Intent

At St Luke’s, our intent is to build a PSHE curriculum, which develops learning, and results in the acquisition of knowledge and skills, enabling children to access the wider curriculum, work collaboratively with others and make a positive contribution to the life of the school. Our curriculum, which is based on the PSHE Association approved criteria, will prepare children to be a global citizen in the 22nd century in a diverse society and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences for later life. The delivered curriculum reflects the needs of our pupils, and thus have built a PSHE curriculum that reflects our locality and pupil’s needs. We build on the statutory content outlined in statutory guidance and follow a sequential curriculum that uses resources from the PSHE Association and YoungCitizens. This sequence develops core PSHE themes of: Myself and Others, Similarities and Difference, Keeping Safe, Rights and Responsibilities, Being My Best and Growing and Changing. Each phase, from EYFS to Year 6, builds on the vocabulary, knowledge and skills taught in the previous cycle to allow children to acquire further knowledge, know more and remember more. We expect teachers to use a PSHE programme to equip pupils with an age-appropriate, sound understanding of risk, with the knowledge and skills necessary to make safe and informed decisions and to recognise the importance of their own mental health and well-being. Our PSHE curriculum will incorporates an age appropriate understanding of RSE, as set out in the statutory guidance, enabling all children to be safe and to understand and develop healthy relationships both now and in their future lives.

At St Luke’s, we are aware of the way that PSHE supports many of the principles of safeguarding and links closely to schools Safeguarding, SMSC and British Values Policies. We are all aware of the important role the PSHE curriculum has in supporting school to implement the 9 protected characteristics of The Equality Act 2010.

Implementation

We strive to provide our children with learning opportunities across and beyond the curriculum, in weekly specific stand-alone lessons, assemblies, special school projects and other extra-curricular activities that enrich pupils’ experiences. There are always occasions where teachers may feel it necessary to teach PSHE as a result of an issue arisen in their own class, or through a link to another subject (i.e. online safety in Computing or healthy living in Science). Our school environment reinforces the PSHE curriculum through questioning, vocabulary and celebration of work on displays throughout school and the classroom. We use Picture News, PSHE Association, and Young Citizens to provide these opportunities for children, and provide quality first teaching and learning. We endeavour to create links with the local communities, fundraising opportunities, visitors and national and international events where we can provide enrichment opportunities to contextualise learning. PSHE is an important part of school assemblies were children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural curiosity is stimulated, challenged and nurtured.

Impact

All children should understand the importance of PSHE and RSE and the effects it can have on life in and out of school. Termly assessments by the class teacher, and school wide monitoring (lesson drops, pupil voice and book looks) from the subject lead will evidence the outcomes. By teaching pupils to stay safe and healthy, and by building resilience, cooperation, communication skills and the ability to make links, an effective PSHE programme can tackle barriers to learning, raise aspirations, and improve the life chances of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils. The skills and attributes developed through PSHE education are also shown to increase academic attainment and attendance rates, particularly among pupils eligible for free school meals, as well as improve employability and boost social mobility. By the time they leave our school, personal, social and health education (PSHE) enables our learners to become healthy, independent and responsible members of a society; preparing them for secondary school and beyond. It helps them understand how they are developing personally and socially, and tackles many of the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. Our curriculum allows pupils to learn about rights and responsibilities and 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 to school life and the wider community.