We recognise that CPD is not just about sitting in a classroom or in front of a computer. We have collated a list of documentaries that support the PSHE curriculum to help develop knowledge around specific themes. This list is not about documentaries that are suitable for young people – young people state they don’t want videos any longer than 15 minutes in their sessions but to give professionals greater knowledge into various PSHE topics.
Balanced Lifestyles
Emma and Matt Willis challenge a group of Year 8 pupils at the Stanway School in Colchester to give up their smartphones completely for 21 days.
Body Image
The new generation of weight loss drugs is now available on the NHS and Panorama has exclusive access to one of the UK’s top hospitals as it rolls out Wegovy, also known as Ozempic.
Bullying
Little Mix star Jesy Nelson goes on a journey of rehabilitation as she opens up about the abuse she has suffered at the hands of cyberbullies and its effects on her mental health.
Consent
Drama set at an elite school where the lines of sexual consent are dangerously blurred. When a serious accusation is made against ‘one of their own’, how will the school react?
Zara McDermott uncovers a ‘rape culture’ raging in Britain’s schools. She speaks for the first time about her own sexual assault by a schoolboy, and asks what needs to change.
Diet and Nutrition
Chris van Tulleken shares a personal view at why ultra-processed foods are so irresistible and how they have come to dominate food culture
Domestic Abuse
The remarkable story of Alex Skeel, a 23-year-old man from Bedford who survived an abusive relationship with his girlfriend Jordan Worth.
Journalist and presenter Ellie Flynn brings together a group of 20 young people aged 18-25 for a social experiment, to see if they understand what constitutes coercive control.
Drama that tells the true story of what happens to a teenage girl when she falls in love with the wrong man, a charmer who ends up dominating every aspect of the young woman’s life.
Eating Disorders
Record numbers of young people are being treated for eating disorders. Zara McDermott explores the reasons behind this explosion and asks if social media is part of the problem.
Exploitation
The true story of the young victims in the 2012 grooming and sex trafficking case in Rochdale.
A look at the hidden world of girls in gangs and the extent to which teenage girls are being criminally and sexually exploited.
Friendship
The shocking story of Gemma, a young woman with a learning disability who was abandoned by the system and brutally murdered by people she thought of as friends.
"Honour" Based Abuse
Powerful contemporary drama. A young woman falls in love with the wrong man, with tragic consequences for everyone.
Laws
Documentary exploring the human cost of Britain’s current law on assisted dying. Hear the moving stories of five people who all want the right to die when they wish.
Managing Challenges (Resilience)
Following the remarkable story of 18-year-old Billy Monger as he attempts to become the first-ever amputee to race competitively in a single-seater racing car.
Mo Farah reveals the truth about his childhood, the journey he made to the UK as a young boy, and the subsequent years that led to him winning two gold medals at the 2012 Olympics.
Mental Health
Roman Kemp explores the mental health and suicide crisis affecting young men. When Roman lost his best friend, he had no idea he was struggling. Now, Roman is searching for answers.
Money
Docudrama about 19-year-old Jerome Rogers, who found himself under a crushing debt and who eventually took his own life as a consequence.
Online Safety
Having posted his life on social media, James Blake found that his identity was stolen and used in scams. In a fight to get his identity back, he uncovers a world of organised crime.
Docudrama telling the true story of Breck Bednar, a 14-year-old schoolboy who was lured to his death after being groomed online by Lewis Daynes while gaming.
Please read here advice from the PSHE Association about why using this resource with young people is not in line with best practice principles in PSHE education.
A documentary that shares how a catfish killer was caught in northern Ireland.
This documentary-drama hybrid explores the dangerous human impact of social networking, with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations.
Pornography
In an exclusive investigation, Channel 4 News reveals more than 250 famous Britons have been targeted by sexually explicit deepfake images
Vicky boldly immerses herself in the world of deepfake pornography – making her own sex tape. She also speaks to the victims and perpetrators of one of the darkest uses of AI.
When Zara McDermott left Love Island in 2018, she was told that naked photos of her were circulating worldwide. Now she’s looking for answers.
Pregnancy
Broadcaster and musician Myleene Klass discusses the trauma of her miscarriages, with the aim of breaking the taboo which often surrounds this type of pregnancy loss. Myleene opens up to her husband for the first time and meets women from across the country who share their experiences of baby loss, including close friends
Self-Examination and Screening
An intimate, personal and humour-filled look into the ins and outs of male fertility with Love Island star Chris Hughes and his brother Ben.
Sexual Harassment
Actress Emily Atack explores why she is sexually harassed online on a daily basis and seeks to understand why the blame for unwanted sexual attention is so often put on the victim.
Social experiment hosted by journalist and presenter Ben Zand in which a group of people come together to try to understand what constitutes sexual harassment.
Ellie Flynn goes undercover, exposing the harsh reality of sexual harassment against women and girls in Britain today, from ‘dick pics’ to being flashed, groped, spiked and raped.
Similarities and Differences
Comedian and TV presenter Alex Brooker examines his disability to acknowledge for the first time how much it impacts on who he is.
Little Mix’s Leigh-Anne Pinnock explores racism across the music industry and confronts her own experiences as the only black member of the band.
Explores whether society is adapting fast enough to allow equality amongst the deaf and hearing worlds, Rose challenges the perception of deafness as something that needs to be cured and highlights the beauty of sign language and the deaf experience.
Smoking & Vaping
Jordan North asks, should I quit vaping? Is it bad for me or not? To find out, he uncovers the truth about vaping and realises there’s a lot he didn’t know.
Substances
This raw documentary sees Busted’s Matt Willis open up about his struggles with addiction and the pressure it puts on his family, as well as looking into what helps him and others stay clean.
Youth Violence/Knife Crime
Idris Elba confronts the reality of knife crime, speaking to those most affected – from the streets to the system – in a quest to uncover how we can break the cycle.
If you have any recommendations please email Natalie (Staffordshire) or Ellie (Stoke-on-Trent)
