Personal, Social, Health, and Economics Education (PSHE) is a significant area of the curriculum that encompasses all subjects taught throughout the day and all daily routines the children experience. We cover three different strands of PSHE taught throughout the year.
· Living in the Wider world which provides knowledge and understanding of being part of a community, internet safety, the responsibility of money and aspirations and ambitions.
· Mental Health and Wellbeing includes taking care of our bodies (personal hygiene, sun safety, dental care and why we need medicine), how we respond in an emergency, basic first and CPR and puberty and the mental and physical changes that occur.
· The final strand is Relationships which will support and prepare them as part of Relationships & Sex Education (RSE) about the nature and importance of marriage for family life and bringing up children.
Within PSHE we aim to provide skills, knowledge and real life experiences to equip our young people for life. These skills will be introduced in a weekly PSHE lesson and then embedded throughout the rest of the curriculum allowing plenty of time and opportunities to practice and master the skills in different contexts.
Many of the learning during PSHE will help our young people to develop skills enabling them to understand differences and respect themselves and others. We hope to prevent and remove prejudice. PSHE will contribute to promoting the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at school and within society. The development of self-esteem and relationships does not just take place through the taught curriculum but through all aspects of school life.
From KS3 upwards we place a particular emphasis on RSE, as many children experience puberty. We teach the children about the parts of the body and how they work. We also explain what will happen to their bodies during puberty. We encourage pupils to ask for help if they need it and teachers answer question sensitively and honestly. Both boys and girls are taught reproduction and menstruation. We always teach these with regard for the emotional development of the pupils. Families and carers are consulted in all aspects of RSE.
Our PHSE curriculum is taught through initiative lessons engaging pupils and ultimately preparing them for adulthood.