.png){kind=logo}
PSHE
PSHE Subject Policy
At Bishop Martin CE Primary School our Guiding LIGHT Curriculum is built around the National Curriculum, enriched to reflect the children and community we teach.
We strive to provide a curriculum that is underpinned by our Christian Values, which are embedded in the life and work of our school, and to allow all our children to 'Let their Light Shine'.
Let Your Light Shine Before Others So They May See Your Good Deeds' (Matthew 5.16)
National Curriculum and Statutory Guidance
National Curriculum and Statutory Guidance
'Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is an important and necessary part of all pupils’ education. All schools should teach PSHE, drawing on good practice, and this expectation is outlined in the introduction to the proposed new national curriculum.
PSHE is a non-statutory subject. To allow teachers the flexibility to deliver high-quality PSHE we consider it unnecessary to provide new standardised frameworks or programmes of study. PSHE can encompass many areas of study. Teachers are best placed to understand the needs of their pupils and do not need additional central prescription.
However, while we believe that it is for schools to tailor their local PSHE programme to reflect the needs of their pupils, we expect schools to use their PSHE education programme to equip pupils with a sound understanding of risk and with the knowledge and skills necessary to make safe and informed decisions.
Schools should seek to use PSHE education to build, where appropriate, on the statutory content already outlined in the national curriculum, the basic school curriculum and in statutory guidance on: drug education, financial education, sex and relationship education (SRE) and the importance of physical activity and diet for a healthy lifestyle.'
Statutory Guidance
PSHE education supports the delivery of statutory Relationships Education and Health Education in primary schools. The teaching of these areas is guided by the Department for Education statutory guidance: Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education statutory guidance.
From September 2020, Relationships Education and Health Education became compulsory in all primary schools in England. While PSHE as a whole remains non-statutory, it provides the framework through which these statutory elements are delivered.
At Bishop Martin, we ensure that teaching is age appropriate, inclusive and sensitive, and that it reflects the needs and backgrounds of our children. In addition, PSHE education supports wider statutory responsibilities including safeguarding and promoting children’s wellbeing, as outlined in Keeping Children Safe in Education. Our PSHE Curriculum is supported by the Kapow Primary scheme and is informed by guidance from the PSHE Association to ensure that children receive a broad, balanced and progressive programme of learning.
Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)
Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is an important part of PSHE education. It equips children with the knowledge, skills, and understanding they need to build positive, healthy relationships now and in the future. When any school provides RSE they must have regard to the Secretary of State’s guidance- this is a statutory duty.
Our PSHE Curriculum covers age-appropriate content about the human body, growing up, puberty, and personal safety. All lessons are delivered sensitively, inclusively, and according to children’ age and maturity.
At Bishop Martin, such content is delivered in the summer term and parents/carers are informed prior to this. Communication with parents/carers is clear in stating that they have the right to withdraw their child from the non-statutory components of sex education, as outlined in DfE statutory guidance. However, parents are invited to meet with the PSHE Subject Lead to see content and ask questions prior to a decision being made. Any requests for withdrawal should be made in writing to the Headteacher, and the school will discuss alternative arrangements to ensure the child continues to receive a meaningful education.
When delivering content, teachers are trained to answer children’s questions factually and appropriately. If a question is not suitable for a class discussion, it will be addressed individually or referred to parents/carers, ensuring that children always feel safe and supported.
Intent
Our PSHE Curriculum has been designed to provide a unique and inspiring curriculum that is created to suit our children, their learning, and their future. We prepare them to be a member of a class, school, local community as well as prepare them for their future role in modern Britain and as global citizens.
PSHE is an embedded component of the whole school curriculum and is taught half-termly in all classes. It has particularly strong links with our RE curriculum and our Christian School Values. The PSHE Curriculum at our school is bespoke, although Kapow Scheme of Work has been used to ensure statutory content is covered, supplementary units are added across all year groups to support the children’s local context and challenges that they may face. Our Curriculum provides a broad, unique, and exciting curriculum that is rich in stimulus, encourages and supports our children to become confident, caring, respectful and responsible citizens. We provide a quality education that is inclusive and equips all our children to be lifelong learners.
Through our PSHE Curriculum we aim to:
- Promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental, emotional, and physical development of our children.
- Give our children the knowledge, skills and understanding that will prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences that they already face and for those they will face in adult life, enabling them to become healthy, independent and responsible members of society.
- Provide information about keeping healthy and safe, mentally, emotionally, and physically and enable them to feel positive about themselves, accept and embrace change and enjoy healthy, safe, responsible, and fulfilled lives.
- Encourage our children to understand how all actions have consequences and how they can make informed choices to help themselves, and others as they live in the wider world.
Implementation
Kapow Scheme of Work/Content
At Bishop Martin, we use the Kapow Scheme of Work as a whole school approach to delivering the PSHE Curriculum. This scheme consists of three areas of learning in EYFS: Reception (to match the EYFS Personal, Social and Emotional development prime area) and five areas of learning across Key Stage 1 and 2.
