PSHE

Curriculum (PSHE)

 
PSHE at Warwick Bridge School
 

1        Aims and Objectives
 

Personal, social and health education (PSHE) enables children to become healthy, independent and responsible members of society. We encourage our pupils to play a positive role in contributing to the life of the school and the wider community. In so doing we help develop their sense of self-worth.

The aims of personal, social and health education at Warwick Bridge School are to enable the children to: 

know and understand what constitutes a healthy lifestyle;
be aware of safety issues;
understand what makes for good relationships with others;
have respect for others;
be independent and responsible members of the school community;
be positive and active members of a democratic society;
develop self-confidence and self-esteem, and make informed choices regarding personal and social issues;
develop good relationships with other members of the school and the wider community. 

2        Teaching and Learning
 

We use a range of teaching and learning styles. We place an emphasis on active learning by including the children in discussions, investigations and problem-solving activities. We encourage the children to take part in a range of practical activities that promote active citizenship, e.g. charity fundraising, the planning of school special events such as an assembly or school fayre, or involvement in an activity to help other individuals or groups less fortunate than themselves. We organise classes in such a way that pupils are able to participate in discussion to resolve conflicts or set agreed classroom rules of behaviour. We have annual visits from the ‘Life Education Bus’ which provides healthy lifestyle, relationships and self-esteem workshops with each class. We offer children the opportunity to hear visiting speakers, such as health workers, police, and representatives from the local church, whom we invite into the school to talk about their role in creating a positive and supportive local community.

 

3        Planning
 

We teach PSHE as a discrete subject and follow the SCARF scheme of learning in our planning. As this is an online planning scheme, it updates and adapts to keep up with changes in our world and our curriculum. We follow a long term plan but are able to be flexible to ensure areas are revisited or are looked at early if they are pertinent to a particular issue which arises in the classroom. 

Some of the time, we introduce PSHE through other subjects, e.g. when teaching about local environmental issues in geography, we offer pupils the opportunity to explore who is responsible for recycling and why it is important. As there is a large overlap between the programme of study for religious education and the aims of PSHE, we teach a considerable amount of the PSHE through our religious education lessons. 

We also develop PSHE through activities and whole-school events. We offer a residential visit to Years 5 and 6 in Key Stage 2, where there is a particular focus on developing pupils’ self-esteem and providing opportunities to develop leadership and co-operative skills.

 

4        The Foundation Stage
 

Personal, Social and Emotional Development is one of the three prime areas in the Early Years Statutory Framework and as such, it is an integral part of our everyday routines. It includes the subsections of Self-Confidence and Self-Awareness, Managing Feelings and Behaviour and Making Relationships. Children in the Early Years classroom receive daily opportunities develop these areas through carefully planned provision. We also teach Personal, Social and Emotional Development as a discrete subject following the SCARF scheme of learning and as part of topic work covered during the year. 

Topic work and the SCARF scheme of learning are also used to teach children about similarities and differences between themselves and others, and among families, communities and traditions as outlined in the area of learning Understanding the World.

 

5        Teaching PSHE to children with Special Needs
 

We teach PSHE to all children, regardless of their ability. Our teachers provide learning opportunities matched to the individual needs of children with learning difficulties. When teaching PSHE, we take into account the targets set for the children by their teachers and the SENCo. 

 

6        Assessment and recording
 

Teachers assess the children’s work in PSHE both by making judgements as they observe them during lessons and around school. We have clear expectations of what the pupils will know and understand at the end of each key stage. 

We do not set formal examinations in PSHE and citizenship. The assessments that we make of pupil achievement do not imply that a pupil has ‘passed’ or ‘failed’, but inform our teaching. 

 

7        Resources
 

The SCARF scheme of learning is an online resource. All teachers have log in details to the SCARF plans and printable resources to use in lessons. We have additional resources in the library.

 

8        Monitoring and Review
 

The PSHE subject leader is responsible for monitoring the standards of children’s work and the quality of teaching. The subject leader supports colleagues in the teaching of PSHE, by giving them information about current developments in the subject and by providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject in the school. The subject leader is also responsible for giving the Head Teacher and governing body a report, once a year, evaluating strengths and weaknesses in the subject and indicating areas for further improvement.