Personal Social Health and Citizenship Education
Our Intent
We aim to provide high quality PSHCE provision that will support pupils to develop life skills which will enable them to manage change, make healthy and safe choices, build character and be resilient, reflective and responsible members of society. Our PSHCE provision has been designed to be age-appropriate, whilst being sensitive to the needs of our whole school community to ensure PSHCE provision gives our pupils an education which will support them both now and in the future. Our PSHCE provision is underpinned by the 2010 Equalities Act and provides an inclusive curriculum that promotes understanding and mutual respect for all. We reflect diversity within our curriculum to ensure that no pupil feels excluded and teach pupils to understand, respect and celebrate difference and challenge stigma.
Our PSHCE provision extends beyond the curriculum linking with daily collective worship and underpinning our school values of friendship, perseverance, responsibility and respect. PSHCE is part of our school’s broad and balanced curriculum supporting spiritual, moral cultural, social and cultural education, equalities, and safeguarding; facilitating our school to be a place where “Everyone Grows” (John 10:10). The personal, social, health and economic development of our pupils is a vital element of education and we aim to work collaboratively with parents/ carers to ensure our children are well informed and supported to make healthy, safe and positive choices in all aspects of their daily lives, both now and in the future.
Our Implementation
At Saint Hilda’s School statutory Relationships Education and Health Education are taught as part of a structured PSHCE curriculum. We also teach Economic Education and relevant themes to support our pupils to manage their lives both now and in the future. For the planning and delivery of PSHCE we use ‘ PSHCE Association’ scheme of work; to supplement this we use resources from a variety of sources such as the NSPCC. The programme of study is adapted to provide a relevant and age-appropriate curriculum. We provide a spiral curriculum to ensure pupils are taught key aspects of PHSE at a relevant and age-appropriate level and in line with their continuing personal, social and emotional development.
Relationships Education
Our PSHCE curriculum covers statutory Relationships education. Relationships Education in primary schools focuses on teaching the fundamental building blocks and characteristics of positive relationships, with particular reference to friendships, family relationships, and relationships with other children and adults. By the end of primary school pupils will have been taught content on: families and people who care for us, caring friendships, respectful relationships, online relationships, being safe and sex education.
Sex education is an important and recommended aspect of the curriculum. As a non-statutory element of PSHCE parents / carers have the right to withdraw their child from designated sex education lessons. We encourage parents and carers to talk through any concerns they may have and make an informed choice about whether to exercise the right to withdraw their child.
Read more about RSE at St Hilda's
Health Education
We deliver statutory Health education through our PSHCE curriculum. Health Education aims to teach pupils about physical and mental wellbeing and give pupils the information that they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing. It should enable them to recognise what is normal and what is an issue with regards to themselves and others; pupils will be taught how to seek support as early as possible from a safe and trusted source. By the end of primary school, pupils will have been taught content about: mental wellbeing, internet safety and harms, physical health and fitness, healthy eating, facts and risks associated with drugs, alcohol and tobacco and living in the wider world.
In Economic Education pupils will learn about: saving money, keeping money safe and the term ‘interest’,
In Living in the Wider World where pupils will learn about: caring for the environment;, appreciating own environment and the work of voluntary, community and pressure (action) groups.
Organisation of the Curriculum
At Saint Hilda’s School PSHCE is a taught subject. PSHE is timetabled once a week and delivered by class teachers. In KS1/EYFS children will receive a taught session between 30-45 minutes and in KS2 60 minutes. The PSHE curriculum has been designed to help pupils develop their knowledge and skills over time, embedding learning to ensure pupils receive a relevant and age- appropriate education to support them in their lives now and in the future. Our scheme of work and materials have been taken from the PSHCE Association.
