PSCHE and RSHE

PSCHE and RSHE Curriculum Statement:

At Dovedale Primary School, we believe that Personal, Social, Citizenship, Health, and Economic Education (PSCHE) is at the centre of all we do. Through our school aims, visions and expectations, we promote and nurture the development of the whole child, recognising the importance of supporting all pupils self-esteem, moral and social skills, broadening cultural and spiritual opportunities as well raising aspirations to achieve strong academic success. We pride ourselves on providing care for all pupil’s mental and physical health to enable them to lead happy, confident, and healthy lifestyles as they progress through life.

Good, strong, positive relationships are also fundamental to our school’s ethos, supporting our success in being a happy, caring, and safe environment for young children. Developing healthy relationships from a young age, provides children with the essential knowledge, skills and understanding they require to make responsible and well-informed decisions about their lives. Our updated Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) curriculum therefore plays an integral part in PSCHE to ensure we provide strong, modelled relationships in and around school as well as within the local and wider community.

As both PSCHE and RSHE contributes to the development of the whole-child, we ensure safeguarding plays an essential part in our curriculum offer. We recognise that part of our role involves helping children to learn about their own identity, risks they may face, decision-making skills and personal safety. Connecting both curriculums together therefore ensures children and young people at Dovedale Primary School have the opportunity to live safe and fulfilled lives both now and in the future, enabling them to grow and become informed, active and responsible British and Global Citizens.   

Intent:

At Dovedale Primary School, the intent of our PSCHE and RSHE offer is to provide and deliver a curriculum which is accessible to all our pupils. We intend to maximise the outcomes for every child in school regardless of their age, race, gender, religion or belief, disability, or sexual orientation so that they know more, remember more, and understand more. Our intention is to embed the key knowledge, skills and understanding within all pupils to enable them to leave primary school being independent, responsible, healthy and confident members of society who can tackle the transition to secondary school and later adult life with greater awareness and safety.

Through our PSCHE, RSHE & Personal Development curriculum offer, we want all our pupils to:

• Develop the knowledge, skills and understanding to keep themselves healthy and safe (including online).
• Use correct, age-appropriate vocabulary to communicate learning with regards to the three core themes.
• Develop their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
• Contribute towards creating a positive culture in PSCHE & RSHE lessons, where pupils have the confidence to share their thoughts, ideas, and opinions with others in a safe and sensitive environment.
• Develop the personal skills required to create and maintain positive relationships with others and build resilience to overcome problems when relationships breakdown.

• Respect themselves and recognise they are valued members of the school community and wider society.
• Respect people’s differences and show tolerance towards the beliefs, religions, and life-choices of others.
• Recognise where to seek information, advice, and support to make well-informed decisions and to keep themselves safe.
• Use taught strategies to communicate problems with others and recognise ways to reach out for support.
• Develop resilience and emotional literacy to make the most of their abilities and tackle any challenges they face.
• Know and understand the British Values and Protected Characteristics and embed them throughout school life.
• Become responsible, well-informed, independent British and Global Citizens.
• Feel safeguarded and protected. 

Implementation:

The teaching and learning of PSCHE and RSHE at Dovedale Primary school is designed based upon the objectives from the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework and the PSHE Association Curriculum for Years 1 to 6. Curriculum leaders have carefully mapped out the curriculum offer by cross-referencing the EYFS framework and PSHE Association objectives to ensure there is clear progression of the knowledge, skills and understanding covered from Reception through to Year 6.

Our curriculum is implemented to ensure all our children know more, remember more, and understand more. We achieve this by embedding learning at every opportunity, ensuring children are given the chance to revisit and review previous learning, whilst synthetically building upon these existing skills to move their learning forward, preparing them for the next stage in their learning and development. The progression of knowledge, skills and understanding has been designed in a way which ensures that it complements, and does not duplicate, content covered through statutory national curriculum subjects such as Science, Computing, Physical Education (PE) and Religious Education (RE).

