PSHE, Relationships Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education Curriculum Statement

Intent

PSHE runs through the very heart of our school and is at the core of everything we do. Through PSHE, we develop the Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural development of our children. Personal, Social, Health and Economic education is fully underpinned by our Christian values. As such, our PSHE curriculum has been developed to both inspire our children’s knowledge and develop skills that will enable them to thrive personally and socially in an ever-changing and challenging world.

Our curriculum provides our pupils with the knowledge, understanding and emotions needed to be able to play an active role in today’s society. It prepares our children in developing an understanding of the importance of caring for and taking responsibility for themselves, their families and both local and wider communities that they are a part of. It prepares them to manage life’s challenges and the opportunities that they will encounter as they grow up. Our curriculum promotes an understanding of British values of democracy: the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and acceptance of those of other faiths and beliefs so that they can feel prepared for life in modern day Britain.

We want our children to have high aspirations and a belief in themselves. They develop confidence in sharing their own thoughts and opinions with others, skills and attributes to keep themselves healthy and safe and an attitude of a responsible global citizen that can show tolerance of others beliefs, religions and life choices. 

Implementation  

At Verwood C of E First School and Nursery, the PSHE curriculum is taught discretely on a weekly basis, but cross-curricular links are developed to support the children in making connections to wider learning opportunities and life experiences. Children use their personal journals to record both their 6 R’s and PSHE learning in.

We teach emotional literacy and develop the vocabulary they need to be able to speak about their own personal, social, emotional and mental health.

Children are exposed to current affairs, which give them a chance to discover their interests and bring the world closer to their everyday lives, maximising opportunities to discuss difficult and challenging situations along with opportunities to deal with and learn from day-to-day complexities that arise as a part of everyday school life.

At Verwood C of E First School and Nursery, our collective worship assemblies have different themes throughout the year. Our themes are linked to aspects of the PSHE, RSE and the RE curriculum and celebrate key religious, national and international days and events.

In each curriculum area, consideration is given to the school’s own context to ensure that learning experiences are meaningful and relevant. Learning experiences themselves are also varied and opportunities for learning outside the classroom are also valued, considered and specifically planned for. Through the involvement of visitors with specialist skills and backgrounds and the careful consideration and planning of trips and real-life experiences, the children are able to build on their knowledge of community and develop the skills they will require for life after education.

HeartSmart is a resource used to enrich our delivery of PSHE. The programme is an integral part of our whole school PSHE education provision and aims to build resilience, strengthen emotional intelligence and develop active empathy. Fundamentally, it teaches our children to love and accept themselves as well as loving and respecting each other. We want every child to know that they are unique individuals who are loved, cared for and valued. HeartSmart help us to do this. Boris the HeartSmart robot provides a fun and interactive way to explore their hearts - as their heart is the thing that makes each child unique.

HeartSmart helps us to fulfil the statutory guidance that states children should know about:

• Families and people who care for me
• Caring friendships
• Respectful relationships
• Online relationships
• Being safe

This is delivered under five core themes:

1. Don’t forget to let love in!

2. Too much selfie isn’t healthy!

3. Don’t rub it in, rub it out!

4. Fake is a mistake!

5. ‘No way through,’ isn’t true!

At Verwood C of E First School & Nursery, delivery of the relationships education and health education coincide with one another and will be delivered as part of the school’s PSHE curriculum. The relationships and health curriculum have been organised in line with the statutory requirements outlined in the DfE (2019) ‘Relationships, Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education’ guidance. 

Impact

Through the high quality first teaching of PSHE taking place we will see the impact of the subject in different ways.

Children will:

• be equipped with a sound understanding of risk and with the knowledge and skills necessary to develop good relationships and stay safe and healthy by making informed decisions
• be able to look after their mental health and well-being
• have a willingness and ability to try new things, push themselves and persevere
• demonstrate and apply the British Values of Democracy, Tolerance, Mutual respect, Rule of law and Liberty
• children will demonstrate our school’s learning values (6 R’s) and a 'Growth Mindset' attitude to build resilience, independence and confidence; embrace challenge; foster a love of learning; and increase their level of happiness. 
• demonstrate a healthy outlook towards school – attendance will be in-line with national and behaviour will be good
• be on their way to becoming healthy, open-minded, respectful, socially and morally responsible, active members of society
• be on their journey preparing them for life and work in modern Britain
• have an appreciation of what it means to be a positive member of a diverse, multicultural society
• have a strong self-awareness, interlinked with compassion of others