Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education (PSHE) & Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)
Intent
Our PSHE ensures that through a focus on citizenship, pupils are increasingly aware of what society is and how it functions and begin to understand how they may play a constructive role in society’s future. The PSHE Curriculum is one of many ways that we facilitate this as a school. It helps pupils develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to manage their lives, now and in the future. These skills and attributes help pupils stay healthy, safe, and prepare them for life and work in modern Britain. PSHE education helps pupils to achieve their academic potential and leave school equipped with skills they will need throughout later life.
We want our children to leave with the knowledge, understanding and emotions to be able to play an active, positive and successful role in today’s diverse society. We want our children to have high aspirations, a belief in themselves and realise that anything is possible if they put their mind to it. In an ever-changing world,
The school’s curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced towards cumulatively sufficient knowledge and skills for future learning and life.
PSHE is taught both in terms of discrete units of work and learning in other areas, most notably in RE, Science and PE. It is also delivered through assemblies, presentations, visits and visitors to the school either as a year group, school phase or whole school as appropriate. Learning in PSHE also helps to support children at various stages during their own development, such as in the Early Years Foundation Stage, supporting children with turn-taking, sharing and listening to others or, in Year 6, learning about the changes to the body during puberty and preparing for the transition to Secondary School.
Our PSHE curriculum develops learning and results in acquiring knowledge and skills, enabling children to access the wider curriculum and preparing them to be global citizens now and in their future roles within a global community. It promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development, preparing them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences needed for later life. Our Relationships and Sex Education enables our children to learn how to be safe and understand and develop healthy relationships, both now and in their future lives.
Our curriculum is mapped out to ensure it meets the statutory requirements of the RSE curriculum. It has been sequenced in a progressive, logical order to ensure coverage is met. It is underpinned by the teachings of Christ, the RE curriculum and our school’s vision and aims.
The school’s curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced towards cumulatively sufficient knowledge and skills for future learning and life
St Joseph’s ‘pupils voice’ plays a significant part in school life. We have both an active School Council and Eco school Committee that work alongside teachers, senior leaders and governors to ensure pupil involvement in setting the vision and direction for the school. Pupils also participate in pupil voice exercises as part of subject monitoring and annually through the Governors’ Pupil Voice Survey.
Implementation
Early Years –
In the Foundation Stage, PSHE and citizenship 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.
Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2
At Key Stages 1 and 2, PSHE is taught through a clear and comprehensive scheme of work in line with the National Curriculum. We ensure we cover the Health and Well-Being, Relationships and Living in the Wider World Learning Opportunities set out in the PSHE Association’s Programme of Study, which comprehensively covers the statutory Health Education and Relationships Education guidance.
Pupils are taught PSHE using ‘Jigsaw’, a spiral, progressive scheme of work, covering all of the above and ‘aims to prepare children for life, helping them know and value who they are and understand how to understand how they relate to other people in this ever-changing world’. There is a strong emphasis on emotional Literacy, building resilience and nurturing mental and physical health. It includes mindfulness to allow children to advance their emotional awareness, concentration and focus.
At St Joseph’s, in addition to Relationships Education, we also teach aspects of Sex Education that is covered in our Science Curriculum. Alongside this, we teach about different kinds of relationships and identities. It is important that our children understand the full diversity of the world they live in and be prepared for life in modern Britain. The Sex Education aspects of PSHE are also taught through the ‘Life to the full’.
The sequence of learning is as follows;
- Created and loved by God – All about me (My body, emotional well-being and lifecycles)
- Created to love other- Relationships with others (Personal Relationships, Keeping safe)
- Created to live in Community- Living in the community (Catholic Social Teaching, How do I love others, reaching out)
Show curriculum map, progression of skills and links to other subjects, tracking long-term plans.
Long Term Overviews
RSE Long Term Overview
Impact
By the time our children leave our school, they will:
- be able to approach a range of real-life situations and apply their skills and attributes to help navigate themselves through modern life;
- be on their way to becoming healthy, open-minded, respectful, socially and morally responsible, active members of society;
- appreciate difference and diversity;
- recognise and apply the British Values of Democracy, Tolerance, Mutual respect, the rule of law and Liberty;
- be able to understand and manage their emotions;
- be able to look after their mental health and well-being;
- be able to develop positive, healthy relationships with their peers both now and in the future;
- understand the physical aspects involved in RSE at an age-appropriate level;
- have respect for themselves and others;
- have positive self-esteem.
Progression of PSHE Knowledge and Skills
RSE Progression
Relationships and Sex Education Consultation
Relationship and Sex education is based on teaching the fundamental building blocks and characteristics of positive relationships, with particular reference to friendships, family relationships, and relationships with other children and adults. This starts with people being taught about what a relationship is, what friendship is, what family means and who the people are who can support them. From the beginning of primary school, building on early education, pupils are taught how to take turns, treat each other with kindness, consideration and respect, the importance of honesty and truthfulness, permission-seeking, and the concept of personal privacy. We want all children to grow up healthy, happy, safe, and manage the challenges and opportunities of modern Britain. This is in line with the DfE and our Catholic Values.
From the beginning, teachers talk explicitly about the features of healthy friendships, family relationships and other relationships which enable young people young children are likely to encounter. In drawing attention to these in a range of contexts, we enable pupils to form a solid early understanding of the features of relationships that are likely to lead to happiness and security. This will also help them to recognise any less positive relationships when they encounter them.
Teaching about families requires sensitive and well-judged teaching based on knowledge of pupils and their current circumstances. Families of many forms provide a nurturing environment for children. Care will be taken to ensure that there is no stigmatism of children based on their home circumstances and needs, to reflect sensitively that some children may have a different structure of support around them, for example, looked after children or young carers.
A growing ability to form strong and positive relationships with others depends on the deliberate cultivation of character traits and positive personal attributes, sometimes referred to as virtues, in the individual. We encourage the development and practice of resilience and other attributes; this includes character traits such as helping pupils believe they can achieve perseverance with tasks, work towards long-term rewards and continue despite setbacks. Alongside understanding the importance of self-respect and self-worth, pupils will develop personal attributes including honesty, integrity, courage, humility, kindness, generosity, trustworthiness and a sense of justice. This is achieved in various ways, including by providing planned opportunities for children to undertake social action, active citizenship, and voluntary service to others locally or more widely.
We use Ten-Ten Life to the Full Resource to teach RSE. It is the recommended programme of study for Catholic schools for Sex and Relationship Education. It has been written as a progressive scheme of work supporting Religious Education, PSHE and Science Curricula taught within the school. Children are encouraged to marvel at the wonder and beauty of God’s creative love. This is reflected in each stage of a person’s growth in the primary years to a series of suggested, progressive and developmental tasks, activities and reflections which focus on physical, social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual development. As with all aspects of learning, children are naturally curious, and many will have questions related to their lessons. Opportunities to discuss questions form part of the lessons, and again these are treated with care and understanding. The RSE programme highlights the importance of parental input and the children will be asked to discuss their lessons at home.
RSE Consultation
Please note, that the consultation period has now ended.
During the academic year 2020-2021, it is a statutory requirement that all schools in England and Wales teach Relationship and Sex Education as a fundamental part of the curriculum.
Schools must consult with the children, parents, staff and governors to ensure a consensus on our policy and the curriculum content.
St Joseph’s consultation will begin on Monday 22nd February and will finish on Monday 5th April 2021. This time scale will allow all stakeholders time to have read and understood the documents below.
If you wish to share your views on any part of the consultation, please email consultationrse@stjosephs775.herts.sch.uk
Letter explaining RSE Consultation
Primary Catholic RSE Curriculum