Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE)

Rationale- What has informed our curriculum design in PSHCE?

PSHCE enables pupils to develop skills and attributes such as resilience, self-esteem, risk management, team working and critical thinking in the context of health and wellbeing, relationships and living in the wider world (including economic wellbeing and aspects of careers education). PSHCE education is a curriculum area through which pupils develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy and safe, and prepare for life and work in modern Britain. A well implemented PSHCE curriculum has an impact on both academic and non-academic outcomes for pupils. It is a curriculum area through which our children develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to manage their lives, now and in the future. These skills and attributes help children to stay healthy, safe and prepare them for life and work in modern Britain. PSHCE education helps children to achieve their academic potential, and leave school equipped with skills they will need throughout later life enabling them to, in line with our school moto, believe, achieve, succeed.

Intent -What are our aims?

At Pomphlett Primary School, we aim to support all children in gaining a measure of knowledge, skills and understanding on which to build confident, healthy and independent lives. Through a range of activities, circle times and their own experiences, the children are encouraged to explore their own worth within the school and the wider community.

In doing so, the aim for each individual is to become increasingly responsible for their actions and learning. Through active participation and personal reflection, the children will learn to respect each other and understand our diversities and differences.

We hope to see the following skills emerge in all the children at Pomphlett:

A growing sense of their being, their personality and their potential
Pondering questions at the heart of life and moral issues, and recognising values
Understanding and respecting people’s beliefs
Distinguishing between right and wrong and acquiring the will to do what is right
Enjoying relating to other people and demonstrating concern for their well being
Appreciating their own culture and that of others, and also the arts

Implementation- How do we do this?

The PSHCE curriculum has three strands: Health & Wellbeing, Relationships, and Living in the Wider World. To ensure effective provision, we include comprehensive coverage of economic wellbeing, careers and enterprise education, as well as education for personal safety, including assessing and managing both negative and positive risk. PSHCE lessons are taught in discrete sessions as well as through a cross-curricular approach in our units of work. Our curriculum is progressive. We build upon the learning and skill development of the previous years, beginning each unit and lesson with teacher assessments of what children already know in order to inform the learning that follows. Teachers use precise questioning and observation in class to evaluate conceptual knowledge and skills.

To support our PSHCE learning, we offer opportunities for children to meet and work with a range of adults, including guest speakers, inter skills workshops, extra-curricular clubs and pastoral provision. This prepares pupils for life in modern Britain, developing their understanding of the fundamental British Values.

Here are further examples in which we facilitate the development of Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education:

Whole school collaborative activities
Participation in community sports festivals
Learning about people’s beliefs and views in assemblies and lessons
Relating our ‘Secrets to Success’ and Character Strengths into everyday school life
Engagement with the work of charities
Health education
Roles of responsibility entrusted to children in class and through our school council and eco council

Relationships and Sex Education

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is pivotal in developing and maintaining emotional and physical health. At Pomphlett, RSE is provided through our PSHCE curriculum. This is planned carefully to ensure pupils receive their sex education in the wider context of relationships, and are prepared for the opportunities, responsibilities and experience of adult life. We believe that the teaching of sex education should be complementary and supportive to the role of parents, and should have regard to parents’ views on its content and presentation. Accordingly, we have consulted with parents regarding the content of this area of the PSHCE curriculum. Our RSE learning meets DFE guidance and is set within the context of NSPCC learning and the PSHE association to ensure effective provision of healthy relationships.

For Year 5 and 6 pupils, sex education is taught within the overall context of relationships education by class teachers with the support of health professionals. As a school, we have a legal duty to ensure that children are taught using age- appropriate materials, having regard to the age, religion and cultural background of our pupils. Parents will be informed, in writing, prior to the teaching of sex education and will be given the opportunity to see teaching materials that will be used, receiving explanations in the way in which it is going to be used in the classroom. Teachers are appropriately supported, to be able to teach RSE with confidence.

Parents have the right to withdraw their child from all, or part of, any RSE lessons we provide, but not from the statutory requirements of the science curriculum. If a parent wishes to withdraw their child, they should put their request in writing to the head teacher.

Impact- How do we know this?

Developing our children as confident, independent and resilient individuals is at the heart of all that we do at Pomphlett. Our school’s visions, aims and values detail this and our, believe - achieve - succeed slogan inspires our children to focus on everything they do in school to be the very best that they can be. Pomphlett children are caring, respectful, aspirational and confident individuals who are able to:

Interact positively with each other and with adults in our school community
Express their opinions in a respectful manner, showing an understanding that everyone has the right to express their thoughts as long as this does not harm others
Keep themselves self and makes sensible decisions to do so, including staying safe online
Celebrate their own identity and develop personal interests that allow them to express their own individuality
Understand how they are able to make a positive contribution to our school community
Recognise their own successes and celebrate those that others achieve

They will leave our school feeling that their interests and talents have been nurtured by a community that they feel a part of. Our school heart exemplifies this: