Intent of our PSHE and RHSE curriculum
Our aim at St Alban & St Stephen Catholic Primary School is to enable pupils to develop a firm foundation of life skills that will help them be successful learners and contribute positively in the wider community. The PSHE curriculum has been structured to build on the pupils’ current knowledge and understanding, giving them the opportunity to consider a wider range of the moral, social and cultural issues that they will encounter as they grow up. Through doing so, we aim to help pupils become emotionally healthy, socially confident and understand how to have positive relationships with others. At St Alban & St Stephen, there are many components to our PSHE curriculum. To ensure that pupils develop strong personal and social skills, as well as a secure understanding of health and economic matters, our PSHE curriculum is organised into a progression model that outlines the skills, knowledge and vocabulary to be covered in a comprehensive order. The core lesson progression has been planned and structured around the mindful, ‘Jigsaw’ units (puzzles), each one focused on one key area: Being me in my World, Celebrating Difference, Dreams and Goals, Healthy Me, Relationships and Changing Me. Particular importance has been placed on the subject of PSHE; the national guidance regarding this subject states that ‘the knowledge and attributes gained will support their own, and others’, wellbeing and attainment and help young people to become successful and happy adults who make a meaningful contribution to society.’ With this in mind, we have made the themes in this curriculum area central to the ethos of our school.
Implementation of our PSHE and RHSE curriculum
The Jigsaw ‘puzzles’ are taught in discrete mindful Jigsaw sessions to allow subject specific aims and vocabulary to be explicitly discussed and modelled with pupils. This will enable them to benefit fully from each lesson (piece). The ethos behind these puzzles is then fed into the daily organisation of the school. The puzzles are launched in a whole-school assembly, with key questions introduced to engage the pupils in the upcoming pieces. Throughout each puzzle, pupils will consider a particular, age appropriate, personal, societal or global issue through class and paired discussion, being given the chance to reflect on their own and other people’s thoughts and values. These might link to a whole school theme (such as anti-bullying) but with each year group focusing on a year group-specific strand. In addition to the Jigsaw scheme of work, other whole-school assemblies are explicitly linked to PSHE, British Values and SMSC. Children are taught about courageous advocacy and how they can make a difference and an impact in life for the better.
In the Summer term, the whole school follows the Diocesan approved RHSE scheme called ‘Life to the Full’. Through this, the children will learn at an age appropriate level about changing bodies, puberty, trusted adults, the dangers of social media, where babies come from, an understanding of the Common Good and living in the wider world. The entire teaching is underpinned with a Christian faith understanding that our deepest identity is as a child of God- created, chosen and loved by God. The programme is fully inclusive of all pupils and their families.
https://www.tentenresources.co.uk/life-to-the-full-catholic-landing-page/
Relationships, Health & Sex Education Policy
Impact of our PSHE and RHSE curriculum
Due to the nature of this curriculum area, PSHE monitoring takes various forms. A key component of this is pupil voice; school leaders use pupil voice as an effective tool to ascertain the pupils’ ability to reflect on their own behaviour and their ability to demonstrate a positive mind-set around school. Book monitoring throughout all year groups also takes place once a term to compliment this.
Happy Human Project
School newsletter vol.3 November 2023