PSHE at Water Leys

'If a thing is humanly possible, consider it within your reach.'

 Marcus Aurelius

Intent – What we are trying to achieve?

Water Leys Primary School believes that a strong PSHE education is important to help our pupils develop into well-rounded members of society, who can make a positive contribution to their community. Our PSHE curriculum is strongly tied to our RSE, relationships, health education and pastoral care programme. The vision for pupils, staff and others linked to our school is to always look to achieve our personal best in every aspect of school life and to demonstrate our C.A.R.E values in all that we do.

· Our school is one where everyone is encouraged and supported to achieve their personal best.

· Our school is welcoming, inclusive, has a real community feel and is a place where everyone is valued.

· Our pupils and staff treat each other equitably, fairly, with kindness and with mutual respect. At all times, staff and pupils are encouraged to show a high regard for the needs and feelings of others through their actions and words.

· Our pupils and staff are enterprising and approach challenges with a ‘can-do’ attitude.

· The needs and interests of all pupils, irrespective of gender, culture, ability or aptitude, will be promoted through an inclusive and varied PSHE curriculum at our school.

· Our environment is safe and clean with everyone sharing responsibility for it.

Implementation – How do we translate our vision into practice?

At Water Leys Primary School, we have introduced a whole school PSHE scheme called Jigsaw. Jigsaw combines PSHE, emotional literacy, mindfulness, social skills and spiritual development. 

Jigsaw aims to help children know and value who they really are and how they relate to other people in this ever-changing world.

Jigsaw is designed as a whole school approach, with all year groups working on the same theme (Puzzle) at the same time. This enables each Puzzle to start with an introductory assembly, generating a whole school focus for adults and children alike.

There are six Puzzles (half-term units of work) each with six Pieces (lessons). Every year group studies the same Puzzle at the same time (sequentially ordered from September to July), allowing for whole school themes to be shared and celebrated by the whole school. Each year group is taught one lesson per week and all lessons are delivered in an age- and stage-appropriate way so that they meet children’s needs. 

Impact – What is the impact of our curriculum on the students?

The impact of our PSHE/RSE curriculum can be measured by the behaviour, interactions and discussions of our children. Children’s learning in this subject area is recorded in a variety of ways. Each child has their own PSHE folder where they can record written work. Children’s work may take a more practical form such as a debate or collaborative learning task and these activities may be recorded, where appropriate, using photographs. The PSHE coordinator collects examples of these activities as evidence of children’s learning and the impact of our scheme of work. Monitoring visits are also undertaken to ensure that implementation of the long-term plan is effective throughout school.

Through our scheme of work, Water Leys pupils are given exciting opportunities to learn more about their world and to develop the skills and behaviours that they will need to lead happy and successful lives in an ever-changing world. Pupils show empathy and understanding towards each other and a strong sense of justice and fairness. They understand and can articulate how to stay safe in both the physical world and online. Our children look out for each other and we are extremely proud of the young people that progress from our school at the end of Year 6.

PSHE Curriculum Map

RSHE

Our initial parental consultation was undertaken during the 2021/22 Summer Term and we continue to consult with parents on an annual basis. 

In every year group the 'Changing Me Puzzle' includes a series of lessons to help children understand the changes that puberty brings and how human reproduction happens. There is a very serious safeguarding aspect to this work which starts with our younger children, for example, learning the correct terminology for the parts of the body. The Year 4, 5 and 6 lessons look more fully at puberty and human reproduction in an age-appropriate manner.

Every year we will continue to consult with parents about the content of our SRE curriculum. Once parents have had the chance to look at the lessons, they are encouraged to contact us via the school office.

Content that parents are able to withdraw a child from is flagged up in our SRE letter before we begin the carefully sequenced lessons. The lessons with this content are only found in Years 4, 5 and 6. All other content is part of the national curriculum and children must be taught it.

The information below outlines the lesson content that was originally shared with parents in May 2022 and continues to be shared annually.