At St Mary’s, our ‘Values & Virtues’ programme is our PSHRE curriculum. It encompasses Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) using resources from Ten:Ten, PSHE & Citizenship and Careers education.

This curriculum is delivered to pupils in form groups by their Form Tutors, who know their pupils well and provide a supportive, familiar environment for discussion and reflection. Values & Virtues is taught every Wednesday morning from 8.55am to 9.40am in extended registration.

Rooted in Catholic virtues and aligned with British Values — democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect, and tolerance — Values & Virtues helps pupils develop both personally and socially. Through this programme, we aim to nurture informed, responsible, and compassionate pupils who are equipped to make positive contributions to their communities and to society as a whole.

Each year group within the Values & Virtues curriculum is assigned a specific Virtue Pair that is carefully linked to their PSHE & Citizenship unit. This intentional pairing helps to tie the learning together, ensuring that pupils can see how the virtues they are exploring are relevant and applicable to real-life situations. This consistent integration across subjects reinforces key moral messages and encourages pupils to actively reflect on how virtues are demonstrated in their own lives and in society. It also supports Form Tutors in facilitating meaningful discussions, as the virtue focus becomes a thread running through the unit, making abstract values tangible and relevant.

This approach ensures that pupils don’t just learn about virtues in isolation, but understand their real-world significance, helping them to grow into thoughtful, principled, and active citizens.