Managing difficult Questions and Confidentiality
In PSHCE pupils learn about personal safety and the law. Should a pupil make a disclosure to a member of staff this will be reported to a designated safeguarding lead and followed up in accordance with our disclosure procedures. Please see our safeguarding policy for further information. All aspects of PSHE are underpinned by shared and understood ground rules with lessons being delivered in a safe and well managed environment. To ensure content and delivery are appropriate and relevant to our pupils we use simple baselines to ascertain what pupils already know, and what they would like to learn. Distancing techniques are used in PSHCE education, which provide depersonalised examples supporting children to explore what is being taught without sharing their own personal experiences in the lesson. Pupils are encouraged to ask questions and raise issues in a respectful and appropriate manner. Some questions or issues raised may not be appropriately answered in whole class lessons and these will be followed up separately on an individual or group basis. We also respect that some questions are better addressed at home with parents/ carers and the school will share information with parents/carers on an individual basis should the need arise. Whilst it is vital to have trust and openness, we cannot offer total confidentially to pupils. Any disclosures or areas of concern will be followed up in accordance with our safeguarding procedures.
Implementation – School Values
Beyond our documented curriculum, it is hoped that the school’s Christian Values will provide a culture that contributes equally towards the pastoral development of our children. Therefore, our teaching approach places great emphasis upon collaboration and cooperation: group work should be a key element of pupils’ learning experiences which enables our pupils to achieve success together. Beyond this, pupils are encouraged to show leadership in their community through our pupil leadership groups; Worship Leaders, Reading Leaders, Eco Warriors, School Council, Digital Leaders and Sports’ Leaders. This further develops the Christian Value of Responsibility. Our Christian Values develop respect, friendship and perseverance within themselves, others, the world and beyond.
Our Impact
- PSHCE and RSE provision provides pupils with well-chosen opportunities and contexts to explore and embed new knowledge that can be used confidently in real life situations;
- Pupils are able to form healthy, happy relationships with other children and adults and recognise the features of unhealthy relationships and have strategies to challenge negative behaviour of others and seek help when needed;
- Pupils know how and when to ask for help and where to access support;
- Pupils are well informed and recognise the risks they may encounter both on and offline and are able to make safe choices;
- Pupils are enabled to take responsibility for their actions and understand the implications and consequences of their own decisions;
- Pupils are well prepared for the next steps of their lives;
- Pupils have the knowledge, skills and attributes to live healthy, happy lives;
- Pupils understand and respect differences between themselves and others
All pupils are entitled to a broad PSHCE curriculum. Any adaptations made to support pupils’ learning in PSHCE usually should not be to the overall curriculum content but rather to how the content is taught. In the case of pupils with the most complex learning needs, there may be occasions when it is appropriate to modify the curriculum. However, this will be the exception.
Ensuring that all pupils otherwise encounter the same content is particularly important given the role that hinterland information has in facilitating learning in PSHCE. Evidence suggests that significantly reducing content or complexity for some pupils might in fact limit their access to content or limit their ability to learn. It is likely that pupils will benefit most from support that combines extra attention to securing the most generative knowledge while ensuring that all pupils are able to learn about.
- Teaching draws attention to important content and frequently revisits these and builds in regular retrieval opportunities. This supports the secure retention that will unlock rapid later recognition of these terms.
- Exposition is clear and builds on pupils’ prior knowledge.
- Curriculum design and teaching are adapted appropriately to the needs of pupils.
- Adaptations for pupils with SEND are carefully considered and take into account the importance of background information in learning.
- Adaptations CLICK HERE
Spiritual
In PSHCE, we help pupils to consider and respond to questions of meaning and purpose in life., to consider and respond to questions about the nature of values in society.
Moral
In PSHCE, we help pupils to consider aspects of morality by using discussion and critical thinking. We enable pupils to make responsible and informed judgments about moral issues.
Social
PSHCE helps our pupils to develop their sense of identity and belonging by preparing them for life as responsible citizens in an increasingly diverse world.
Cultural
PSHCE helps to foster our pupils’ awareness and understanding of the range of beliefs and practices in the community and the wider world, and by exploring issues within ands between faiths. This will develop mutual respect and tolerance of the world that they live in.
PSHCE and Fundamental British Values link naturally.
Through our PSHCE curriculum we enable students to develop their self knowledge, self esteem and self confidence enable students to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England.
Through PSHCE and our Christian Values, we encourage students to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative, and to understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and working in the locality of the school and to society more widely enable students to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England.
PSHCE is used to develop further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by enabling students to acquire an appreciation for and respect for their own and other cultures encourage respect for other people, and encourage respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic processes, including respect for the basis on which the law is made and applied in England.
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