Year 10 Health and Fitness NCFE
-To try and give the pupils on the Health and Fitness course in Year 10, we have been dissecting a lambs heart.
-It gives the pupils an opportunity to see the size similarity with the human heart as well as the different parts and how strong the blood vessels and valves are that help keep your heart beating from when it develops in the uterus in early pregnancy
This week, KS4 students took part in a No Limits workshop focused on drug awareness, health, and safety. The session encouraged open discussion, questions, and learning in a safe, non-judgemental environment.
Exploring the Drugs Box
Students explored the Drugs Box, which helps explain different classes of drugs and how they affect the body. A key focus was understanding the risks of illegal drugs, particularly how mixing drugs with alcohol can greatly increase the risk of serious harm.
Health, Safety, and the Law
The session also covered important health and legal information,
including:
To check understanding, students took part in an interactive Kahoot
quiz. Questions covered topics such as vaping, mixing substances,
recognising risk, and knowing when and how to get help. The quiz encouraged
engagement while reinforcing key safety messages.
Why Do People Use Substances?
An important part of the discussion explored why people may use
drugs or substances. Students shared thoughtful ideas, including:
This helped students understand that substance use often has complex
reasons, and that support and education are essential.
Key Takeaway
The No Limits Visit helped students build knowledge, ask questions, and
develop skills to make safer, informed choices. The session
reinforced the message that help is always available and that understanding the
risks can protect both ourselves and others.
We thank the No Limits team for delivering another engaging and informative
session.
Thank you Gerson, Sal and Emma!
This week, students took part in their second workshop delivered by No Limits.
The session supports the PSHE curriculum (2026), particularly the Health and Wellbeing and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) strands, with a focus on drugs, alcohol, vaping, and risk-taking behaviours.
The workshop focused on harm reduction, enabling students to develop the knowledge and skills needed to make safe, informed, and responsible choices.
PSHE curriculum links:
Health and Wellbeing
Understanding how substance use can affect physical and mental health
Recognising how risk increases with quantity and mixing of substances
Identifying short- and long-term health risks associated with drugs, alcohol, nicotine, and vaping
Developing strategies to reduce harm and prioritise personal safety and wellbeing
Living in the Wider World
Evaluating risk and understanding consequences of choices
Building decision-making skills in real-life scenarios
Learning activities included:
Activity: Mixing Substances – Risk Ladder (Low to High Risk)
Students explored how different substances present varying levels of risk, including:
Nicotine pouches
Caffeine
Alcohol
Vaping
Prescribed substances
Unknown substances
Key learning points reinforced that:
Risk increases with the amount used
Risk increases when substances are mixed
Unknown substances carry significantly higher risk
Understanding the impact of steroids on hormones and muscle development
Awareness of long-term risks such as heart disease, liver damage, hormonal imbalance (e.g. acne, swelling), canver and mood changes (including ‘roid rage’)
Understanding risks linked to needle use, including infection, HIV, hepatitis, and scarring
This session supports students in developing health literacy, risk awareness, and protective behaviours, as outlined in the PSHE curriculum (2026).
Any questions please call Mrs Foster or use information above to contact No Limits.
Year 8 students have taken part in some fantastic discussions around vaping and its health, financial, and environmental impacts. As a starter to the topic, students watched the Jordan North documentary, which sparked thoughtful and mature conversations.
Using LifeLab resources, students explored their own ideas and viewpoints, developing strong oracy skills as they debated key issues and organised their arguments effectively. All lessons fully adhere to the new 2025 PSHE curriculum.
One Year 8 group asked for the documentary link so they could watch it again at home with parents or carers:
👉 https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001xj1p/jordan-north-the-truth-about-vaping
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Foster.
No Limits Organisation Visit - Session 1.
This week, students took part in an engaging workshop led by the No Limits organisation, focusing on drugs, alcohol, vaping, and making informed choices.
The session included discussions on energy drinks, their ingredients, legal age limits (16+), and health impacts. Students also learned that speaking honestly to a healthcare professional is confidential and will not get them into trouble unless there is a safeguarding concern.
Key topics included the risks of mixing drugs and alcohol, vaping and nicotine addiction, and the health effects of substances such as alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, and ketamine. Students explored drug classifications, the ABC law model, and took part in interactive group activities.
