Implementation
The Early Years
In The Early Years, PSHE is referred to as the Personal, Social and Emotional Development area of learning, however PSHE is also covered as part of: Communication and Language, Physical Development and Understanding The World.
As part of their PSHE learning in The Early Years, pupils learn to form positive relationships in a setting that supports mutual respect and understanding and that celebrates and acknowledges differences. The children in The Early Years gain a knowledge and understanding of their own culture and community, which helps them develop a sense of belonging and positive self-image. Structured play encourages children to build confidence in social situations; support in finding solutions to conflicts; follow rules and understand why they are important, as well as building constructive and respectful relationships. Mindfulness is also used each day as a tool to support in regulation of emotions and to ensure all children are calm and ready for learning. The pupils are taught to be increasingly independent and encouraged to build resilience through perseverance when faced with challenging situations.
Key Stage One and Key Stage Two
In Key Stage One and Two, we follow the Jigsaw scheme of work for PSHE, which has an integrated whole-school approach. Each year, children’s learning is organised into six main units: Being Me in My World, Celebrating Differences, Dreams and Goals, Healthy Me, Relationships and Changing Me. Within these units, links are made to British Values and The UNCRC articles on The Rights of a Child.
The PSHE lessons are planned by the PSHE subject lead, in order to ensure knowledge is progressive across year groups and to support class teachers to deliver comprehensive and high-quality lessons.
PSHE lessons are taught mainly with various hands on activities, discussions, debates and circle time. At St John & St James, we aim to provide experiences that will have maximum impact on learning through developing confidence, encouraging an active role and developing good, respectful relationships. Teaching methods are designed to encourage sharing ideas as part of a group, listening and respecting the views of others.
Each lesson includes a weekly dilemma, which provides children the opportunity to engage in discussions about various, relatable scenarios that require them to use their communication skills to solve and build empathy and understanding towards others. Dilemmas focus on matters concerning potential playground issues, bullying, online safety, wellbeing and relationships.
Impact
The impact of our PSHE curriculum is evident in the confidence our children demonstrate when expressing their feelings and managing their friendships. Children at St John and St James learn to use their voice to express their emotions and to use words to solve problems. We also see the impact of this learning in our children’s engagement with their community and their care for others through various charity work and communal events hosted at the school. The choices our children make to keep themselves safe and healthy also reflect the impact of our PSHE curriculum.
