PSHE

PSHE including RHE at Pendle

Subject Leader – Claire Atkinson

At Pendle Primary School, Personal, Social, Health and Economic Wellbeing Education (PSHE) supports our children in becoming healthy, independent and responsible members of society. Our pupils are encouraged to develop their sense of self-worth by playing a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community. They learn how society is organised and governed and experience the process of democracy in school through the school council. We provide opportunities for them to learn about rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be a positive member of a diverse society.

Our aims are to enable the children to:

• Recognise their own worth;
• Work well with others;
• Develop positive relationships and respect for others;
• Understand our common humanity, diversity and differences;
• Know and understand what constitutes a healthy lifestyle;
• Develop safety awareness;
• Be positive and active members of a democratic society;
• Develop self-confidence and self-esteem, and make informed choices regarding personal and social choices;
• Form good relationships with other members of the school and the wider community.

At Pendle Primary we believe that children should learn about relationships as well as the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing up, human sexuality and sexual health in an age-appropriate way. This goes beyond learning about relationships, to include puberty, how a baby is conceived and born, body ownership, and safeguarding.

In addition, we believe comprehensive relationship education helps children to develop their vocabulary and emotional literacy to enable them to talk about and manage their feelings. It helps children build their own support networks and the confidence to ask for help when they feel unsafe. This is a required element of the Health Education Guidance.

Our PSHE curriculum is delivered through a series of weekly PSHE lessons, and enhanced by two half day blocks of learning which take place at the start and end of every half term. A variety of teaching approaches and learning styles are presented to children throughout their PSHE lessons, including the children participating in activities such as circle time discussions, role play, games, investigations and problem-solving activities. These theme days are enhanced by visitors and visits such as adults from local industry, e.g Skipton Building Society, the Emergency Services, and the Life Education Van. PSHE themes are also covered throughout teaching of the wider curriculum as a response to national events or the particular needs of specific children or classes.

We thread opportunites for PSHE throughout school life at Pendle, such as organising classes in such a way that pupils are able to participate in discussion to resolve conflicts or behaviour; organising children into houses (Lobsters, Starfish, Dolphins and Sharks) which gives the opportunity to work towards earning points for their team to win end of term prizes which they enjoy as a team – such as a trip to the local park and to work as a team during events such as sports day; embedding the Pendle Values and British Values into life at Pendle, and by allowing children over their time at Pendle to have the opportunity take on different roles of responsibility during their school life, including: school council, buddying roles, school librarians and house captains.

As well as joining in with the whole school theme days, in the classes with reception children, PSHE (PSED) is an integral part of the topic work covered during the year. We relate the PSHE and Citizenship aspects of the children’s work to promote the areas of learning set out in the Foundation Stage guidance to develop a child’s personal, emotional and social development. We also support Citizenship Education in the Foundation stage through other areas of learning such as Knowledge and Understanding and Communication, Language and Literacy.