PSHE and RSHE

School Vision Statement:

Our school is committed to bringing out the best in each other so that every member of the school community can know ‘life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10). Through learning of the teachings of Jesus, we believe that our children can explore and develop their understanding of Core Christian values as markers and guides for their own lives. We aim for the school’s Core Christian values to inform and influence our pupils’ moral compass and allow them to enjoy ‘life in all its fullness’. These values are known as the ‘Sunshine 6’. They are: Forgiveness, Perseverance, Honesty, Compassion, Courage and Respect.

We also uphold Article 29 from the UN Convention of Rights of the Child ‘Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full. It must encourage the child’s respect for human rights, as well as respect for their parents, their own and other cultures and the environment.’

PSHE and RSHE Curriculum Intent:

At St Mary’s, our PSHE and RSHE Curriculum across the school seeks to prepare children for the rich, diverse and sometimes difficult lives they will face both in school and in the wider world. Our values based curriculum will give our pupils the opportunity to develop their own self-worth, recognise the attributes of others and to feel empowered to make the next steps in their educational journeys, when they leave us. Through our ‘Sunshine 6 Values’ (the roots of our curriculum) we provide children with the knowledge they need to show respect to all members of their diverse communities, whilst also developing a profound sense of self-esteem.   Using the knowledge and values learnt through our PSHE and RSHE curriculum our children will be prepared to recognise a variety of issues, such as unhealthy relationships, bullying, peer on peer abuse or mental/physical health. We aim to enable them to seek appropriate support and safeguard themselves from any difficulties they may face. 

KIVA means kind and we intend that all of our children will learn to be kind and recognise kindness in others and that they will use this learning to become positive members of our school and the wider community.  Through progressive learning we will ensure that all children are aware of their own rights and responsibilities as members of the St Mary’s family. 

PSHE and RSHE Curriculum Implementation:

We implement our RSHE and PSHE curriculum by mapping learning sequentially throughout the year.  We use the following resources to support us in doing this: KIVA, No Outsiders, PANTS, National Online Safety and the National Curriculum for RSHE.  Learning is mapped across the year groups using our ‘National Curriculum Ladder’.  

The curriculum is planned so children learn about the following key themes: Families and People Who Care for Me; Caring Friendships; Respectful Relationships; Online Relationships; Being Safe; Mental Wellbeing; Internet Safety and Harms; Physical Health and Fitness; Healthy Eating; Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco; Health and Prevention; Basic First Aid; Changing Adolescent Body. These themes are organised repetitively to enable pupils to develop and also retain their learning, for example in Year 1 the children explore the Big Question: ‘How can we manage our feelings?’ and study the Project Values of: Choice, Consequences, Forgiveness and Honesty, and then later, in Year 5, the Big Question: ‘How can empathy for others and self-knowledge nurture personal wellbeing?’ and the Project Values of: Empathy, Contentment, Strength, Patience and Compassion.  

PSHE and RSHE are taught for 1 hour every Friday in all classes, following the year group’s Medium Term Plan. A focus for each week is identified and teachers use the planning and resources from: KIVA, No Outsiders, PANTS, National Online Safety and the National Curriculum for RSHE to plan lessons which enable our pupils to explore and learn about all areas of the RHSE curriculum. 

Each half term, year groups have a focus on: No Outsiders, KIVA, PANTS, RSHE and Online Safety. 

No Outsiders – Enables us to deliver the requirements of Equalities Act 2010. 

KIVA – Is a major part of our KS2 curriculum and is our school wide approach to tackling bullying and peer on peer abuse.  

PANTS – Is the NSPCC resource to support teaching children that their bodies are their own. 

RSHE Curriculum – We have identified when we teach all of the RSHE objectives, including: Science, Project Lessons, KIVA, and where we need to teach objectives discreetly.  

National Online Safety Areas of Focus –