information materials
• Private route for students to request follow-up support

Assessment

• Listen for students using evidence, reliability and individual-circumstance criteria rather than popularity or personal anecdote.
• Check pair and group responses for accurate signposting to qualified professionals and safe management advice; correct unsafe claims immediately.
• Collect or review the exit responses to assess whether students can identify a reliable source, an appropriate professional and a safe support action.

Differentiation

• Provide the decision-making steps and sentence starters on the worksheet, such as “This source is more reliable because…” and “A qualified professional could help by…”.
• Allocate roles in groups—reader, evidence checker, recorder and reporter—and allow students to contribute without discussing personal experiences.
• Pre-teach terms including evidence, reliability, vaccination, long-term condition, prescribed treatment and confidentiality; pair EAL learners with supportive peers and provide uncluttered written instructions.
• Extend confident students by asking them to explain how commercial interests, uncertainty and individual circumstances can affect a health recommendation.
• If a student discloses a health concern, self-harm, suicidal ideation or another safeguarding issue, listen calmly, do not promise confidentiality, avoid probing for detail and follow academy safeguarding procedures immediately.