Mrs Pratt
PSHE Subject Lead
Intent
At Martlesham Primary Academy, the PSHE curriculum will prepare children to live in an increasingly complex world which presents both positive and exciting opportunities as well as challenges and risk. It will achieve this by helping them develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they will need to manage their lives now and in the future. By the time they leave Martlesham Primary Academy, children will have an essential understanding of how to stay healthy. They will be taught about the concept of mental well-being, how to take care of themselves and receive support if mental health issues arise. They will understand the key building blocks of respectful relationships that focus on family and friends in all contexts, including online. They will be skilled in managing their academic, personal and social lives in a positive way and know how to manage their personal safety by assessing and handling risk. They will be prepared to make the most of life and work in the wider world. The curriculum has been written in consultation with parents/carers and the wider community in line with statutory requirements.
Implementation
The PSHE curriculum comprehensively covers the statutory guidance outlining the content that schools must cover from September 2020 (see the DfE publication ‘Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education’). In addition, it includes non-statutory aspects of the PSHE curriculum that the document does not mention such as economic well-being, careers and enterprise education and personal safety, including assessing and managing risk.
To achieve this, the curriculum is delivered through the following three core themes:
- Core theme 1: Health and Well-being
- Core theme 2: Relationships
- Core theme 3: Living in the Wider World
The core themes are taught through well-chosen, carefully sequenced lessons that will allow pupils to embed new knowledge so that it can be confidently used in real life situations. The themes also facilitate the revisiting, reinforcing and extending of prior learning so that knowledge, skills, related vocabulary and attributes are developed year upon year. Whilst the themes are separate, a lot of content will overlap. In particular, relationships, assessing and managing risk and managing life online are integrated throughout all three themes.
All subject content will be delivered in an age appropriate and developmentally appropriate way, taking into consideration pupils’ increasing independence and physical social awareness as they move through the school. The curriculum will be taught sensitively and inclusively with respect to the backgrounds and beliefs of pupils and parents, while always with the aim of providing pupils with the knowledge they need of the law.
Evidence of learning is recorded in a class scrapbook, demonstrating examples of the discussions and activities which have been undertaken to support the learning.
All children start having PSHE/RSHE lessons from EYFS (Autumn term). They have weekly lessons with a teacher all the way to Year 6. In EYFS, children’s lessons are mostly centred around integrating emotional literacy, self-regulation of behaviour, social skills and spiritual development. These are covered in both discrete PSHE sessions and through the approach to learning through the school day through continuous provision. In Key Stage 1, the children begin exploring their relevant learning experiences to help navigate their world and to develop positive relationships with themselves and others. From EYFS, children start to build their resilience which is one of the school’s learning powers. Our pupils build on their PSHE vocabulary to learn how to express themselves and share opinions, building to become emotionally literate.
Impact
Our PSHE curriculum is planned to demonstrate skills, knowledge and vocabulary progression to ensure age-related attainment at the end of each key stage. The PSHE subject lead regularly checks that teaching approaches match the intended curriculum goals for pupils, as well as following the progression of knowledge and skills which are laid out within our curriculum.
Teachers assess the children on O’Track against the three different core themes. This is completed at the end of each term based on that term’s PSHE skills and knowledge. Evidence will be collated from teacher assessment, sketchbooks and pupil voice to inform these assessments. This will track the children’s progress against age-related expectations for PSHE.
In the term where PSHE is a focus subject (to support workload for subject leaders), the PSHE subject leader will use a range of methods to evaluate the strengths and development areas, including pupil voice, learning walks and scrapbook looks. They will also identify any CPD needs within PSHE, which may include team teaching, modelled lessons for teachers or whole teaching staff CPD within a staff meeting. The aim of this is to give staff the skills they need to be confident to teach and promote the subject.
Thrive assessments are used to assess and provide emotional development support to individual children.
The impact of our PSHE curriculum is also seen in our behaviour outcomes, how children approach and resolve situations and how they are committed to creating a culture within the school that celebrates differences and is inclusive to all.
Wider and Extra Curricular Opportunities
- Anti-Bullying Week is marked within the school calendar, addressing issues linked to the theme of each year, including ‘odd socks day’ to stand up against bullying.
- A 11 Before 11 promise of ’10 Good Deeds in 10 Days’ is completed annually, raising the profile of kindness and good deeds to ourselves and our community.
PSHE Progression Documents