PSHE (Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Education)

Personal Social Health Education (PSHE) at Brickhill Primary School

We believe that PSHE development isn’t limited to PSHE lessons and should be a golden thread throughout all that a child experiences at Brickhill. Our school values and behaviour curriculum, along with our assemblies and celebration of key events, ensure the children are immersed In Personal Social and Health Education. We also teach PSHE in discreet lessons across the school and you can see an overview of this content Below.

Foundation Stage Curriculum

EYFS Statutory Educational Programme: Children’s personal, social and emotional development (PSED) is crucial for children to lead healthy and Happy lives, and is fundamental to their cognitive development. Underpinning their personal development are the important attachments that Shape their social world. Strong, warm and supportive relationships with adults enable children to learn how to understand their own feelings and Those of others. Children should be supported to manage emotions, develop a positive sense of self, set themselves simple goals, have confidence In their own abilities, to persist and wait for what they want and direct attention as necessary. Through adult modelling and guidance, they will learn how to look after their bodies, including healthy eating, and manage personal needs independently. Through supported interaction with Other children they learn how to make good friendships, co-operate and resolve conflicts peaceably. These attributes will provide a secure Platform from which children can achieve at school and in later life. Development Matters

RSE as part of our PSHE Curriculum

We all want our children to grow up healthy, happy, safe, and able to manage the challenges and opportunities of adult life in modern Britain. The government have recognised this and as a result all primary school aged children must be taught Relationships Education and Health Education, as part of PSHE (Personal, Social, and Health Education) from September 2020.

Relationships Education in our School

We believe Relationships Education is learning about emotional, social and physical aspects of our lives, about ourselves and our relationships. It enables pupils to develop essential life skills for building and maintaining positive, enjoyable, respectful and non-exploitative relationships. It equips pupils with information and skills they need to understand about themselves, their peers and people they meet in the wider community. It explores risks, choices, rights, responsibilities and attitudes. It will help pupils to develop skills to keep themselves and others safer, physically and emotionally, both on and off line. Relationships Education enables pupils to explore their own attitudes and those of others respectfully.

Relationships Education makes a major contribution to fulfilling our school’s aims of ensuring our pupils are tolerant and relate positively with those who share different views; develop happy and secure children who feel confident in school; build resilience by becoming self-disciplined and well-motivated; feel valued as an individual and able to show appreciation for what we have; are inspired to develop inquiring minds and be creative; are empowered to cope with our changing world, developing skills and knowledge relevant to prepare them for the next stages in their lives. By achieving these outcomes, we hope that children THRIVE whilst at Brickhill Primary School and Relationships Education has a fundamental role to play in this.

Context of Wider PSHCE

We deliver Relationships Education as part of our wider provision of Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE), which also includes statutory Health Education.

The aims of Relationships Education are further supported by interventions, extracurricular and enrichment activities we provide. For example, developing as a Healthy School, social skills interventions, Anti-bullying week, Making Me resilience and emotional literacy programme and pastoral support.

Intent of our Relationships Education Curriculum

Through the delivery of Relationships Education we intend to further our school’s aims of providing 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.

All adults in school will work towards achieving these aims for Relationships Education. We seek to enable our children to:

• develop interpersonal and communication skills
• develop positive, personal values and a moral framework that will guide their decisions and behaviour
• respect themselves and others, their views, backgrounds, cultures and experiences
• develop respectful, caring relationships based on mutuality, reciprocation and trust
• develop their ability to keep themselves and others safe, physically and emotionally, both on and off line
• develop their understanding of a variety of families and how families are central to the wellbeing of children
• recognise and avoid coercive and exploitative relationships
• explore relationships in ways appropriate to their age and stage of development
• value, care for and respect their bodies
• build confidence in accessing additional advice and support for themselves and others.

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)

We recognise that children learn about relationships and their growing and changing bodies at home and at school. We believe that a partnership between home and school is the most supportive environment for learning in this area. At school children learn about RSE topics though planned lessons, but also through wider provision and our inclusive school environment.

In addition to our broad aims for Relationships Education, in our planned lessons on Relationships and Sex Education we aim to ensure that children:

• develop understanding of the value of marriage, stable relationships and family life as a positive environment for bringing up children
• name the private parts of the body confidently and communicate with trusted adults to keep themselves safe
• be prepared for puberty and the emotional and physical effects of body changes, including menstrual wellbeing
• understand the attitudes and skills needed to maintain personal hygiene

School context

Our topic, RSE, combines elements of Relationships Education (e.g. learning about families, personal safety and emotional wellbeing) with aspects of Health Education (e.g. learning about the spread of illnesses and the changing adolescent body). This combination offers the best location for our provision of non-statutory sex education. Although ‘RSE’ as a subject is not statutory at primary level, many aspects of our RSE topic are statutory parts of Relationships Education and Health Education. Some elements of our RSE topic are part of the statutory National Curriculum for Science (e.g. the biological aspects of puberty, reproduction and the spread of viruses).

