Personal Social Health and Economic Education
All children – regardless of gender, starting point or background – will have the opportunity to engage with a high-quality PSHE education and Relationship and Sex education. They will be equipped with the knowledge, skills and vocabulary to understand that they need to lead confident, healthy, independent lives and to become respectful, active and responsible global citizens, so that they leave our school confident and assured of their place in this diverse and changing world. We intend to inspire a sense of enjoyment and curiosityabout PSHEE and SRE. We access the PSHEE Association for lesson plans to assist our teaching and learning where applicable.
Intent
Our vision statement reflects our desire to provide the best possible education, opportunities and environment for all who are part of our school. We believe that our school should be an inclusive community where ALL aim high, achieve well and develop self-confidence, positive values and beliefs, a sense of community, well-being and caring attitudes towards others. PSHE and Citizenship is central to this ethos and equips children with the knowledge, skills and strategies to live healthy, safe and responsible lives.
At Westminster Community Primary School, we understand that pupils must be provided with an education that prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life. A key part of this relates to relationships and health education, which must be delivered to every primary-aged pupil. Relationships education focuses on giving pupils the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships, and to build their self-efficacy. Health education focuses on equipping pupils with the knowledge they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing. We understand our responsibility to deliver a high-quality and age-appropriate relationships, sex and health curriculum for all our pupils. Our Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) will mainly be delivered through our PSHE, Science and PE curriculums; however where other high quality curriculum links can be made, we will use these to broaden and deepen our children's understanding.
Implementation
Our PSHE curriculum covers all areas of the subject. One timetabled PSHE lesson per week is taught throughout our school. There are many other opportunities where children are involved in PSHE outside of the discreet lesson, including assemblies where a range of themes are covered. Some of these include cross curriculum teaching (e.g. RE and Geography), the school council (there are 2 representatives from each class from Y1 to Y6).
A range of teaching and learning activities are used and are based on good practice in teaching 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 the lessons can be differentiated to stretch the most able learners and give additional support to those who need it. In 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 curriculum provides consistent messages throughout the age ranges including how and where to access help. The role of parents and carers is recognised and how to work with them and include them in their children’s learning.
RSE education is the school subject through which children and young people acquire the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to stay healthy, safe, and thrive now and in the future. A variety of teaching and learning strategies are used which encourage participation, with opportunities for pupils to develop critical thinking and relationship skills. Learners will study ‘Health and Wellbeing’. This will include physical wellbeing, mental health, keeping safe in different environments, what to do when there has been an accident and about drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Our core theme is relationships. This focuses on families and friendships, what constitutes positive relationships and how to seek help when needed. Discussions of safe relationships and managing hurtful behaviours are also carried out. Relationship offline and online are included in this category. Lastly the overall theme is living in the wider world. This topic looks at shared responsibilities and how we have a part to play to help each other and to look after the environment. Economic wellbeing is studied in terms of money and aspirations, work and future careers.
Impact
This relates to how staff identify that the curriculum is having a positive impact on pupils’ learning, how to identify gaps in their learning and how to fill these. Children are asked open ended questions which are designed to invite pupils to share what they know about the areas of learning within each unit. These can be used at the start of a unit to see what the children already know and to inform planning, and then pupils can revisit these questions at the end of the unit to add what else they now know, further demonstrating their progression in learning. Children will also have met the objectives set out within the Relationships and Health Education statutory guidance and can 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.
By the end of their academic journey at Westminster Community Primary School, the children will demonstrate confidence and awareness about sex and relationships in an independent and safe way. Learners will develop a good understanding about safety and risks in relationships. They will be prepared for the physical and emotional changes they undergo during puberty. RSE will promote learners wellbeing and will prepare learners for the challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities of adult life. The RSE curriculum will have a positive impact on learners’ health and wellbeing and their ability to achieve, and this will play a crucial part in meeting these obligations