Implementation
The scheme of work is organised around four core themes, which are revisited at each key stage and build progressively on previous learning:
• Relationships
• Keeping Safe
• Understanding the Law
• Wellbeing
Additional themed lessons linked to local, national and international events are planned throughout the curriculum to enhance pupils' awareness, understanding and safety. Lessons can also be adapted or added to respond to the specific needs of a class or school community.
Key approaches include:
• Prior Knowledge Review: Each unit begins with a recap of previous learning to identify pupils' starting points and strengthen long-term knowledge retention.
• Discussion and Oracy Opportunities: Pupils are encouraged to ask questions, share viewpoints, engage in meaningful discussions, reflect on different perspectives, and apply their learning to real-life situations.
• Digging Deeper: As an additional assessment for learning strategy, teachers use "Digging Deeper" questions and tasks to encourage pupils to make connections across lessons and units, deepen their understanding, and extend their thinking beyond the immediate lesson content.
• Assessment: Teachers assess pupils through ongoing formative assessment, weekly recap quizzes and end-of-unit assessment quizzes. Weekly quizzes revisit key learning, enabling teachers to identify misconceptions, provide support and revisit content where necessary. End-of-unit quizzes assess pupils' understanding of the key knowledge and concepts taught. Teachers use these outcomes alongside observations, pupil contributions and responses to "Digging Deeper" activities to determine whether pupils have met the expected standard.
The PSHE Subject Leader supports curriculum sequencing, monitors standards, provides CPD, audits and manages resources, and supports teachers to ensure consistent, high-quality teaching across the school.
Medium-term plans, Pol-Ed resources and Digging Deeper tasks support teachers' planning and ensure a consistent and high-quality approach to PSHE delivery.
Content and Organisation
PSHE (which includes Sex and Relationships Education) will be taught weekly, through discrete lesson time and through other National Curriculum subjects, e.g. Science, RE, Literacy. It will be delivered by teachers and other relevant outside agencies e.g. School Nurse, Community Police (stranger danger). Correct terminology will be used in class to avoid confusion. For example, Key Stage 1 Science and PSHE lessons will include naming external parts of the body including sexual organs.
Our curriculum has whole school activities and events embedded throughout. We have whole school events, visiting speakers, home learning linked to PSHE and a variety of clubs on offer (e.g Mindfulness Club). A variety of teaching methods will be used including discussion, worksheet, stories, videos, and circle time activities. There is an opportunity to attend the Key Stage 2 residential trip where the focus is on developing pupil’s self-esteem, improving mental health, resilience, growth mindset, developing independence, leadership skills and positive teamwork.
Resources
Resources used will be appropriate to the maturity and understanding of all children. Resources will be inclusive in terms of images, language and learning styles, and will avoid racist, sexist, gender-based and transphobic stereotypes. Through PSHE, we promote respect and tolerance and explore social, moral, spiritual and cultural issues, encouraging children to consider their roles and responsibilities as citizens. The five British Values are embedded throughout our teaching to help establish a safe, inclusive and effective learning environment. Physical resources are stored in a shared cupboard within school. The school uses Pol-Ed, a comprehensive PSHE and Citizenship programme that provides high-quality lessons, assemblies, assessment resources and CPD to support the teaching of relationships, safety, wellbeing and an understanding of the law. The programme is aligned with statutory RSHE guidance and helps pupils develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to stay safe and make informed decisions. The school also makes effective use of resources from the PSHE Association.
Dealing with questions
The RSHE aspect of the PSHE programme, children will be encouraged to ask questions, this could be using an ‘ask it’ basket anonymously or generally as part of a lesson. Some questions may need further consideration and as such do not need to be answered directly. Questions will be answered sensitively, honestly, and appropriate to the age and understanding of children, either in class, individually or referring to the child’s parent.
Disclosure
Teachers are aware that effective PSHE and RSE can raise many discussions and reflections. For instance, it brings an understanding of what is and what is not appropriate in a relationship for example and this can lead to a disclosure of a child protection issue. Visitors/external agencies which support the delivery of PSHE will be accompanied and any disclosures that may be made can be followed up by the trained staff in school. All staff will consult with the designated safeguarding lead or in their absence and this will be followed up in accordance with the Safeguarding Policy.
EYFS Teaching
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, PSHE is taught as an integral part of the topic/themed work covered during the year. It is related to the PSHE aspects of the children’s work to the areas of learning set out in the EYFS guidance to develop a child’s personal, emotional and social development. This is also supported through other areas of learning such as Understanding the World and Communication and Language. In particular, the Nursery staff place focus on ‘PSHE’ linked strands of the EYFS profile as it is a Prime Area of Learning. (For EYFS Ages and Stages see Appendix 1) Reception children will also benefit from being taught the Think Equal program weekly.
Teaching PSHE to children with SEND
All pupils, regardless of their needs must be part of PSHE & RSE lessons, as it is an important part of developing healthy relationships with their peers. We will respect pupils’ unique starting points by providing learning opportunities that are matched to the individual needs of all children, including those who are gifted and talented or have learning difficulties. When teaching PSHE we consider the targets set for the children in their Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), some of which may be directly related to PSHE targets. For gifted and talented pupils, we will provide additional opportunities to take responsibility, develop leadership skills, think creatively and use their talents for the good of the class or the wider community.
Equality and Diversity
At The Gates Primary School, PSHE education is accessible to every pupil. Teaching will take into account the ability, age, readiness, religious and cultural backgrounds of our young people and those with English as a second language to ensure that all can fully access our PSHE education provision, in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.
PSHE and ICT
Learning in PSHE will compliment learning in Computing, where the children will develop a sense of global citizenship by safe use of the internet. There is an e-safety policy for all pupils, which aims to develop a set of safe and discriminating behaviours for pupils to adopt when using the internet and other technologies. Through discussion of safety and other issues related to electronic communication, the children develop their own view about the use and misuse of ICT, and they also gain an insight into the interdependence of ICT users around the world. Children will also have the opportunity to discuss the reliability of content on the internet, have discussions around to identify potential risks of personal information being misused. They will learn a range of strategies for dealing with requests for personal information or images of themselves and learn how to report the misuse of personal information or sharing of upsetting content/ images online.
Working with parents
Parents will be informed by letter when SRE and puberty lessons will be taking placed in order to enable them to have further discussions with their child if they so wish. Parents have the right to withdraw their child from any sex education which does not form part of the National Curriculum and goes beyond the teaching of Science. However, relationships education is compulsory. Any parents who wish to do so should speak with the Headteacher to discuss any concerns so that any misunderstandings might be resolved.