Personal Social and Health Education Curriculum

What is PSHE?

PSHE stands for Personal, Social and Health Education. It is an important part of your child's national curriculum learning.

Personal, social and health education (PSHE) helps to give children the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy and independent lives. It aims to help them understand how they are developing personally and socially, tackling many of the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. The kinds of questions that might come up in PSHE include: What acts indicate kindness? What is ‘wellbeing’? Why do we have to eat vegetables? How can I stay safe online? 

It is here that your child will learn about bullying, citizenship, drug education, healthy eating, physical activity, mental and emotional health, wellbeing, and relationships and sex education.

Learning opportunities take place in specific lessons as well as in assemblies, circle time, special school projects and other activities that enrich pupils' experiences e.g. visitors to school.

(Click here to find out more about Talking Mental Health)

Why is PSHE education provision important to schools?​

PSHE education makes a major contribution to schools’ statutory responsibilities to:

• promote children and young people’s wellbeing
• achieve the whole curriculum aims
• promote community cohesion

Why is PSHE education important to children and young people?

PSHE education equips children and young people with knowledge, understanding, attitudes and practical skills to live healthy, safe, productive, fulfilled, capable and responsible lives.

PSHE at St Austin's

Intent

We believe that PSHE plays a vital part of Primary education and our Catholic values, therefore quality PSHE teaching is taught explicitly in KS1 and KS2 across the year within weekly lessons, and part of the wider curriculum in EYFS. Small group work and circle time is used to discuss arising issues within the wider world, important news events and real-life concepts allowing children to debate, question and discuss.

Implementation

At St Austin's school we use the Ten Ten 'Life to the Full' scheme of work for PSHE and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE).  This scheme of work has a variety of lessons which include engaging activities, games and videos to help the children learn.  The Ten Ten curriculum is a specific scheme of work which is recommended by the Birmingham Diocese.  Each lesson has a prayer and hymn linked to it and allows for reflection on some challenging issues. It ensures that PSHE is taught through a Catholic lens.

Impact

Our approach to teaching PSHE means that our curriculum and coverage is relevant to children living in today’s world, as it helps and equips our pupils to understand and engage with issues in the wider world, but is appropriate to age.

Our engaging lessons, opportunities for discussion and debate assist with enhancing oracy skills and overall confidence of learners.

If you have any concerns about the PSHE or the RSE curriculum, please email the school office and Mrs Rowley will get back to you.