Skills for Life: Personal Safety
Personal safety is a 20 hour Skills for Life unit about staying safe at home, in the community, outdoors and online. Learners spot hazards, explain how risks change between places, practise safety rules, support others and plan safety actions. It is one unit learners combine with others into a Skills for Life Award, Certificate or Diploma. The literacy sits in the criteria themselves: describing and explaining what personal safety means, how risks differ and why actions keep people safe, rising to analysing and evaluating at Level 2, plus talking to support others and ask for help. Numeracy demand is low, limited to optional hazard charts and tables.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2
- Guided learning hours
- 20
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of literacy work
- Medium
- Amount of numeracy work
- Low
How this unit is assessed
- Entry Level (Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3): Four learning outcomes (know about personal safety, understand personal safety in different environments, apply safety rules or actions and support others, plan ways of staying safe), with separate assessment criteria at Entry 1, Entry 2 and Entry 3. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours.
- Level 1 and Level 2: Four learning outcomes (know key principles of personal safety, understand how risks vary across environments, apply personal safety strategies and support others, plan and justify personal safety actions), with separate assessment criteria at Level 1 and Level 2. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours.
Skills that use Collaborative talk
-
Talking to support others and ask for help
Learners show, state or demonstrate ways of supporting others to stay safe at every level, and the amplification lists spoken actions such as alerting people to a hazard, reminding them of safety rules, offering reassurance in emergencies and communicating concerns to a trusted adult. Supporting others is required by learning outcome 3, and talk is the usual way learners show it in role play.
Literacy: Clarity and vocabulary, Collaborative talk
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils practise a short, clear warning to a friend about a spill on the floor and a calm way to tell a teacher.
- Year 8
- Pupils role play a 999 call about a small kitchen fire, giving the address and what happened in clear, short sentences.
- Year 9
- Pupils role play calming and guiding a younger pupil during a fire drill evacuation, then get feedback on how clear and reassuring they sounded.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Entry Level and Level 1 and Level 2, learning outcome 3, assessment criterion 3.2, pages 5 and 7; amplification of learning outcomes 2 and 3, pages 11 and 12
“offering reassurance and guidance during emergencies”
Progression step 3
I can speak clearly, recognising the appropriate language for different audiences and purposes, and varying my expression, vocabulary, tone and gestures to engage the audience.
I can explore challenging or contentious issues through a variety of authentic contexts, including sustaining a role.
Progression step 4
I can speak clearly, selecting and adapting my language appropriately for a range of audiences and purposes, conveying meaning effectively to the audience.
I have experienced speaking with different people in a variety of authentic contexts.
-
Discussing scenarios and case studies
Suggested activities include voting on safe or unsafe scenarios at Entry Level, and at Levels 1 and 2 analysing case studies of accidents or near misses, group debates justifying safer options and presenting safety plans to the class. These are suggested ways of meeting the criteria rather than requirements.
Literacy: Collaborative talk, Listening as part of collaborative talk, Understanding, response and analysis
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils hold up safe or unsafe cards for short spoken scenarios and explain one choice to the class.
- Year 8
- Pupils read a short news story about a near miss on a railway line and discuss in groups what could have been done differently.
- Year 9
- Pupils debate in groups which of three plans is safest for a trip to the beach, listen to other views and agree a final plan.
Show the specification wording and the LNF statements
Where it is in the specification: Delivery guidance, suggested activities, pages 12 and 13
“group discussions/debates: identifying safer options in given scenarios and justifying choices”
Progression step 3
I can contribute to group discussion in different roles, taking responsibility for completing the task well.
I can listen to and respond to others with questions and comments which focus on reasons, implications and next steps.
I can show understanding of and use the main ideas and significant details in different texts on the same topic.
Progression step 4
I can recognise a range of options for action and reach agreement to achieve the aims of the group.
I can listen to and respond to others with questions, comments and suggestions in order to develop collaborative talk and reach compromise/consensus.
Good to know
- Unit codes are "S621E1" to "S621L2", one code per level from Entry 1 to Level 2, and the unit is 20 guided learning hours (Unit overview, page 3).
- Evidence can be spoken: "While evidence may be verbal, written, practical, or visual, extended written work is not required unless appropriate" (Sources of evidence, page 13).
- Spelling is not marked: assessor judgements should focus on the standard, "not spelling or presentation unless specifically assessed" (Sources of evidence, page 13).
- Plural criteria mean at least two: "a plural reference within assessment criterion refers to a minimum of two" (pages 6 and 8).
- No special equipment is needed: "Assessment of this unit should not require any specific resources" (Resources required for assessment, page 16).
- Suggested assessment tasks "are not mandatory"; teachers may use, adapt or replace them (Skills for Life and Work specification, section 4.1, page 18).
- AI tools may be used only when "properly referenced", and misuse includes "Copying or paraphrasing whole responses of AI-generated content" (Skills for Life and Work specification, section 4.6, page 21).
Links with other qualifications
The pack names Community participation, Looking after others, Basic first aid, Home management and maintenance, Skills in the natural environment and Fairness and inclusion in the workplace as units to deliver alongside Personal safety, and Online safety covers digital risks in more depth. GCSE Health and Social Care and Childcare is named as a link and shares explaining hazards, safeguarding and sources of support. GCSE English Language and Literature and GCSE Cymraeg Language and Literature share the explaining, evaluating and discussion skills, and VCSE Public Services shares the role of the police, fire and rescue and emergency services that the pack suggests inviting in.
Source: WJEC Personal safety unit delivery and assessment pack, read with the WJEC Entry 1 to Level 2 Skills for Life and Skills for Work specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).