PSHE
From the start of the Autumn Term 2021, it is a statutory requirement that all schools in England and Wales are teaching Relationship, Health (and Sex Education) as a fundamental part of the curriculum.
As part of implementing the RSHE curriculum, we have consulted with the children, parents, staff and governors to ensure there is a general consensus on our approaches to school policy and the curriculum content.
Relationships, Sex and Health Education Policy (RSHE) September 2021
The PSHE & RSHE policy in full at the bottom of the page. The curriculum document mentioned is attached below if you would like more details of the progression throughout school for PSHE.
In Reception (Early Years) there are seven areas of learning and development that shape the curriculum. All areas of learning and development are important and inter-connected. PSHE comes under one of the 3 areas which are particularly important for building a foundation for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, forming relationships and thriving; personal, social and emotional development (PSED).
At Lydgate we know 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 with relationships with adults enable children to learn how to understand their own feelings and those of others. They are 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 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.
In Key stage 1 and Key stage 2 PSHE education is taught in discrete, weekly lessons through which pupils develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy and safe and prepared for life and work. However, it is also taught through school assemblies and cross-curricular with subjects such as Computing and Science.
It aims to give pupils the knowledge that will enable them to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships. It aims to develop skills and attributes such as resilience, self-esteem, risk-management, teamwork and critical thinking in the context of three core themes: Health and Wellbeing, Relationships and Living in the Wider World which are taught termly.
At Lydgate we provide our pupils with opportunities for them to learn about rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be a member of a diverse society. The curriculum aims to be appropriate for all pupils and enable all pupils to access good quality PSHE teaching. 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.
Our scheme of work is adapted from the PSHE Association. This was chosen because it blends the PSHE curriculum with the new Relationships and Health education guidance. The curriculum overview is below.
As First Aid has been included further across school, we do follow guidance from St Johns Ambulance.
Click here for the Online Safety objectives we cover within our PSHE
As part of our social and emotional curriculum we use the ELSA approach which supports individual needs and help our children become happy, healthy and confident individuals.
What is ELSA?
The ELSA (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) intervention was originally developed within Southampton, then Hampshire, by Sheila Burton, Educational Psychologist. It was designed to build the capacity of schools to support the emotional needs of their pupils from within their own resources. This is achieved by training teaching assistants to develop and deliver individualised support programmes to meet the emotional needs of children and teenagers in their care. It recognises that children learn better and are happier in school if their emotional needs are also addressed. This intervention is now widely implemented by educational psychologists across Britain.
Mrs Tasker, our Learning Mentor, is a trained ELSA.