Earlham Primary School

Intent – Why we teach PSHE/RSHE 

Our PSHE curriculum underpins a lot of what we do here at Earlham. Our excellent relationships with the children and our bond with our community is strengthened by a curriculum that supports children at Earlham to understand and recognise how they fit into and contribute to the world, how they relate to others, and to understand and manage their own feelings. 

The level of care we show as a school community is absorbed by the children who will go on to become wonderful adults of the future. 

Our pastoral approach, the way we communicate with the pupils and parents, recognises that our PSHE curriculum is part of a much bigger picture. 

Our PSHE curriculum weaves its way through all aspects of school life and is not merely a single subject area. You could look for evidence on display and within the work folder. You can also observe the way in which it is woven into art, music and poetry that we teach, but you will feel the impact of our PSHE approach through the way in which the children behave and conduct themselves, the way they communicate and the way they articulate what they have learnt. Our children are ready to take on the challenges that come their way and have the skills to adapt and thrive in, what can be, a very difficult world. 

The breadth of issues and challenges we discuss with pupils is vast but are all part of the world they are growing up in. We want to skill our children up by educating them about issues which are current, relevant and appropriate to them. Every topic is handled sensitively and with great care, but very few things are avoided. This creates an environment of trust between staff and pupils and between staff and parents. 

Our RSHE curriculum is ambitious and forward thinking and due to the trusted relationships we have with our parents all children are accessing this valuable element of the curriculum; giving them the skills, understanding and information they need for life. This will help them to stay safe and to flourish, not just in childhood, but into adulthood and for the rest of their lives. 

Implementation – How we teach PSHE/RSHE

We follow the national curriculum and use the Jigsaw scheme of work as our starting point. The PSHE curriculum has three core learning themes: 

➢ health and wellbeing, 

➢ relationships 

➢ living in the wider world.

The scheme is structured so that the whole school is studying the same unit of work each half-term.

We introduce the themes in our weekly oracy assemblies and then explore these further in class. For Example, we ask the children to reflect and discuss with their peers, they use sentence stems to answer questions. Each theme links to a song which children sing at the end of the assembly. 

Beyond the planned programme for PSHE education, the curriculum provides children with a variety of experiences that have the potential to promote their personal, social development and economic education. These include:

Celebration Assemblies

Sports clubs & competitions

Drama, music activities and productions

Residential visits and educational trips

Community, social and fundraising events

Theme days and events, for example World Book Day, Odd Sock Day

Charity events, for example, red nose day

Below is a summary of RSHE coverage for each year group:

• Foundation Stage - Growing up: how we have changed since we were babies

• Year 1 - Boys’ and girls’ bodies; naming body parts

• Year 2 - Boys’ and girls’ bodies; body parts and respecting privacy (which parts of the body are private and why this is)

• Year 3 - How babies grow and how boys’ and girls’ bodies change as they grow older

• Year 4 - Internal and external reproductive body parts, body changes in girls and menstruation

• Year 5 - Puberty for boys and girls, and conception

• Year 6 - Puberty for boys and girls and understanding conception to birth of a baby

Issues around healthy relationships and changing bodies are further explored in science

in Year 5 & 6.

Pupil leadership opportunities and development at Earlham- 

School Council: school council elected by their class, they listen to their ideas and views about how they can improve the school and the environment. They take back the views and ideas to School Council meetings where they are discussed and debated. They then hold Class Council meetings to tell the children what is happening regarding their views and opinions.

Language Ambassadors: They are fluent and friendly first language speakers who welcome new children from abroad to earlham, showing them round and acting as a point of contact for them and with translations.

Digital Leaders:  KS2 digital leaders' role is to support the use of technology, particularly iPads across the school, and share their skills and expertise with other pupils, classes and teachers. They assist teachers and other pupils in understanding coding applications. They have a good understanding of how to stay safe with technology and share that with others.

Playground Friends: Our Playground Friends plays an important part in creating a safe, friendly, happy and peaceful atmosphere for children during lunchtimes/break times. 

Sports Leaders: They are role models for healthy lifestyles and fitness, leading on our morning fitness breaks and with lunchtime sports activities.

I CAN BE: STEM project for year 3 Pupil premium girls. Opportunities throughout year to meet women in positions of leadership across different STEM industries, 

Impact – What the effect is

Learning is largely achieved through discussion and reflection and so the strongest evidence will be from conversations with pupils. Regular discussions with the children will reveal the learning that has taken place. Observations of their behaviour, around the building, whilst learning and during playtimes and lunchtimes will show that children are respectful of each other, kind and considerate and have an understanding of how to behave and conduct themselves. Additional evidence would be in the form of photographs, displays and written outcomes. 

By the end of their time with us pupils will know…. 

The children will know more and remember more about PSHE. They will recognise and apply the British Values of Democracy, Tolerance, Mutual respect, Rule of law and Liberty. They will demonstrate a healthy outlook towards school – attendance will be at least in-line with national or above and behaviour will be very good. They will have a good understanding of how to stay safe, healthy and develop good relationships. To have an appreciation of what it means to be a positive member of a diverse, multicultural society. To have a strong self-awareness, interlinked with compassion of others.The children will understand the physical aspects involved in SRE at an age appropriate level. They will respect themselves and others. 

The impact of this is…. 

The children will understand the importance of PSHE/RSHE and the effects it can have on life in and out of school, this is evident through termly pupils discussions and PSHE monitoring by the subject leader. By teaching pupils to stay safe and healthy and by building self esteem, resilience and empathy. By the time they leave Earlham PSHE/RSHE enables our pupils 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.