PSHE
INTENT:
It is our intent to provide all children with a broad and balanced curriculum that aims to assist children and young people to prepare for adult life by supporting them through their physical, emotional and moral development, and helping them to understand themselves, respect others and form and sustain healthy relationships. This will be implemented by creating a programme of study that is bespoke to our school and all our children. The two main core themes of our PSHE programme of study focuses on Relationships Education and Health Education. A third core theme – Living in the Wider World.
Integral aspects of our curriculum:
- Relationships Education
- Families and people who care for me
- Caring friendships
- Respectful relationships
- Online relationships
- Being safe
We consistently cover these topic throughout our daily teaching, other curriculum areas and general school ethos.
Health Education:
- Mental wellbeing
- Internet safety and harms
- Physical health and fitness
- Healthy eating
- Drugs, alcohol and tobacco
- Health and prevention
- Basic first aid
- Changing adolescent body
Department for Education statutory guidance states that from September 2020, all primary schools must deliver relationships and health education whereby parents cannot withdraw their child from this (until this time parents have the consent to withdraw their child from sex education). At St Stephen’s, this will be delivered as part of our RSHE ‘Journey in Love’ curriculum, which is approved by the Liverpool Archdiocese.
We encourage our children to take part in a range of practical roles and activities that promote active citizenship: Play Leaders, School Councillor, whole school fundraising and engagement in school and local events. Children have opportunities to meet and work with members of the community, such as: health workers, firefighters, police officers, librarians, sports coaches, secondary school teachers/pupils, artists and authors.
IMPLEMENTATION:
The school seeks to provide a safe, secure learning environment for PSHE that enables children and young people to gain accurate knowledge, develop their own values and attitudes, and develop skills to grow into happy confident successful adults. At the beginning of each year, every class sets ground rules that children must follow during PSHE lessons. This creates a safe and supportive learning environment and allows children to feel comfortable and to speak openly and honest environment.
At St Stephen’s Primary Catholic School, we promote the needs and interests of all pupils, irrespective of gender, culture or background and all teachers take into account the children’s age, ability and readiness. PSHE will be provided through discreet curriculum time, collective worship, assemblies, class discussions/circle time, as and when issues arise, ensuring time is made within the curriculum to meet the needs of the children and through extra curricular activities. These include mental health awareness week, safer internet day and walk to school week.
Organisation and Curriculum Coverage:
Early Years and Foundation Stage:
In Early Years, PSED (Personal, Social and Emotional Development) is a prime area of learning therefore an integral aspect of daily planning, teaching and learning.
- Self-Regulation
- Managing Self
- Building relationships
Planning takes account of the stages of development of the children and the needs of the cohort and specific groups of children. Children take part in weekly time-tabled circle time and discuss topics and themes that are at their level, often following listening to a story book which sensitively addresses issues at the children’s level. Teachers look at the three core themes and take aspects of these to inform their planning. PSED is a fundamental building block in a child’s development and underpins the whole curriculum. Through child-led and continuous provision activities and modelling by adults, the children are exposed to positive PSED.
Key Stage One and Two:
Within Key Stage One and Two PSHE lessons are often more structured and follow the PSHE Association Programme of Study and the school progression document. Each term, this follows the three core themes which have been adapted specifically for the children at St Stephen’s Catholic Primary School. Children have the opportunity to form and share opinions, value differences, recognise feelings and emotions as well as identify what makes relationships healthy.
