Intent

Our PSHE curriculum is pivotal to our provision for pupils’ personal development and is central to our ethos of preparing children with the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding they need to manage their lives now and in the future.  PSHE helps children learn what they need to remain healthy and safe (including mental health and safety online), while preparing them to make the most of life’s opportunities – including contributing to achieving their academic potential.  Our PSHE curriculum links closely with our provision for children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development; learning about British Values; and contributes to our duty to implement our obligations linked to the Equality Act (2010).

Through our PSHE curriculum, children learn to work co-operatively and collaboratively.  They learn to understand and respect the diversity in today’s society, and thereby tolerance of differing beliefs and opinions.  Their learning shapes the good character of our pupils, helping shape their decisions for the benefit of both our school community and beyond.  Our curriculum reflects the wider needs of our school and encompasses broad themes that include Health and Wellbeing; Relationships; and Living in the Wider World.  As well as incorporating the DFE’s statutory guidance on relationships and health education (2020), our curriculum also includes age-appropriate learning on sex education, designed to support children in their transition to secondary education. Our PSHE curriculum incorporates, of course, online safety, complementing that provided for by our computing curriculum.

Implementation

Ours is a spiral curriculum based on that designed by the PSHE Association, with modifications made to ensure teaching and learning is delivered closely with the needs of Fellside children in mind.  An age-appropriate and progressive curriculum, ours provides for completion of three smaller units of work each term, each based on a broader theme: Relationships (autumn term); Living in the Wider World (spring term); and Health and Wellbeing (summer term).

We strive to provide Fellside children with learning opportunities across and beyond the curriculum, in specific PSHE lessons, circle time, whole school projects and other activities that enhance and contextualise their experiences. Visitors (whether from faith communities; local business leaders; health professionals; charities etc.) contribute to the enrichment of our PSHE curriculum.  Likewise, our school places great importance on assemblies to nurture and stimulate children’s SMSC development.  Termly whole-school themes are designed to reflect a balance each of these 4 tenets: spiritual, moral, social and cultural.  Our assemblies also reflect pertinent world events, ensuring these are accessible to children in a safe and familiar environment in which they are free to ask questions.

Impact

We believe that it is important for children to have opportunities to reflect on their PSHE learning – particularly in view of the fact that much of it links directly to the shaping of their personal qualities, attitudes, achievements and influences.  Ipsative assessment is used to reflect performance outcomes against starting points.  Teachers build in time for children to give consideration of this, as well as employing use of Assessment for Learning (AfL).  There is a framework of skills to support assessment of pupil progress across both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2; a model that enables teachers to assess how secure children are in their understanding and ability to demonstrate skills.

By the time they leave Fellside, our pupils have become healthy, independent and responsible members of our community and are prepared to for the next stage of their lives and their education. Our PSHE provision tackles barriers to learning; it raises aspirations, and improves the life chances of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils. The skills and attributes developed through PSHE education increase academic attainment, as well as improve employability and boost social mobility. Our PSHE curriculum 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. They have been encouraged to develop their sense of self-worth by playing a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community.

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)

In the spring term of 2019, we developed a curriculum and associated policy for the delivery of Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) at Fellside.  This was introduced following parental consultation which showed overwhelming support for its delivery.

Curriculum Overviews by Year Group