Statutory in maintained secondary schools and academies. NEO is independent alternative provision — technically not legally bound by the Health Education sections — but per the PSHE Mapping v0.1, NEO covers Health Education as best practice and as integrated curriculum delivery, not as a separate timetable strand.
For NEO’s EBSNA cohort, Health Education is one of the most directly therapeutic curriculum areas — the content (mental wellbeing, sleep, regulation, body literacy, drug awareness) sits at the heart of what the cohort is already navigating in lived experience.
Statutory topics (secondary)
- Mental wellbeing — recognising emotions; mental health literacy; the difference between everyday distress and a mental-health condition; help-seeking; reducing stigma; suicide prevention awareness (secondary settings must have a documented safe-messaging plan)
- Internet safety and harms — physical and emotional impact of online life; sleep and screen time; the relationship between online use and mental health (see also Online Safety)
- Physical health and fitness — the importance of regular activity; UK chief medical officers’ physical activity guidelines; the link between physical activity and mental wellbeing
- Healthy eating — what constitutes a balanced diet; energy, nutrition; the impact of diet on health; food choice and budget (see also Financial Literacy)
- Drugs, alcohol and tobacco — physical and psychological risks; addiction and dependence; legal context; harm reduction approaches; help-seeking
- Health and prevention — sleep and rest; dental and personal hygiene; vaccination; cancer awareness and self-examination; self-care for chronic conditions
- Basic first aid — life-saving basics (CPR, recovery position, recognising a heart attack / stroke / asthma attack)
- Changing adolescent body — puberty (revisiting from primary); menstrual and gynaecological health (including endometriosis, PCOS, menopause); body image; the science of adolescent neurodevelopment
Suicide prevention — non-negotiable
The 2026 guidance requires every secondary setting to have a documented safe-messaging plan around suicide. This applies to NEO whether or not the wider Health Education framework is statutory for it. Per the Cornerstones Mapping v0.1 §7 and §10 Action 5: a practitioner-facing guidance note on safe messaging around suicide is in scope for the April–July 2026 RSHE build.
Care note
Two strands particularly require care for the EBSNA / SEMH cohort:
- Healthy eating — body image and disordered eating need explicit trauma-sensitive framing; the 2026 guidance supports positive, non-stigmatising approaches; practitioner training before delivery is essential
- Mental wellbeing — content on suicide, self-harm, depression, and anxiety should follow safe-messaging guidelines (Samaritans Media Guidelines as the standard reference); always paired with help-seeking signposting
Cornerstone fits
This is where the Cornerstones do their densest work in the curriculum:
- Rest (●●●) — sleep, fatigue, recovery, stress regulation, recognising anxiety
- Nutrition (●●●) — most directly statutory; healthy eating, body literacy
- Movement (●●●) — physical activity and its mental-wellbeing benefits
- Reflection (●●●) — mental wellbeing, mental-health literacy, self-knowledge
- Connection (●●) — the relational scaffolding that makes help-seeking possible
The Cornerstones Mapping v0.1 is the canonical reference for the fit ratings here.
Cross-curriculum links
- KS4 Science — Coordination and the body’s regulation (the biology of the nervous system, mental health, stress)
- KS4 Science — Nutrition, digestion, and energy (biological framing of healthy eating)
- KS4 Science — Health, disease, immunity, and lifestyle (lifestyle factors, public health)
- Life and Work — Work and life (mental health at work, burnout, sustainable working life)
- Relating Intelligently — Module 3: How to Stay Coherent (the canonical NEO-original for emotional regulation and coherence)
Owner
Emily Baty (DSL / SEND oversight) leads on the Health Education curriculum build. Suicide-prevention safe-messaging guidance is a practitioner-training prerequisite — see Cornerstones Mapping §10 Action 5.