PSHE & RSE
Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education
Intent
At Brandon Primary Academy we are aware of the way that PSHE (Personal, Social, Health, Economic) and RSE (Relationship, Sex, Education) supports many of the principles of safeguarding and links closely to schools Safeguarding, SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural), British Values Policies and Values Based Education. We are all aware of the important role the PSHE curriculum has in supporting school to safeguard the 9 protected characteristics of The Equality Act 2010.
At Brandon Primary, our intent is to help children become compassionate resilient people who can contribute to the wider society. Our curriculum will prepare children to be a global citizen in a diverse society and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences for later life. We are aware that the delivered curriculum must reflect the needs of our pupils.
We use a bespoke PSHCE curriculum which to meet the needs of our children. The schemes of work follow on comprehensively from the EYFS 7 areas of Learning, specifically PSED, Understanding the world and C&L up to Year 6. Teaching and learning in the classroom should show progression across all Key Stages within the PSHE and RSE core themes: relationships, health and wellbeing, and living in the wider world. Each phase builds on the vocabulary, knowledge and skills taught in the previous year to allow children to acquire further knowledge, know more and remember more. We expect teachers to use a PSHE programme to equip pupils with an age-appropriate, sound understanding of risk, with the knowledge and skills necessary to make safe and informed decisions and to recognise the importance of their own mental health and well-being. Our PSHE and RSE curriculum incorporates an age-appropriate understanding of RSE, as set out in the statutory guidance, enabling all children to be safe and to understand and develop healthy relationships both now and in their future lives.
Implementation
We strive to provide our children with learning opportunities across and beyond the curriculum, in specific lessons, special school projects and other activities that enrich pupils’ experiences. There are always occasions where teachers may feel it necessary to teach PSHE as a result of an issue arisen in their own class. Our school environment reinforces the PSHE curriculum through questioning, vocabulary and discussion topics throughout school. We use, Values Based Learning, British Values and SMSC displays around school to provide these opportunities for children. Our curriculum is enhanced by our school values and these are discussed in assemblies and weekly celebrations.
Impact
All children understand the importance of PSHE, RSE, SMSC and Values and the effects it can have on life in and out of school, this is evident through termly pupil voice and Holistic Learning and PSHE coverage folder monitoring by the curriculum leader. By teaching pupils to stay safe and healthy, and by building self-esteem, resilience and empathy, an effective PSHE programme can tackle barriers to learning, raise aspirations, and improve the life chances of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils. The skills and attributes developed through PSHE education are also shown to increase academic attainment and attendance rates, particularly among pupils eligible for free school meals, as well as improve employability and boost social mobility. By the time they leave our school, children’s personal, social and health education (PSHE) will enable them to become healthy, independent and responsible members of a society. It helps them understand how they are developing personally and socially, and tackles many of the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. Our curriculum allows pupils to learn about rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be a member of a diverse society. Our children are encouraged to develop their sense of self-worth by playing a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community.
PSHE Curriculum Overview
Below is an overview of our Long Term Curriculum PSHE plan from Year 1 to Year 6
Relationship & Sex Education / Health Education
From September 2020, Relationships, Sex and Health Education were made compulsory in all primary schools in England and includes curriculum content under these headings.
Relationships Education: is designed to help children to have positive and safe relationships with family, friends and online. All primary schools are required by the government to teach Relationships Education and parents cannot withdraw children from this section of the curriculum. The areas this section of the curriculum cover are:
- Families and people who care for me
- Caring Friendships
- Respectful Relationships
- Online Relationships
- Being Safe
Health Education: supports children to make good decisions about their health and wellbeing and enable them to know how to seek support if any health issues arise for themselves or others. All primary schools are required by the government to teach Health Education and parents cannot withdraw children from this section of the curriculum. The areas this section of the curriculum cover are:
- Mental wellbeing
- Internet safety and harms
- Physical health and fitness
- Healthy eating
- Drugs, alcohol and tobacco
- Health and prevention
- Basic first aid
- The changing adolescent body
Sex Education: is designed to help children to:
- Understand and respect their bodies
- Develop positive and healthy relationships appropriate to their age and development
- Support children to have positive self-esteem and body image
- Empower them to be safe and safeguarded.
Parents do have the right to request their child is withdrawn from these specific lessons. If you wish to withdraw your child, please contact our Head of School, Mrs McGough, who will be happy to discuss this further with you and a withdrawal form will need to be completed.
At Brandon Primary Academy, all aspects of RSE are taught through the PSHE Curriculum. An overview of lessons can be found in the PSHE Curriculum Overview.
Review / Consultation on RHSE
Our Relationship and Sex Education and Health Education curriculum and policy was reviewed in January 2024 so we could be sure our RHSE provision is appropriate for our pupils based on their:
- Age
- Physical and emotional maturity
- Religious and cultural backgrounds
- Special educational needs and disabilities
As part of this process we consulted with parents, staff and governors to gauge their views on how this content is covered in school. Following the consultation process our PSHE / RHSE policy and curriculum provision was agreed by our Academy Council. A link to the PSHE / RHSE policy can be found here.
Should you wish to speak with us directly about PSHE / RHSE please contact us through the usual communication channels to arrange an appointment. Our PSHE subject lead is Miss Ward.
