Bowmansgreen Primary
School P.S.H.E
Stay healthy, safe and prepared for life
Intent
At Bowmansgreen Primary School, we believe that PSED and PSHE education is a fundamental part of every pupil’s education for them to become confident, happy citizens. We aim to promote personal development in a structured and developmentally appropriate way in order to give pupils the knowledge, understanding, attitudes and practical skills to improve their life chances. We enable pupils to develop their sense of self-worth by encouraging them to play a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community.
Our curriculum covers a wide range of topics relating to physical and mental health, wellbeing, safeguarding and healthy relationships. We feel that learning about the emotional and social aspects of growing up will give our pupils the information, skills and positive values to empower them to have safe and fulfilling relationships and to become independent, responsible members of society.
Having introduced pupils to a wide range of concepts and having exposed them to a variety of experiences, we hope that they will have a strong understanding of the diverse world around them; be well equipped to take responsibility for their own wellbeing and to stay safe in our ever-changing society.
Implementation
We use Jigsaw, the mindful approach to PSHE. This brings together Personal, Social, Health Education, emotional literacy, social skills and spiritual development in a comprehensive scheme of learning.
In Reception, PSHE is taught as an integral part of topic work and is embedded throughout the curriculum. The objectives taught are the Personal, Social and Emotional Development statements from ‘Development Matters in the EYFS’ and the PSED Early Learning Goals. Reception also uses the Jigsaw Scheme of Work materials.
Throughout our school, we use the Jigsaw scheme of work, which aims to develop the ‘whole child’ through a spiral curriculum. PSED and PSHE including RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) is taught across the school from Reception - Year 6 on a weekly basis with carefully sequenced and progressive learning. ‘Jigsaw holds pupil at its heart, and its cohesive vision helps pupil understand and value how they fit into and contribute to the world.’ Teachers adapt this scheme in order to reflect the needs of their pupils. Half-termly units develop knowledge, skills and understanding in the areas of:
Term 1: Being Me in My World
Term 2: Celebrating Difference (including anti-bullying)
Term 3: Dreams and Goals
Term 4: Healthy Me
Term 5: Relationships
Term 6: Changing Me (including Sex Education)
Each Puzzle has six Pieces (lessons) which work towards an ‘end product’, for example, The School Learning Charter or The Garden of Dreams and Goals. Each Piece has two Learning Intentions: one is based on specific PSHE learning (purple) and one is based on emotional literacy and social skills development (green). These explicit lessons are reinforced and enhanced in many ways: assemblies, reward systems and Jigsaw Learning Charter, through relationships child to child, adult to child and adult to adult across the school.
We aim to ‘live’ what is learnt and apply it to everyday situations in the school community. We encourage our pupils to develop their sense of self-worth by playing a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community inline with our school vision ‘Inspiring, nurturing and achieving excellence together’.
Statutory Relationship and Health Education (DfE, England 2019)
Jigsaw provides a comprehensive PSHE Programme which covers all the requirements of the government guidance and outcomes, and more. The Relationships and Healthy Me Puzzles (units) cover most of the aspects in the guidance but these are enhanced, revisited and foundations built throughout the Jigsaw Programme. Jigsaw’s philosophy starts by building positive self-image, a sense of identity and a healthy relationship with self, and from that starting point helps children grow healthy relationships with others.
Health Education in Jigsaw embraces not only physical health but has a strong focus on mental health and emotional literacy throughout and empowers children to be aware of their own thoughts and feelings and know how to manage and regulate these (e.g. Using Calm Me-mindfulness techniques).
We believe that PSHE education plays a vital part in primary education so, as well as discrete lessons, it is embedded throughout the curriculum. British Values and Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) concepts are explored across our broad and balanced curriculum. PSHE is an important part of school assemblies where pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural curiosity is stimulated, challenged and nurtured. In addition, special events, key campaigns and themed days/weeks provide opportunities for pupils to explore topical issues, these include Anti-bullying Week, Deaf Awareness Week and fundraising, e.g. Children in Need.
The mental health and wellbeing of our pupils is integral to all we do. As part of the Bowmansgreen Primary School rules, to ‘be kind, be safe and be respectful’ and our behaviour curriculum, we aim to promote positive mental health and wellbeing for our pupils. We recognise how important mental health and emotional wellbeing are to our lives, in just the same way as physical health. We recognise that pupil’s mental health is a crucial factor in their overall wellbeing and can affect their learning and achievement. All pupils go through ups and downs during their time at school and some face significant life events. We promote positive resolutions and praise whenever possible. Examples of these are ‘calm corners’ in each class, Zones of Regulation for pupils to follow, with opportunities to talk and be supported through whatever challenges pupils face.
Impact
By the time our children leave our school they are:
- able to approach a range of real life situations, applying their skills and attributes to help navigate themselves through modern life
- on their way to becoming healthy, open minded, respectful, socially and morally responsible, active members of society
- able to appreciate difference and diversity
- able to recognise and apply the British Values of Democracy, Tolerance, Mutual Respect, Rule of law and Liberty
- able to understand and manage their emotions
- able to look after their mental health and well-being
- able to develop positive, healthy relationships with their peers both now and in the future
Overviews