Focus Weeks
Our PSHE (Personal, Social, Health, & Economic Education) curriculum programme is integrated into a broader Focus Week schedule. This is an exciting and imaginative scheme designed to combine the teaching of important themes alongside a sense of competition, engagement and fun.
In this way, a theme can be addressed in multiple different ways during a week.
In a typical week, an assembly will deliver key information whilst a related, age-appropriate 25-minute lesson is taught as part of our tutor time programme. Meanwhile, posters around school reinforce key quotes and learning, whilst the weekly inter-form quiz also addresses the topic. Learning is extended by other related events during the week. This might involve celebrations during social times, a tutor group competition with fantastic prizes, a trip to a related landmark or a special guest talking to students in school.
A number of Focus Weeks involve student-led assemblies, with time set aside in advance for students to research the topic and prepare their presentation.
Some Focus Weeks have PHSE 'Drop Down' Days for targeted Year groups so that further age-appropriate PHSE lessons are delivered at set points of the year. This might encompass education on relationships, drugs or online safety, for example.
In addition, Key Stage Three students engage in our Enrichment programme as part of their DT rotation of subjects to cover key PSHE topics.
Focus Week Calendar 2026-7
There is a Focus Week for every week, and this year's are mapped out below:
| Week Beginning | Focus Week Topic |
| 7 September | Welcome Back |
| 14 September | House Assembly - Looking Ahead to 2026-2027 |
| 21 September | National Fitness Day |
| 28 September | World Smile Day |
| 5 October | Sexual Health Week |
| 12 October | World Food Day |
| 19 October | Navaratri (Hinduism) |
| 2 November | Remembrance |
| 9 November | Stress Awareness Week |
| 16 November | UK Parliament Week |
| 23 November | World Kindness Day |
| 30 November | International Abolition of Slavery Day - Harriet Tubman |
| 7 December | Feast of St Nicholas (Christianity) |
| 14 December | House Celebration Assembly |
| 4 January | New Year Ahead |
| 11 January | World Heroes - Martin Luther King |
| 18 January | Buddhism |
| 25 January | Holocaust Memorial Day |
| 1 February | World Cancer Day |
| 8 February | Internet Safety Week |
| 22 February | Ramadan & Eid (Islam) |
| 1 March | World Book Day |
| 8 March | National Careers Week |
| 15 March | British Science Week |
| 22 March | House Celebration Assembly |
| 12 April | National Pet Month |
| 19 April | Women’s Equality Day |
| 26 April | Sikhism |
| 3 May | Dementia Awareness Week |
| 10 May | Belonging & Identity |
| 17 May | Suffering |
| 24 May | After-Life |
| 7 June | Gambling |
| 14 June | Earth Day |
| 21 June | Child Safety Week |
| 28 June | Windrush Day |
| 5 July | Fake News Week |
| 12 July | House Celebration Assembly |
| 19 July | Holiday Safety |
House Charity Weeks
The following weeks have been allocated as House Charity weeks:
| House | Charity Week 2026 - 2027 |
| Darwin | w/b 8 February |
| Garrick | w/b 15 March |
| Johnson | w/b 16 November |
| Seward | w/b 12 October |
The respective Head of House will coordinate various high-profile activities during each week.
Further Information
Our Focus Weeks are very carefully mapped out to cover the PHSE Association’s Programme of Study (Key Stages 3-5), as well as broader curriculum priorities, including British values as part of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development; Careers; relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education; Religious Education (RE) and Every Child Matters priorities.
The school's RSE policy outlines information about parents' (or carers') right to withdraw their child from sex education, and can be found here. Information about withdraw children from Religious Education (RE) lessons is covered here.
If you require further information on our Focus Weeks then please contact Helen Barratt, Assistant Headteacher, via office@friaryschool.co.uk.