The knowledge, skills and understanding covered throughout our progressive PSCHE and RSHE curriculum are not just taught in isolation, through discrete curriculum lessons. Instead, PSCHE and RSHE are embedded throughout the school day and within our schools visions and values for personal development. We ensure that children are provided with ample opportunities to deepen their learning through wider opportunities, this is evident within our school assemblies, REACH values, after-school clubs, hub groups, School Council, Anti-Bullying Ambassadors, external visitors and trips, themed school, and community events and within break times and lunch times. Children are also given the opportunities to participate in local and national initiatives including Anti-Bullying Week, Internet Safety Day, Children in Need, Religious Festivals, and school fairs to name a few. We value that our curriculum is implemented in a way which allows children to constantly apply their knowledge, skills and understanding in different situations and experiences.

To support our teaching and learning within PSCHE and RSHE, curriculum leaders have introduced accredited schemes of learning which provide teachers with quality marked resources to compliment the content in the curriculum. Teachers access and use the schemes of work as starting points for their planning to ensure learning is at the age-appropriate level and to limit repetition across year groups whist still covering the core themes. Content within the schemes is mapped out using different strands which teachers cover a block at a time. This enables children to delve deeper in content, make connections in learning and begin to apply learning across the different strands. Our PSCHE schemes of work form the basis of our curriculum however we have implemented an additional RSHE programme to provide additional experiences and to ensure learning reaches the depth and breadth required.

PSCHE:

EYFS – Teachers use ‘1-Decision’ a national kitemarked scheme of work developed for primary schools. The scheme uses 8 key strands which are covered annually. Each strand lends itself to one of the statutory core themes taken from the Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED) objectives of the EYFS framework, ensuring content covers self-confidence and awareness, managing feelings and behaviour and making relationships.

Years 1 to 6 – Teachers use ‘PSHE Matters’ a certified local scheme of work developed for primary schools in Derbyshire. The scheme adopts 12 key strands which are covered in a two-year rolling cycle. Each strand lends itself to one of the core themes from the PSHE Association Curriculum; Health and Well-Being, Relationships and Living in the Wider World.

RSHE:

EYFS to Year 6 – Teachers use ‘Christopher Winter Project,’ a national accredited schemed of work for primary schools across the United Kingdom. The resources delve deeper into elements of the Relationships and Sex Education and has an increased focus on safeguarding and keeping children safe.

The content of our PSCHE and RSHE curriculum is delivered within a safe and sensitive environment. Teachers demonstrate mutual respect with children, allowing them to take some responsibility for their learning by developing a set of ground rules which all children respect and follow in each lesson. In the classroom, teachers incorporate a wide range of teaching and learning strategies which include:

• Discussion of topics and issues within the classroom.
• Use of circle time, role play, puppets, worry box or jar to promote discussions (both identified and anonymous discussions)
• Use of age-appropriate books and stories to share issues and topics in a child friendly manner.
• Use of resources from the PSHE Matters and Christopher Winter Project.
• Visual clips from supporting websites – BBC Teach etc.
• Written activities within Health Education.
• Themed weeks and assemblies promoting current issues such as Anti-Bullying.
• Taking part in organised practical activities to promote positive relationships and team building – charity fund raising, enterprise activities, school council, carrying out additional positions around school such as house captains.

Our curriculum has been designed and implemented with the support of our parents/carers and governing body. In March 2021, curriculum leaders consulted with parents and shared the revised curriculum design, outlining coverage from EYFS to Year 6. Parents/carers were invited to share their thoughts and opinions on the curriculum design. Curriculum leaders analysed and responded to feedback to create our finalised curriculum in April 2021. Our curriculum is reviewed annually and has been recently approved in May 2022.

Please click on the tabs below to see further information about our curriculum design. You will find separate tabs for each scheme of work, our RSHE consultation with parents and knowledge organisers showing the content and coverage of our curriculum. Alternatively, please click on the attached document below to see our schools specific curriculum progression map and to find out what your child will be learning each year.

