Myths about teaching can hold you back
- Year 9
Changes in puberty and when to seek help
I can describe the different changes experienced during puberty and explain when it is best to seek help and support.
- Year 9
Changes in puberty and when to seek help
I can describe the different changes experienced during puberty and explain when it is best to seek help and support.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Puberty can start at any time from age eight and ends around age 17.
- There is a wide range of 'normal' changes that happen to bodies and emotions during puberty.
- If struggling with puberty changes, it is important to seek support from trusted adults or medical professionals.
Keywords
Puberty - the process of changing from a child's body to an adult's; it usually starts between the ages of 8-14
Acne - when your skin gets spots or pimples because of blocked pores, often during puberty
Body odour - a smell that is caused by bacteria on the skin breaking down proteins in sweat; it can become more noticeable in puberty as sweat glands become more active
Common misconception
Our changing bodies must match up to the bodies we see in the media to be considered ‘normal’.
There is a wide range of ‘normal’ changes that take place during puberty. If a person is worried about anything relating to their body at this time, they can talk to a doctor or trusted adult.
To help you plan your year 9 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: Changes in puberty and when to seek help, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 9 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: Changes in puberty and when to seek help, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 RSHE (PSHE) lessons from the Our changing bodies: When might I need to seek support? unit, dive into the full secondary RSHE (PSHE) curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sexual content
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Puberty is a series of...
Q2.Puberty can start at any time from age eight and ends around age...
Q3.True or False? Males and females will start puberty at exactly the same time.
Q4.If we share our experiences of puberty, it means we can __________ each other.
Q5.If you are worried about your health you can speak to ...
Q6.What happens to most young people's height during puberty?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the words to the correct definition.
the process of changing from a child's body to an adult's
a smell that is caused by bacteria on the skin breaking down proteins
when your skin gets spots or pimples because of blocked pores