PSHE
PSHE Intent
Delivery of the Kapow Primary PSHE curriculum aims to give children the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to effectively navigate the complexities of life in the 21st Century. The curriculum covers key areas which will support children to make informed choices now and in the future, around their health, safety, wellbeing, relationships, and financial matters and will support them in becoming respectful, honest and confident individuals who are active members of society.
At Western Primary School, our ambitions for RSE/PSHE teaching and learning align with Kapow Primary’s RSE/PSHE scheme of work which covers the Relationships and Health Education statutory guidance (as set out by the Department for Education), including the non-statutory sex education. The scheme also covers wider PSHE learning, in line with the requirement of the National Curriculum. Through this scheme, children’s learning would significantly contribute to their personal development and it promotes the four fundamental British values which reflect life in modern Britain: Democracy; Rule of Law; Respect & Tolerance and Individual Liberty. The curriculum is aspiringly congruent with our School Values of Kindness, Honesty and Respect, contributing to weekly, reflective opportunities for new learning around these values to take place. Quality PSHE and RSE teaching is an important element in helping us to carry out our duty of care with regards to safeguarding.
A range of teaching and learning activities are used and are based on good practice in teaching RSE/PSHE education to ensure that all children can access learning and make progress. In each year group, an introductory lesson provides the opportunity for children and teachers to negotiate ground rules for the lessons. These introductory lessons can then be referred to throughout the year to help create a safe environment. As with all our subjects at Western, all lessons within the PSHE/RSE framework include ideas for differentiation to stretch the most able learners and give additional support to those who need it. In many lessons, stories, scenarios, and video clips provide the opportunity for children to engage in real life and current topics in a safe and structured way. Role-play activities are also included to help children play out scenarios that they may find themselves in.
There are meaningful opportunities for cross-curricular learning, in particular with computing for online safety and science for growing, nutrition, teeth, diet and lifestyle. The scheme provides consistent messages throughout the age ranges including how and where to access help. As the children progress through their years at Western, they can utilise their PSHE/RSE learning within their daily lives, from dealing with friendship issues, to resilience, to making healthy choices and knowing where and how to get help when needed. The overall aim is for children to be able to make informed choices and decisions.
Inspiring ambitious and curious learners
At the start of the academic year, children take part in a lesson around setting ground rules for PSHE/RSE lessons in an age-appropriate way. This provides the opportunity for children and teachers to negotiate ground rules for the lessons and enables children to ask questions from the start. The children can then revisit the outcomes of this lesson throughout the year to reflect on their questions and to support the generation of new ideas. Many lessons, stories, scenarios, and video clips allow for all children to engage in real life and current topics in a safe and structured way. Role-play activities are also included to help children play out scenarios that they may find themselves in.
Whilst we follow the structure of the small steps from Kapow, we also recognise that PSHE/RSE should be a responsive curriculum to real-life circumstances. We support national awareness initiatives such as Road Safety Week and Children’s Mental Health Day. Through our weekly class assemblies, we focus on British Values, digital safety and well-being and current affairs. Children are exposed to challenging topics and they are encouraged to collaborate to discuss their thoughts, feelings, opinions and ideas.
Using our ‘Principles of Teaching and Learning’, children take part in an end of unit assessment quiz to review how well knowledge has been embedded. ‘Quick Questions’ at the start of each lesson allow children to review and consolidate knowledge and link it to new learning. Class teachers are also encouraged to generate two of their own questions to respond to incidents within class, areas that need revisiting specific to the cohort of children or to instigate debate and curiosity around a particular topic.
Vocabulary
Teaching vocabularly enables children to understand and use subject-specific language with confidence. There are meaningful opportunities for cross-curricular use of vocabulary, in particular with computing for online safety and science for growing, nutrition, teeth, diet and lifestyle. Year groups are provided with a bank of words with definitions to enable ambitious use when learning new concepts. The expectation is that vocabulary is used and referred to outside of lessons, providing children with the tools to be model citizens of the world. The language is progressive from EYFS – Y6 and builds on prior learning. Using ambitious vocabulary in all subjects is expected, modelled and used by teachers and children alike.
PSHE Skills
The skills taught across school are progressive and link to each sub-strand within each unit. Using the ‘Progression of Skills and Knowledge’, teachers can inform their quick questions to reflect on prior learning. As the children progress through their years at Western, they can utilise their PSHE/RSE learning within their daily lives, from dealing with friendship issues, to resilience, to making healthy choices and knowing where and how to get help when needed. The overall aim is for children to be able to make informed choices and decisions.
Exceptional Learning
High expectations are evident throughout the curriculum at Western and the use of the iPad in PSHE is no exception. Activities provided by Kapow are often adapted and enhanced using the iPad. In upper KS2, children have created presentations using KeyNote to showcase what it means to be respectful. In lower KS2, email apps have been used to write emails of kindness to friends. In KS1, children have explored food packaging to search for allergens and photograph them to highlight common allergies. Sketches School has also been used to create sun-safety posters.