Impact:

Within our PSCHE and RSHE curriculum offer we strive to instill an appreciation and enjoyment to the children’s learning experiences which help prepare pupils for life and work by developing ‘skills that last for life.’ By the time pupils leave Dovedale Primary School, we want all our pupils to:

• Become healthy, responsible, and independent members of society.
• Achieve age-related expectations or above across the curriculum.
• Demonstrate a healthy outlook towards school, including their attendance and behaviour.
• Safeguarded and know how to keep themselves safe.
• Demonstrate and apply the British Values and Protected Characteristics.
• Feel confident on their journey that they are prepared for life and work in Modern Britain.

Our PSCHE and RSHE curriculum is responsive to the needs of the children and our ever-changing society. This was evident during the most recent pandemic – COVID-19. During remote learning, PSCHE lessons were still provided for children with a greater emphasis on mental and emotional well-being. To support children’s well-being, regular opportunities to engage in class-based zoom meetings were provided to ensure children could still see their friends and teachers and continue their learning. Additional activities were planned to adhere to the 5 ways of well-being and strategies and coping techniques were displayed via our school website. Some areas of our curriculum were much harder to address from home as many lessons require lots of discussions and group work between children. Curriculum leaders also felt our RSHE lessons were better to be delivered in school with the class teacher present. Due to this our long-term plan had greater flexibility and units were rearranged to keep safeguarding and protecting children at the forefront of our practice. Since returning to school, our PSCHE and RSHE lessons have begun bridging the gaps in knowledge and revisiting any missed skills.

Whilst our PSCHE and RSHE curriculum does not require national or formal data, Dovedale Primary School understands the importance of assessing our pupils in a variety of ways to ensure children know more, remember more, and understand more. We recognise that through continual teacher assessment we can provide a tiered approach to intervention, ensuring all our pupils receive the required support and strategies they require to live a happy, confident, safe, and independent lifestyle.

At Dovedale, we assess our pupils using the following methods:

• Baseline and Summative assessment – These strategies are used at the start and end of a unit of work. Children begin a unit completing a pre-mind map; this is completed as a whole class in EYFS and KS1 and individually in KS2. Children initially share their knowledge before their unit has begun and refer back to this at the end, adding newfound knowledge in a different colour to show progression.
• Flashback Teaching – Teachers incorporate flashback teaching at the start of every PSCHE and RSHE lesson. Teachers refer back to previous lesson content as well as the previous units/year groups to ensure children have good recall and retention of the required skills and knowledge. Flashback teaching takes place through mini quizzes, class competitions and individual assessment questions.
• Individual books – children evidence their learning (where appropriate) in their individual workbooks. Expectations in PSCHE mirror that of our core subjects to ensure children understand the importance of the subject. Their books also evidence their learning journey, showing progress across the sequence of lessons and throughout the year.
• Marking and Feedback Sheets – Practical sessions and discussions are recorded using a one-page feedback sheet. Teachers are able to share any positives/points to be proud of, gaps in learning and next steps, showing learning is always revisited and built upon.

Assessing our pupils in PSCHE and RSHE ensures we are confidently safeguarding and keeping our children safe. It also recognises where gaps in learning arises and enables us to work with other professionals in school to bridge gaps and provide support. Our PSCHE and RSHE curriculum enables us to draw upon the expertise and support of our Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENDCO), Designated Safeguarding Leaders (DSL), Family Liaison Officer (FLO) and through our school nurture groups – Thrive and BIO club.

Striving to ensure our PSCHE and RSHE curriculum is the most efficient and effective it can be is a high priority at Dovedale. Curriculum leaders monitor and measure the impact of the curriculum each term. Curriculum leaders use a triangulation of methods to cross-reference teaching and learning, this happens through:

• Pupil voice – Children are given the opportunities to feedback on PSCHE and RSHE lessons sharing positive, areas for improvements and suggestions moving forward. Pupil voice discussions also highlight retention of knowledge, skills, and vocabulary.
• Teacher voice – Curriculum leaders value feedback from teachers with regards to what’s working well and needs improving. This forms the basis for staff training and CPD to ensure teachers are always able to provide high-quality teaching and learning.
• Planning scrutiny – Curriculum leaders monitor the termly planning to ensure content is appropriate, sequential, and high quality.
• Book looks – Curriculum leaders monitor the content of teaching and quality of work produced, ensuring learning is age appropriate, progressive and without repetition.