Warning Signs Skills

Overview

In this lesson (8 of 9) pupils build on earlier learning about wellbeing and personal safety by focusing on how to monitor health day-to-day, recognise warning signs, and respond responsibly. They practise seeking help through structured role-play scenarios relevant to Year 10.

Learning intentions

• Students will identify practical ways to monitor their own mental and physical health.
• Students will recognise warning signs that may require support from a trusted person.
• Students will practise how to ask for help using clear, respectful communication.
• Students will decide what action to take and who to contact when a health concern arises.

Success criteria

• I can describe at least 3 methods to monitor my health (body, feelings, behaviour).
• I can name warning signs for mental and physical wellbeing and explain what they might mean.
• I can use sentence stems to ask for help clearly and calmly.
• I can choose a sensible next step and a trusted person/service if I’m worried.

Curriculum links

• Personal safety: recognising risks, managing peer pressure and knowing how to seek help from trusted adults.
• Health and wellbeing: understanding how to manage health and wellbeing, including when concerns about self or others arise.
• Relationships and health education expectations for accurate, appropriate language about seeking support and personal safety.
• PSHE skills for self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, responsible decision-making and help-seeking.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Settling check-in + routine. Teacher displays a simple feelings/energy scale poster; pupils privately select one number and one word. Teacher collects 3–4 responses verbally only if pupils choose.
2. 5–12 min · Retrieval practice (previous lesson threads). Teacher asks short prompts on the board: “What is a trusted adult?”, “What counts as a warning sign?”, “What does ‘support’ look like?”. Pupils do a quick think-write (1 minute each prompt) then share in pairs using stems: “Last time we learned…”
3. 12–22 min · Explicit teaching: monitoring health. Teacher introduces “monitoring” as noticing patterns over time (not ignoring problems). Pupils complete a guided Frayer-style template for key terms: “monitor”, “warning sign”, “trusted adult” (with sentence frames and teacher modelling).

• Teacher gives examples: sleep, appetite, concentration, mood swings, headaches, panic symptoms, repeated feeling unwell, changes in behaviour/withdrawal.
• Pupils sort examples into “physical”, “mental/emotional”, “behaviour/relationships”.

4. 22–32 min · Warning signs: spotting and interpreting (no diagnosing). Teacher emphasises: “Warning signs mean you should get support; they don’t prove one cause.” Pupils work through a scenario card set (small groups of 3–4) and match “warning sign” to “possible impact” and “who could help”.

• Teacher circulates with a checklist: pupils name the sign, avoid blaming language, and identify a next action.

5. 32–45 min · Role-play 1: asking for help (structured oracy). Pupils receive role-play scripts with roles: student, trusted adult, friend/peer. Teacher models once with calm voice and clear boundaries.

• Students practise in pairs for 3 minutes, then swap roles.
• Required sentence stems on the board:
• “I’m worried about…”
• “I’ve noticed…”
• “I need help with…”
• “Could we talk about it today?”

6. 45–54 min · Role-play 2: peer pressure + safety decision. Teacher presents one short dilemma card (e.g., “A friend is acting very different and doesn’t want anyone to know”; “Someone says it’s fine to ignore symptoms”; “A rumour spreads online about a person’s health”). Groups decide: what to do, who to tell, and what not to do. Pupils then perform a 60-second role-play using help-seeking stems.

• Teacher reminds: do not keep secrets that risk serious harm; seek adult support.

7. 54–60 min · Exit ticket + retrieval wrap. Pupils complete a quick exit ticket (choose 1):

• “Name one method to monitor health.”
• “Name one warning sign and the first person I would speak to.” Teacher reads answers to identify misconceptions for next lessons.

Resources

• Feelings/energy scale sheet (numbers and word options)
• Scenario cards (physical, emotional, behaviour changes; peer pressure dilemmas)
• Frayer templates (monitor, warning sign, trusted adult)
• Role-play script cards with sentence stems
• Sorting sheet: physical / mental-emotional / behaviour-relationships
• Exit ticket slips or digital form (if using Google Classroom)

Assessment

• Formative: teacher checks use of vocabulary (“monitor”, “warning sign”, “trusted adult”) during sorting and discussions.
• Formative: pupils’ role-play includes a clear help-seeking request and a realistic next step.
• Exit ticket: teacher reviews choices of warning signs and first trusted person/service to guide future support.

Differentiation

• Sentence starters, word banks, and visual example cards for pupils with low literacy or high anxiety.
• Offer “talk it through” options: pupils can use a pre-prepared script card rather than improvising; allow whisper rehearsal before performing.
• Use smaller group roles (reader, decision-maker, speaker) so pupils can participate even if verbal confidence is limited.
• Extension for confident pupils: “What would you say if the person says ‘I’m fine’—how do you check again without blaming?”