PSHE

Week 1

The children have been celebrating LGBT+ History Month throughout February and their PSHE lessons in school are focused around this event as well as more widely in the curriculum.

In EYFS the children have focused on learning about identities through a range of books as a starting point for discussions and activities. They have shared the books ‘My Shadow is Pink’, ‘The Colour Monster’ and ‘Perfectly Norman’. These books have helped the children to understand how colours can be representative of feelings and identities. The children enjoyed making flags that represented them as individuals and the children could explain why they had chosen specific colours. Some children then explored the black tray and dressed the Potato Head characters in the colours and designs of their choice. The pronouns he, she and they were modelled and used, and gender stereotypes of clothing were discussed linking back to the ‘My Shadow is Pink’ story.  The children have also enjoyed the ‘Perfectly Norman’ book and made a pair of their own wings to represent themselves. In class, the children talked about how no two wings were the same and they celebrated their differences.

The LKS2 the children have been exploring gender definitions and gender stereotypes. The children have been reading ‘Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl’ and focusing on the main character which is gender neutral. This has provoked a lot of discussion in class about gender stereotypes in jobs and more widely in the community.

In UKS2 the children have been researching key events in LGBT+ history and creating timelines. The focus has been how to understand how attitudes and laws have changed over. The children have really enjoyed learning about this, and it has provoked conversations about how this might change again in future years.

The Inclusion Champions have also been into all Phase assemblies this month to talk to the children about LGBT+ History Month and discussed their Big Question. They also read and discussed the story ‘Prince Henry’ by the author Olly Pike who virtually visited last year.

Week 2

The children have been celebrating LGBT+ History Month throughout February and their PSHE lessons in school are focused around this event. In EYFS, the overarching topic focus has been ‘Pirates’ and the children have really enjoyed learning all about this; especially listening to the book that started off the topic titled ‘Captain Sparklebeard’. As part of their carpet-time sessions, the children developed a character profile to share their perceptions of who Captain Sparklebeard could be. When reading the story, many children were surprised to discover that the pirate was in fact a girl! This led to some great discussions about gender stereotypes in a variety of contexts.

In KS1, the children have been reading a book called ‘Red: A Crayon’s Story’ which is about a crayon who is expected to colour in red but behind the label, the colour is in fact blue. This story raised questions related to self- discovery and identity. It got the children thinking about people in more depth than just their appearance. The children then completed a creative task, this involved colouring the outside of their own crayon sheet in the colour that they thought represented other people’s perceptions of them. They coloured the inside with the colour that they felt actually did best represented them. When comparing the colours, the children noted that some were the same and some were different. At the end of the lesson, the children swapped crayon sheets and wrote a special message about something positive and unique about each other.

In KS2 the children have been working hard to research inspirational LGBT+ role models and they were directed to research Catherine Duleep Singh and Gail Lewis. The children then created posters and presentations to share their findings with the class.

As the end of the LGBT+ History Month draws to a close, a selection of work from across the school is now proudly displayed in the corridor.

Week 3

In EYFS, the PSHE focus has been all about being a good friend, with emphasis on doing this when playing in provision. During circle time sessions, the children were able to talk about how that would look, such as by sharing, helping each other if someone was hurt or upset and letting everyone join in their game. When observed, the children demonstrated their ability to work together in the spaceship role play area, extending and elaborating play ideas and respecting the wishes of others within their play. When outdoors, the children were supported by the adults to take turns with the scooters and all happily gave it to their friends when their turn was over.

The KS1 children have been very excited to welcome a Police Officer to school to discuss Online Safety on Friday afternoon. This also links to the work that the children have completed about people in the community who help us. They have been busy writing questions to ask during their PSHE lesson this week. More details (and photographs) to follow in next week’s update!

The children in KS2 have been learning all about the benefits of living in a diverse community as part of their ‘Living in the Wider World’ work. They started by answering key questions around diversity and then mapped out their own family tree to see if they had a diverse family. Finally, the children created their own coat of arms to represent their family.

Week 4

In EYFS the children made a list of the skills that they would need to use to be a good team. The children then had a challenge to be caught demonstrating this in provision. After an ‘art attack’ carpet input the children were inspired to make dinosaurs and a lorry in the outdoor provision. There was a lot of sharing, communicating, listening to other peoples’ ideas to change and improving their design. The motto for the week soon became ‘team work makes the dream work’!

The children in KS1 enjoyed their visit from Police Officer Tyrer last Friday. They learned all about her roles, responsibilities and also about how to stay safe online. Some of children and teachers were also able to try on a hat, a police vest and handcuffs. This week the children used their knowledge to write online safety posters and were also supported by their class Digital Leader.

In LKS2, the children looked at the impact that humans have on the environment and community. Firstly, they researched different animals, their habitats and how this affects the animals when habitats are destroyed. The children then came up with lots of way to protect the animals and, in turn, have a positive impact in their community.

The children in UKS2 have been exploring what ‘diversity’ means and answering the question ‘Is the UK a diverse place?’. Most children thought that it was and some of their answers included: having a range of cultures, race and religions within the community. The children then made a family tree and made a coat of arms to represent their family’s individuality.

Week 5

EYFS children enjoyed listening to The Colour Monster story and discussing feelings. During their carpet time they pulled their face to match the expression of the different feelings within the book and looked around so that they could help to recognise this in their friends. The children sorted different coloured collage materials into the jars. They told of times that they’d had those feelings. For example, they felt very happy when their friends shared a toy in class.

In KS1, the children have been learning all about different responsibilities, looking at how they can help care for themselves and others. They collated ideas and placed them on a giant heart to refer to throughout the week. Some responses included; looking after their bodies by eating healthy foods and drinking lots of water. To help others, the children said that they would include and play with everyone, they would get them help if their friend got hurt and warn them if there was a car coming.

 In KS2 the children focused on stereotypes and how this can negatively influence their behaviours and attitudes towards others. The children wrote down their ideas of the characteristics for different groups of people that could be made through pre-judging and stereotyping. For example, a group of young children could be stereotyped as being ‘messy, bossy, spoilt or energetic’. After this, the children applied their understanding in different scenarios and worked hard to identify the stereotypical attitudes in the story and consider their own actions and ideas in the wider world.

Week 6

In EYFS, the children have been developing their sense of community by sharing responsibility for looking after the chicks in class. They have been cleaning out the chicks, feeding them and changing their water. They have shown real dedication to this and an understanding of the importance of their roles.

During the PSHE focused sessions, the children recapped The Colour Monster from last week and then were introduced to the Feelings Wall activity. They placed their photograph next to the monster that represented how they felt at that time. The children really impressed Mrs Lenagan with their understanding and the examples that they gave for different times that they have experienced certain feelings.

The children in KS1 enjoyed the assembly from the Digital Leaders in school. They enjoyed the quiz about gaming and the age restrictions associated. The children also learned about how certain games allow interaction with other people and to never give personal information online.

In Key Stage 2, the children have been creating infographics to inform other children how and why they need to protect their online privacy. They have been learning about what an IP address is, how data is used and stored and about identity theft.