Intent

At Spring Gardens, our PSHE curriculum is undertaken earnestly and enthusiastically. Our aim is to ensure that by the end of their journey at Spring Gardens, children have the knowledge and understanding of how to stay safe and healthy, and to manage the wider world around them. Our targets are taken from a range of sources including our Local Authority Guidance, Government documents, The National Curriculum (RSE) and The PSHE-Association.

Through a range of different teaching strategies such as circle time, class discussions, small group activities and role play – children are equipped with the experiences and opportunities to understand about their mind and their body and to develop empathy and awareness of those around them. Children in Key Stage 1 are taught about their bodies and how to stay safe, as well as developing the correct vocabulary and terminology to discuss relationships, feelings and body parts. This knowledge is developed throughout Key Stage 2, where children are taught the importance of protecting themselves from risk, understanding the changes their body is going through (puberty) and how to identify and maintain healthy relationships. It is our intent that, throughout school, children are equipped with a range of strategies to regulate their feelings and emotions and to know that it is important to discuss how they are feeling as well as ask for help if they need it.

Through planned progression each year, children build on this understanding and awareness to become more confident in self-regulation and their own place within the community. Due to the pandemic, we, as a school understand the need to consolidate previous learning as the children’s emotional and mental health may have changed throughout this period. Our starting points and sequences of lessons have been adapted to meet the learner’s changing and developing needs.

PSHE Curriculum Overview 2023-2024

• Spring Gardens Primary School PSHE Curriculum Overview Grid
• Spring Gardens Primary School PSHE Year Group Overview

Implementation

In PSHE, topics are blocked and taught weekly over a half term. This allows children to focus on developing their knowledge and skills for each topic. It is encouraged that staff teach PSHE using flexibility and adaptability and that if a topic or issue arises in class, then it is important to teach about it as soon as possible. Due to the flexibility of the overview, staff have freedom to cover the PSHE topics and questions in a way that is specific to their class and that will best meet their needs. Teaching of PSHE is monitored regularly and class teachers are responsible for auditing what they have/have yet to cover for that year.

The PSHE overview is broken up into three main themes; Healthy Lifestyles, Keeping Safe and Relationships. It is then broken down into six sub-categories; healthy eating and keeping active, emotional understanding, modern issues: e-safety and financial understanding, who to trust, relationships, anti-bullying. We use a range of resources to inform planning and take advantage of subject specific resources from different organisations and charities, for example, The Anti-Bullying Alliance, NSPCC, and Go Givers. This ensures the thorough coverage of the vital aspects of PSHE as well as consistency and progression throughout school.

Impact

Through quality first teaching, targeted interventions and careful planning, our aim is for our children to become aware of the wider world around them, how to keep safe and how to manage different relationships. This can be evidenced through pupil voice and first hand evidence of how children deal with different scenarios. Evidence of learning is also provided in books for KS2 children and through group evidence folders in KS1. Each academic year, every class will complete a pre and post assessment, in September and July, to monitor their progress and demonstrate their understanding of what they have covered throughout the year.

As well as following the PSHE overview, teachers cover any arising topical issues through circle times, class and group discussions. 

Through a mixture of staff and pupil voice, it is evident that children and adults at Spring Gardens prioritise the importance and understand the positive impact of PSHE lessons on all aspects of a child’s life and learning.

In line with the Government guidance we have made some changes to what is being taught in our PSHE (Personal, Social and Emotional Education) lessons and ensured that they include the new statutory Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) curriculum. The changes are a small addition to an already wide ranging PSHE curriculum. The updated changes ensure that every child is equipped with the knowledge and understanding they need for when they leave Primary School.

Following parent consultation and governor approval of the policy and overview, the new RSE curriculum can now taught throughout school. If you have any questions regarding the coverage of the PSHE curriculum, please contact Mrs Chambers (PSHE Lead) via the school office.