PSHE and RSE

Intent

PSHE and RSE underpins the curriculum at Becket Primary School. All stakeholders realise the importance and value of individual pupils and respond to their needs so that they are ready to learn.

We provide opportunities to develop children’s understanding of relationships, physical health and mental wellbeing. Each year group develops a progression of skills, values and attitudes appropriate to their age and maturity. Individual pupil’s needs are recognised, acknowledged and supported as they arise. Visitors to school and enrichment opportunities enable children to embed all aspects of the PSHE and RSE curriculum.

A consistent approach to PSHE and RSE throughout the school provides the children a foundation that gives them confidence to tackle many of the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. By the time pupils leave our school we aim for them to be healthy, independent and responsible members of our society.

Implementation

PSHE and RSE have the highest priority within school, and is the driver which underpins our curriculum.

At Becket Primary School there is an important Continuous Provision or on-going elements of PSHE throughout the school. This includes the class rules, the school code of conduct, animal emotion cards, healthy eating as well as the Forest School and PE lessons. This helps to ensure the key skills, values and attitudes are visited throughout the year and embedded securely.

The school follows a planned curriculum incorporating Relationships Education and Physical Health and Well-Being in the discrete PSHE lessons. We use the Kapow PSHE and RSE scheme of learning. Elements of other curriculum areas including Science, DT and ICT are also included in the PSHE curriculum. Priority is always given to topics as they arise throughout the school year that need to be addressed immediately.

The Kapow Primary scheme is a whole school approach that consists of five areas of learning:

• Families and relationships

• Health and wellbeing

• Safety and the changing body

• Citizenship

• Economic wellbeing

Each area is revisited every year to allow children to build on prior learning. The lessons also provide a progressive programme.

The lessons are based upon the statutory requirements for Relationships and Health education, but where the lessons go beyond these requirements (primarily in the Citizenship and Economic wellbeing areas) they refer to the PSHE Association’s Programme of Study which is recommended by the DfE.

Sex education has been included in line with the DfE recommendations and is covered in Year 6 of the scheme.

The scheme supports the requirements of the Equality Act through direct teaching, for example learning about different families, the negative effect of stereotypes and celebrating differences, in addition to the inclusion of diverse teaching resources throughout the lessons.

A range of teaching and learning activities are used and are based on good practice in teaching RSE/PSHE education to ensure that all children can access learning and make progress. In each year group, an introductory lesson provides the opportunity for children and teachers to negotiate ground rules for the lessons. These introductory lessons can then be referred to throughout the year to help create a safe environment. All lessons include ideas for differentiation to stretch the most able learners and give additional support to those who need it. Many lessons, stories, scenarios, and video clips provide the opportunity for children to engage in real life and current topics in a safe and structured way. Role-play activities are also included to help children play out scenarios that they may find themselves in.

There are meaningful opportunities for cross-curricular learning, in particular with Computing for online safety and Science for growing, nutrition, teeth, diet and lifestyle. The scheme provides consistent messages throughout the age ranges including how and where to access help.

The role of parents and carers is recognised, and guidance is provided to assist schools on how to work with them and include them in their children’s learning.

Within the Foundation Stage PSHE is encompassed within the prime areas of Personal, Social and Emotional Development (Making relationships, Self-confidence and self-awareness and Managing feelings and behaviour) and Physical Development (Health and self-care). As prime areas of the curriculum they are the priority for the younger children and are recognised as the foundations for all future learning.

Within Nursery PSHE is implemented through an individual approach with children, along with group activities as required. PSHE is timetabled weekly within the Reception class and again working with individual children is a focus. In Key Stage One and Two, PSHE discrete lessons are time-tabled weekly and most importantly activities and lessons are taught as they are needed in response to the children’s needs.

Ongoing formative assessment during PSHE lessons informs the next steps. Children with additional needs are fully included in all lessons. Class teachers provide the necessary additional support to enable all children to access the PSHE lessons. Learning journals in Foundation Stage have observations and records of the children’s learning. In Key Stage One and Two, PSHE is taught in different ways including drama, discussion, group activities and any written work is recorded in the PSHE diaries.

Assemblies are delivered to the children to support the PSHE curriculum by school staff and external agencies, including the NSPCC. We have developed partnerships with a range of agencies and visitors to classes include the Fire Brigade, Cycle Derby, the Red Cross, school nurses and a local farmer to promote healthy eating.

Impact

Our teaching of PSHE and RSE will lead to children meeting the standards of attainments across the school and those that are expected of our children nationally. Children will each make progress relative to their own individual starting point.

We strive to ensure that by the end of their time with us at Becket Primary School, each child will:

Recognise and apply the British Values
Be able to recognise, understand and manage their own emotions
Understand who they can rely on and ask for support.
Look after their own mental health and ask for support where necessary.
Be on their way to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Recognise differences and have an understanding of diversity.
Apply learnt skills in real life situations
Demonstrate self-confidence and self-esteem.
Have developed and maintained healthy relationships with peers and adults.
Understand the physical aspects involved in the teaching of RSE at the level appropriate to them as an individual.
Show respect to themselves and others.

Once taught the full Kapow scheme, children will have met the objectives set out within the Relationships and Health Education statutory guidance and will be able to utilise their learning within their daily lives, from dealing with friendship issues to resilience to making healthy choices and knowing where and how to get help when needed.