Getting accustomed to the new dispensation is something that is challenging for both staff and students alike. In a time of great uncertainty, it is vitally important that we guide and support all the students at TFA as much as possible. All students at TFA are given key information on how to stay safe both inside and outside of school. Empowerment days play an essential part in preparing our students for life outside of education. It is our priority to ensure that students have a variety of tools and information to be able to tackle anything that life may throw at them and to become upstanding members of the community.
Empowerment days are a fantastic vehicle for delivering high quality information across several year groups at once, covering important content that students wouldn’t ordinarily touch on during their timetabled lessons. Students will have access to be three Empowerment days throughout this academic year, each one having a different theme. The topics covered throughout the year include sex and relationship education, mental health and the wider world. These topics are taught by our highly skilled teachers and include opportunities for students to gain answers to questions and explore opinions through structured debates at the end of the day.
During the first Empowerment day the topics covered by students included;
Year 7 – Child Exploitation, Gender equality, Gender identity, Healthy diet and Online safety
Year 8 – Positive mental health, Positive body image, First Aid, Drug use and Consent
Year 9 – Mental health, Substance misuse, Healthy relationships, Sexting and Sexual health
Year 10 – Knife crime, Substance misuse, Healthy relationships/abuse, Revenge porn and Consent
Year 11 – Tolerance, Substance misuse, Knife Crime, Mental health and Cancer awareness
Staff and students have since fed back on the day and have had nothing but positive things to say about it. Many stated that the day was the most impactful day we have ever had and that it really helped to enrich their knowledge. Staff also expressed their delight at how positively the students responded to the day, with staff particularly enjoying hearing student’s opinions in the fabulous high-quality debates. It was very pleasing to see how students were able to develop their personal beliefs, understand differences of opinions and be able to ask any questions they had in a safe and secure environment.