Future sessions will cover quitting strategies, healthy alternatives, performance-enhancing drugs, illegal THC vapes, safer choices, and support.
A big thank you to Gerson, Sal and Emma for the engaging sessions today.
All sessions adhere to the new 2025 PSHE curriculum.
Any questions please speak to Mrs Foster or contact No Limits.
nolimitshelp.org.uk
We are proud to work in partnership with a range of amazing charities and organisations across Southampton, helping our students to become familiar with the support available and confident in accessing these services whenever they need them. Today, we were delighted to welcome Rita Slevin, Oral Health Educator, who worked with our KS3 pupils to deliver an engaging and practical session on oral health. KS4 students will have the opportunity to work with Rita in January 2026.
Rita first heard about our outstanding school when she saw Miss Long deliver a speech while collecting our Gold HH5 award. She was so impressed by the dedication and care we demonstrate in supporting our students’ health and wellbeing that she wanted to contribute directly by running workshops to complement our PSHE and HH5 curriculum.
We cannot thank Rita enough for the practical lessons, thoughtful discussions, and hands-on activities she delivered. KS3 pupils not only made excellent progress towards the new 2025 PSHE framework, but they also gained knowledge and skills that will contribute to lifelong oral health. These sessions highlight the importance of making informed choices, understanding personal wellbeing, and building habits that will benefit our students long into the future.
Her support is a fantastic example of how partnerships with local experts enrich our curriculum and help students apply their learning in meaningful, real-world contexts.
Thank you Rita!
As part of our Cross-Curricular PE, PSHE, and Personal Development programme, all students at The Polygon School have the opportunity to participate in swimming lessons.
At The Polygon School, we believe every young person should have the chance to learn to swim and develop vital water safety awareness skills.
We’re proud to have a strong partnership with a small, family-run pool in Shirley, where we hold weekly, hour-long sessions every Thursday. Each class enjoys at least one half-term block of swimming, focusing on building water confidence, improving swimming technique, and working towards ASA Swimming Awards.
As a school, we’re passionate about ensuring every pupil can access this essential life skill — therefore, swimming is fully funded by the school as part of our curriculum.
During Autumn 1, 4PR and 3GR completed a seven-week swimming course.
Students made fantastic progress, particularly in Backstroke, focusing on improving arm entry flexibility and learning to use their hands as paddles to generate propulsion through the water. It was brilliant to see KS4 students linking their practical learning to Science (forces) and GCSE PE theory.
Confidence in the deep end also grew enormously, our two non-swimmers made exceptional progress, bravely entering the water with aids and gradually becoming more independent each week.
Students also demonstrated outstanding oracy skills, coaching and instructing one another — fantastic evidence towards our Voice 21 Autumn Challenge!
A huge well done to Callum for swimming an incredible 1000 meters — a truly remarkable achievement!
Swimming plays a vital role in our PSHE curriculum and supports the outcomes of the 2026 PSHE Framework, including:
Understanding the benefits of physical activity for mental wellbeing and happiness.
Learning how to overcome anxiety and barriers to participation through coping strategies and confidence-building.
Recognising the importance of personal hygiene.
Understanding that physical activity promotes wellbeing and helps manage stress.
Exploring the characteristics of a healthy lifestyle, including maintaining a healthy weight and understanding the risks of inactivity.
Learning to identify and manage risk and stay safe around water, including following the Water Safety Code.
Recognising and managing peer influence in relation to personal safety.
Developing lifesaving skills, including how to administer CPR.
We can’t wait to welcome 4NT and 3NA to the pool this half term!
Please remember to bring shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops/sliders, even if you’re not swimming, so you can still take part in the water safety elements of the sessions.
On Thursday 16th of May, it was the International Day of Light. This is a day when we look back and see how light based technologies have influenced and changed many different subjects in and outside of education, such as art, science, cultures and also medicines.
To celebrate this day 3DRB went with an artistic approach and we looked into making cyanotypes. Cyanotypes are a type of photography which involves exposing a special kind of paper or material to natural light and it can create an image with an appropriate amount of time. In the group, the all went around and found some leave, sticks, flowers or some other naturally found items that were on the ground. They arranged those items onto the material sheets and let the sun expose it for around 5 minutes then everyone took a look at what they made. They could see the difference for those who managed to keep theirs completely still and those whos items moved in the wind and how the light effected it.
