PSHE

At Gorseland Primary school, we intend to deliver a curriculum which is relevant to the needs of pupils, both now and in the future. It will enable pupils to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes which enhance their personal development and wellbeing. This will have a direct, positive effect on their progress and achievement in school. PSHE is embedded in all that we do to enable our children to become independent, responsible, healthy and confident members of society. Our PSHE curriculum has been built with the aim to support the development of the ‘whole child’, by helping them to understand how they are developing personally and socially as well as promoting their social, mental and physical development. Children will be able to tackle the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. Through regular PSHE lessons, assemblies, class meetings and cross curricular learning, children are taught how to keep themselves safe, physically and emotionally and to appreciate what it means to be a member of a diverse society. Our children are encouraged to develop their sense of self-worth by playing a positive role in contributing in school life and the wider community. Our vision is for all children to be… confident individuals, successful learners and responsible citizens … who are well equipped for future life, whatever that may hold.

At Gorseland Primary School, we teach Personal, Social, Health Education as a whole-school approach to underpin children’s development as people and because we believe that this also supports their learning capacity. To facilitate this learning development, we use the Jigsaw Programme, which offers us a comprehensive, carefully thought-through scheme of work that brings consistency and progression to children’s learning in this vital curriculum area.

We have made slight adaptations to the full Jigsaw Programme in order to meet the needs of Gorseland pupils. This also supports the “Personal Development” and “Behaviour and Attitude” aspects required under the Ofsted Inspection Framework, as well as significantly contributing to the school’s Safeguarding and Equality Duties, the Government’s British Values agenda and the SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social, Cultural) development opportunities provided for our children.

Statutory Relationships and Health Education

As a maintained primary school, we must provide relationships education to all pupils as per section 34 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017.

Our PSHE policy is informed by existing DfE guidance:

• Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education, and Health Education in England (statutory guidance).

• Keeping Children Safe in Education (statutory guidance).

• Respectful School Communities: Self Review and Signposting Tool (a tool to support a whole school approach that promotes respect and discipline).

• Behaviour and Discipline in Schools (advice for schools, including advice for appropriate behaviour between pupils).

• Equality Act 2010

• SEND code of practice: 0 to 25 years (statutory guidance).

• Alternative Provision (statutory guidance).

• Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools (advice for schools).

• Preventing and Tackling Bullying (advice for schools, including advice on cyberbullying).

• Sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools (advice for schools).

• The Equality and Human Rights Commission Advice and Guidance (provides advice on avoiding discrimination in a variety of educational contexts).

• Promoting Fundamental British Values as part of SMSC in schools (guidance for maintained schools on promoting basic important British values as part of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC).

• SMSC requirements for independent schools (guidance for independent schools on how they should support pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development).

The Gorseland curriculum incorporates most elements of the Jigsaw programme to cover the statutory Relationships and Health Education. The long term plan above gives the learning theme of each of the six Puzzles (units) and these are taught across the school; the learning deepens and broadens every year.

At Gorseland Primary School, pupils will receive regular PSHE lessons that are reinforced and enhanced in many ways including:

Assemblies, class council meetings, cross curricular learning, e.g. Computing, PE and Science, praise and our behaviour reward system, Gorseland rules, 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.

Relationships Education

Relationships Education covers ‘Families and people who care for me’, ‘Caring friendships’, ‘Respectful relationships’, ‘Online relationships’, and ‘Being safe’.

It is important to explain that whilst the Relationships unit in Jigsaw covers most of the statutory Relationships Education, some of the outcomes are also taught elsewhere in Jigsaw e.g. the Celebrating Difference unit helps children appreciate that there are many types of family composition and that each is important to the children involved. This holistic approach ensures the learning is reinforced through the year and across the curriculum.

Health Education

Health Education covers ‘Mental wellbeing’, ‘Internet safety and harms’, Physical health and fitness’, Healthy eating’, ‘Drugs, alcohol and tobacco’, ‘Health and prevention’, ‘Basic First Aid’, ‘Changing adolescent body’.

It is important to explain that whilst the Healthy Me Puzzle (unit) in Jigsaw covers most of the statutory Health Education, some of the outcomes are taught elsewhere in Jigsaw, e.g. emotional and mental health is nurtured every lesson through the Calm me time, social skills are grown every lesson through the Connect us activity and respect is enhanced through the use of the Jigsaw Charter.

Also, teaching children about puberty is now a statutory requirement which sits within the Health Education part of the DfE guidance within the ‘Changing adolescent body’ strand, and in Jigsaw this is taught as part of the Changing Me Puzzle (unit).

Sex Education

The DfE Guidance 2019 (p.23) recommends that all primary schools ‘have a sex education programme tailored to the age and the physical and emotional maturity of the pupils’. However, ‘Sex Education is not compulsory in primary schools’ (p. 23).

At Gorseland Primary School, the curriculum includes lessons that ensure that both boys and girls are prepared for the changes that adolescence brings as covered within the National Curriculum Science objectives. 

Children are assessed in each PHSE session on the extent to which they have met the intended learning outcome. This is recorded by the teacher and feedback/next steps are provided accordingly. These ongoing formative assessments feed into termly teacher judgements for each child based on the knowledge and understanding they have acquired and displayed. 

Equality

The DfE Guidance 2019 (p. 15) states, ‘Schools should ensure that the needs of all pupils are appropriately met, and that all pupils understand the importance of equality and respect.' At Gorseland Primary School, these areas of learning are taught within the context of family life, taking care to ensure that there is no stigmatisation of children based on their home circumstances. Families can include single parent families, LGBT parents, families headed by grandparents, adoptive parents, foster parents/carers amongst other structures along with reflecting sensitively that some children may have a different structure of support around them (for example: looked after children or young carers).

Roles and responsibilities

The Governing Body will approve the RSE policy, and hold the Headteacher to account for its implementation.

The Headteacher is responsible for ensuring that RSE is taught consistently across the school.

Staff are responsible for:

• Delivering RSE in a sensitive way.

• Modelling positive attitudes to RSE.

• Monitoring progress.

• Responding to the needs of individual pupils.

• Responding appropriately to pupils whose parents wish them to be withdrawn from the non-statutory components of RSE.

Staff do not have the right to opt out of teaching RSE. Staff who have concerns about teaching RSE are encouraged to discuss this with the Headteacher.

Pupils are expected to engage fully in RSE and, when discussing issues related to RSE, treat others with respect and sensitivity.

Parents’ right to withdraw

Parents do not have the right to withdraw their children from relationships education. Parents do have the right to withdraw their child from non-statutory sex education, but at Gorseland we are not covering anything outside of the statutory National Curriculum. Parents are encouraged to meet with the senior leadership team and subject leader to discuss any concerns.

Training

Staff are trained on the delivery of RSE as part of their induction and it is included in our continuing professional development calendar.

The Headteacher will also invite visitors from outside the school, such as school nurses to provide support and training to staff teaching RSE.

Monitoring arrangements

The delivery of RSE is monitored by the Subject Leader through monitoring arrangements, such as planning scrutinies, learning walks, etc.

Pupils’ development in RSE is monitored by class teachers as part of our internal assessment systems.