INTENT

PSHE enables our children to become supportive, healthy, independent and responsible members of society. Our curriculum targets support for children to help them understand how they are developing personally and socially, and tackles many of the social, moral, cultural, mental and physical issues that are part of growing up. At Welland Academy, we provide our children with the opportunity to learn about their own rights and responsibilities as members of our school and community. Our children are encouraged to develop their sense of democracy by playing a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community through the school's pupil council and Eco-Committee. We fully believe that children should not only be great learners, but all around great human beings - for their own wellbeing and for the wellbeing of others around them. Our goal is to give children the lasting, transferrable skills to apply to their lives, whether it is with us within the academy walls or outside of school in years to come.

 

"A growing body of research shows that pupils who are emotionally healthy do better at school. PSHE education helps children and young people to achieve their potential by supporting their wellbeing and tackling issues that can affect their ability to learn, such as anxiety and unhealthy relationships. PSHE education also helps pupils to develop skills and aptitudes — like teamwork, communication, and resilience — that are crucial to navigating the challenges and opportunities of the modern world."

- PSHE Association

 

Safeguarding is a vital element to our school ethos, allowing children to feel safe and secure whilst in the care of any adult in our academy. Our PSHE curriculum allows our children to recognise and respond to potential safeguarding issues, bringing them to the attention of a trusted adult, and allowing them to seek support. In every single PSHE lesson (and at any point in the day) children should feel safe and able to ask any questions that they may have about themselves and their bodies. Any questions are addressed at an age appropriate level for our children to assure them that no question is too small.

 

Implementation

At Welland Academy we follow the National Curriculum. The national curriculum states that:

 

"All schools should make provision for personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE), drawing on good practice"

 

 

 

 

We use the Jigsaw scheme of work to support our delivery of PSHE. This scheme is split into six main areas:

 

• Being me in my world – Helping children to understand their place in the world, including their rights and responsibilities in their communities.
• Celebrating differences – This unit helps to support children in understanding that differences make us stronger and unique. Differences should be celebrated and supported as they allow children to be their own selves and allow a diverse and functional society.
• Dreams and Goals – Within this unit, we encourage children to really consider what they would like in their own lives and their own futures. This links well with our Careers curriculum in broadening the spectrum of potential aspirations for children. We also encourage children to think about other people's dreams and goals, and consider why these may be similar or different to our own aspirations.
• Healthy Me – Children should have the opportunity to learn how to live a healthy lifestyle, both physically and mentally. In this unit, we cover how some things are good for our health, and how others need to be enjoyed in moderation. We also reinforce that children are partially responsible for making healthy choices for themselves, and discuss what these could be, to allow them to independently make positive changes to their lifestyles.
• Relationships – Our relationships unit covers the different types of relationships we may encounter in our lifetimes, from family, friends, work and romantic relationships. We discuss how these relationships are different and how they impact our lives when these relationships change. This allows children to learn relationship skills, manage their own relationships and be reflective on what makes a positive and healthy relationship. For our younger children, we encourage children to recognise the emotions that they may feel towards certain special people in their lives, and how they can interpret their emotions positively. For most of our KS2 children, this unit also covers online safety and being responsible when it comes to online relationships with people they may not know. This unit is vital in ensuring our children know how to navigate all types of relationships safely, both within our school and in the outside world.
• Changing me – Changing me is all about the changes that our children can expect to experience as they grow up. This covers puberty, body image, self-confidence, knowledge of the body parts, sex education, transition to the next year group and, (for our Year 6's) the transition to secondary school. We teach our children the importance of trust in an adult and our responsibility in helping them stay safe. We provide a safe space for any questions they may have, and answer those questions in an age appropriate manner. Especially during this unit, children have the opportunity to ask questions out loud or anonymously in their classes.

 

 

 

 

• Our PSHE curriculum encompasses our key school values ‘kindness, resilience, confidence, bravery, patience, honesty, independence and curiosity’. 
• Through the use of the Jigsaw Characters our curriculum excites and sustains children’s interests and using the Jigsaw Charter ensures that all children’s views are respected and valued.
• Successes are celebrated through the weekly celebration scrolls that are displayed in classrooms and through our fortnightly values assembly where one child is nominated from each class for demonstrating one of the school values. 
• PSHE is taught as whole class/mixed ability groups to support those children with a SEND need and to encourage children to hear differing opinions to their own.

 

 

 

 Impact

The impact of the quality of education within PSHE will be seen in pupil voice and learning walks. This will be gauged through discussions with the children, the development of PSHE language and the outcomes of these discussions in children's books and verbal lessons. Discussions will be had with class teachers to discuss their views on the impact of the PSHE curriculum. Impact will also be seen the ethos and environment of the school, as children learn to become good members of their communities and supportive classmates.