We will ensure that children receive teaching about puberty at Y5 and Y6 in order to prepare them for the physical, emotional and social changes they are approaching or undergoing. We will review the age at which puberty is introduced depending on the needs of each cohort.

We understand that at times children will benefit from varying methods of delivering the RSE curriculum. For example, we may use single-sex groups or small group teaching where this will help us to meet the needs of particular children more effectively, we will use team teaching where this enables us to best use teacher expertise. We will ensure there are positive educational reasons for each method of delivery.

Content of Sex Education

The content of our Sex Education programme will be gradually developed in an age appropriate way. The children will not learn about human sexual reproduction until Year 6.

FS/Y1/2/3 will learn that human babies grow inside their mothers alongside learning in Science that adult animals produce offspring like themselves (Cats have kittens. Cows have calves etc.). The children will also learn names for their body parts.

Y4 will learn that every human began when a seed from a male and an egg from a female join together. They will not yet learn about the means by which egg and sperm join.

Y5 will learn about how their bodies change during puberty.

Y6 will learn about human sexual reproduction and other ways that eggs and sperm are joined (eg IVF) in age appropriate detail. They will learn about vaginal birth and caesarean section in age appropriate ways, reflecting the experiences of children and families they know.

Right to be excused from Sex Education

Parents/carers have the right to request that their child be excused from some or all of Sex Education delivered as part of statutory Relationships Education. Before granting any such request the Head Teacher/PSHCE Leader will discuss the request with parents/carers (and if appropriate with the child) to ensure that their wishes are understood and to clarify the nature and purpose of the curriculum. The educational, social and emotional benefits for the child of being part of the lessons will also be discussed.

We will consider compromise arrangements which will enable the child to receive Sex Education at school (e.g. same sex teacher, same sex teaching group).

We will offer support to parents/carers who wish to deliver Sex Education at home.

If a pupil is excused from Sex Education, we will ensure that the pupil receives appropriate, purposeful education during the period of withdrawal.

The parents/carers will be asked to reconfirm their decision to withdraw their children from Sex Education each time a Sex Education element is planned for their child.

For additional information, please read through our Relationships Education Policy including Sex Education document below.

You will also find letters that have been sent to parents in preparation for our RSE units of learning.

Additional Information and Resources

Here is a list of useful links and resources to help keep you informed about Relationships Education, Health Education and Sex Education.

Links to national documents:

ELGs (September 2021)

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

ELG: Self-Regulation

Children at the expected level of development will:

• Show an understanding of their own feelings and those of others, and begin to regulate their behaviour accordingly;
• Set and work towards simple goals, being able to wait for what they want and control their immediate impulses when appropriate;
• Give focused attention to what the teacher says, responding appropriately even when engaged in activity, and show an ability to follow Instructions involving several ideas or actions.

ELG: Managing Self

Children at the expected level of development will:

• Be confident to try new activities and show independence, resilience and perseverance in the face of challenge;
• Explain the reasons for rules, know right from wrong and try to behave accordingly;
• Manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs, including dressing, going to the toilet and understanding the importance of healthy food choices.

ELG: Building Relationships

Children at the expected level of development will:

• Work and play cooperatively and take turns with others;
• Form positive attachments to adults and friendships with peers;
• Show sensitivity to their own and to others’ needs.

To support our delivery of our PSHE/RSE curriculum, we use the Cambridgeshire Primary Personal Development Programme and Making Me’s programme for developing emotional literacy, which includes sharing KIPSY stories.

Years 1 to 6

All schools should make provision for personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE), drawing on good practice. Schools are also free to Include other subjects or topics of their choice in planning and designing their own programme of education. National Curriculum

PSHE education is a school curriculum subject through which pupils develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves Healthy, safe and prepared for life and work. When delivered well, PSHE education has an impact on both academic and non-academic outcomes For pupils, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged

The majority of PSHE education became compulsory in all schools in September 2020 with the introduction of statutory Relationships Education At key stages 1 and 2, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in key stages 3 and 4, and Health Education at from key stage 1 to 4. PSHE Education was already a requirement in independent schools. PSHE Association

To support our delivery of our PSHE/RSE curriculum, we use the Cambridgeshire Primary Personal Development Programme and Making Me’s Programme for developing emotional literacy, which includes sharing KIPSY stories and children displaying how they feel using the feelings Flower.