EYFS:
- Self – Regulation, Building Relationships and Managing Self
Key Stage 1 and 2:
- Families and Relationships, Health and Wellbeing, Safety and the Changing Body, Citizenship and Economic Wellbeing
Each area is revisited each year to allow children to build on prior learning, providing a progressive programme. The lessons are based upon the statutory requirements for Relationships and Health Education, but where our lessons go beyond these requirements (primarily in the Citizenship and Economic wellbeing areas) they refer to the PSHE Association Programme of Study which is recommended by the DfE. Sex Education has also been included in line with the DfE recommendations and is covered in Year 6 – parents have the right to withdraw from the non-statutory content.
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.
Our youngest children (Nursery) are introduced to the foundations of PSHE through the EYFS framework and the Development Matters guidance. At this stage, PSHE learning is integrated into everyday routines and play, helping children to develop key skills in self-regulation, building relationships, and managing themselves. Activities are carefully planned to support children’s personal, social, and emotional development.
We understand that PSHE lessons may lead to discussions about sensitive issues, teachers work hard to create a safe and supportive environment where children feel able to ask questions and share their views. Teachers understand how to address children’s worries, concerns and questions but understand they cannot offer or guarantee absolute confidentiality. If a child makes a disclosure that raises safeguarding concerns, staff are aware to follow the school’s safeguarding procedures, without delay, in line with the school’s safeguarding policy and statutory guidance.
Lesson Structure
At Bishop Martin we teach PSHE following a set lesson structure:
- Attention Grabber – To capture the children’s interest and allow opportunities to recap prior knowledge.
- Main Event – To explore and discuss the concept.
- Activity – Gives the children the opportunity to share their own responses.
- Wrapping Up – Gather back together and reflect on key questions.
Long Term Plan
Our PSHE Overview is shared with all staff who know where to access year group content, a Subject Overview outlines the content in which teachers must teach each half term. As well as this overall document, Unit Overviews have been produced by the PSHE Subject Lead. These include more details about the lesson content, vocabulary, lesson outcomes and assessment support. The Kapow Scheme of Work provides further guidance for each weekly lesson and teachers have access to the online lesson plans and resources to support their lessons.
At Bishop Martin, we believe preparing the children with knowledge and experiences that equip them for life in an ever-changing world is crucial. Because of this, children complete additional PSHE units across the year that are relevant to the community in which they are exposed to (dental hygiene, water safety, road safety, social media, childhood obesity and mental health).
Support for SEND
Children at Bishop Martin enjoy PSHE lessons. Teachers plan and adapt activities that are inclusive for all children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. Whole class lessons are often open-ended, and children can therefore access them at them at their own level. It is the teachers’ responsibility to ensure that all children are challenged at a level appropriate to their ability
Children with additional needs will be supported according to their individual needs, and therefore the type of support they receive will vary. Some examples are:
- Prior access and teaching of key vocab and terms from the Unit Overviews
- Support with reading and writing.
- Extra teacher/ TA support for children who have difficulty using language to express their ideas and views.
- Specific vocabulary mats used alongside pictures to support children
- Adapted support/questioning
For children accessing our SEND Hubs at Bishop Martin additional PSHE is planned and provided by the PSHE Subject Lead. This is appropriately planned for all children and covers statutory content, as well as content that is appropriate and important in supporting their vulnerability.
Children’ Records of Work
In EYFS all practitioners working with the children make regular observations of the children’s progress.
In all year groups, children contribute responses, questions and work produced to a floor book. The class floor book is a record of children’s work and reflections of their learning. At the end of every lesson, children should complete some form or written/oral reflection based on the concepts explored in the lesson. Often PSHE lessons can include an element of discussion, in this case photographic evidence or a child’s voice can be used as evidence. Detailed information regarding expectations can be found in “What PSHE floor books look like” on the school central system. Teachers understand that the presentation of work in PSHE should be consistent with expectations of those in other subjects and should follow the school’s presentation policy. PSHE floor books are displayed in each classroom.
PSHE Subject Overview
Impact
Our PSHE Curriculum intends to ensure that children will have developed an understanding of how to keep themselves healthy and safe, mentally, emotionally, and physically. They will have the knowledge, skills and understanding that will prepare them for opportunities, responsibilities and experiences they face now and in the future enabling them to be healthy, independent, and responsible members of society. Children’s knowledge and skills will develop progressively as they move through the school and will prepare them to access the PSHE Curriculum in secondary education. This progression has been mapped out in detail in the school’s PSHE progression document.
The impact of the PSHE curriculum is measured through a range of formative and summative assessment strategies, including pupil voice, teacher assessment, monitoring of PSHE floor books and curriculum monitoring by the subject leader. Through these approaches, children demonstrate increasing knowledge, confidence and understanding in areas such as wellbeing, relationships, safety and citizenship. Over time, children develop the skills and attitudes needed to become respectful, responsible and resilient members of society.
Personal Development & Wellbeing
Personal Development at Bishop Martin