PSHE / RSHE

Reception Learning

Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy 2024-2027

RSE A guide for parents

Relationships Education, Health Education and Sex Education - A Guide for Parents and Carers leafletOur Jigsaw Approach

PSHE and Citizenship help to give pupils the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy, independent lives and to become informed, active and responsible citizens.

Pupils are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities and experiences across and beyond the curriculum, contributing fully to the life of their school and the community.  They reflect on their experiences and understand how they are developing personally and socially, tackling many of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues.

They find out about the main political and social institutions that affect their lives and about their responsibilities, rights and duties as individuals and members of communities. 

How we teach PSHE

We use a scheme called Jigsaw which is a  mindful approach to PSHE for Personal, Social, Health Education, with particular emphasis on emotional literacy, mental health, SMSC and spiritual development.

With a strong emphasis on emotional literacy and nurturing mental health as the necessary underpinnings for learning, our Jigsaw scheme provides teachers with detailed weekly lesson plans and all the resources needed to deliver engaging and relevant PSHE. With mindfulness philosophy and practice woven throughout, our Jigsaw is a unique, progressive and effective PSHE scheme of work.

We use Jigsaw as a whole-school approach to equip our children for life, helping them really know and value who they are and how they relate to other people in this ever-changing world.

What must primary schools teach in Relationships Education, Health  Education and Sex Education?

From September 2020, Relationships and Health Education are compulsory in all primary schools in England. For primary aged children this includes curriculum content under two headings (DfE 2019):

 
We seek to provide Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education (RSHE), which will enable all pupils to flourish.

We commit:

1    To work in partnership with parents and carers. This will involve dialogue with parents and carers through all stages of policy development as well as discussing the resources used to teach their children and how they can contribute at home. It must, however, be recognised that the law specifies that what is taught and how it is taught is ultimately a decision for the school.

2    That RSHE will be delivered professionally and as an identifiable part of PSHE. It will be led, resourced and reported to parents in the same way as any other subject. There will be a planned programme delivered in a carefully sequenced way. Staff will receive regular training in RSHE and PSHE. Any expert visitors or trainers invited into the school to enhance and supplement the programme will be expected to respect the schools published policy for RSHE.

3     That RSHE will be delivered in a way that affords dignity and shows respect to all who make up our diverse community. It will not discriminate against any of the protected characteristics in the Equality Act and will be sensitive to the faith and beliefs of those in the wider school community. RSHE will seek to explain fairly the tenets and varying interpretations of religious communities on matters of sex and relationships and teach these viewpoints with respect. It will value the importance of faithfulness as the underpinning and backdrop for relationships. It will encourage pupils to develop the skills needed to disagree without being disagreeable, to appreciate the lived experience of other people and to live well together.

4      That RSHE will seek to build resilience in our pupils to help them form healthy relationships, to keep themselves safe and resist the harmful influence of pornography in all its forms. It will give pupils opportunities to reflect on values and influences including their peers, the media, the internet, faith and culture that may have shaped their attitudes to gender, relationships and sex. It will promote the development of the wisdom and skills our pupils need to make their own informed decisions.

5       That RSHE will promote healthy resilient relationships set in the context of character and virtue development. It will reflect the vision and associated values of the school, promote reverence for the gift of human sexuality and encourage relationships that are hopeful and aspirational. Based on the school’s values it will seek to develop character within a moral framework based on virtues such as honesty, integrity, self-control, courage, humility, kindness, forgiveness, generosity and a sense of justice but does not seek to teach only one moral position.

6        That RSHE will be based on honest and medically accurate information from reliable sources of information, including about the law and legal rights. It will distinguish between different types of knowledge and opinions so that pupils can learn about their bodies and sexual and reproductive health as appropriate to their age and maturity.

 7       To take a particular care to meet the individual needs of all pupils including those with special needs and disabilities. It will ensure that lessons and any resources used will be accessible and sensitive to the learning needs of the individual child. We acknowledge the potential vulnerability of pupils who have special needs and disabilities (SEND) and recognise the possibilities and rights of SEND pupils to high quality relationships and sex education.

 8        To seek pupils’ views about RSHE so that the teaching can be made relevant to their lives. It will discuss real life issues relating to the age and stage of pupils, including friendships, families, faith, consent, relationship abuse, exploitation and safe relationships online. This will be carefully targeted and age appropriate based on a teacher judgment about pupil readiness for this information in consultation with parents and carers.

[1] RSHE is used to indicate either Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education as determined by the school context since, after consultation with parents and carers primary schools may decide to include elements of sex education in their curriculum.

[2] The protected characteristics are age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity.