PSHE

At Neville’s Cross, we offer a nurturing learning environment in which each child is encouraged to develop their full potential and where their achievements and successes are celebrated and rewarded.  As a school, we believe that children are all individuals and therefore, we aim to encourage mutual respect, responsibility and foster self-esteem in a happy and caring atmosphere. Our PSHE curriculum equips children with relevant and meaningful content, which is supported through a strong emphasis on emotional literacy, building resilience and nurturing mental and physical health. We want our children to become ‘lifelong learners’ with the confidence and ability to develop their skills and understanding when having new experiences, meeting new challenges and finding themselves in unfamiliar situations. We provide our children with a strong understanding of the diverse world around them and support them in playing a positive role in contributing to the school and the wider community.  It develops the qualities and attributes children need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society as well as the global community. PSHE is delivered throughout the school from Nursery – Year 6 on a weekly basis and as a school, using the Jigsaw PSHE programme. Through our whole-school approach to PSHE, our children acquire knowledge, understanding and the skills they need to manage their lives now and in their futures.  

Our PSHCE curriculum is designed with our key curriculum drivers in mind: 

Creativity – At Neville’s Cross, we have created a culture where our children are comfortable and confident in self-expression, talking through problems with adults and each other, creating and suggesting ways to solve them or to change how we are feeling. 

In lessons, we will  learn about different cultures, religions and upbringings so our children can embrace thinking differently and celebrate the diverse contributions people make around the world. 

We will provide opportunities for our children to ‘think differently or ‘outside of the box’, for example, ‘What shape do you feel today?’, ‘What would your superpower be?’ We strongly believe that creative thinking can help in a world with mental health issues. 

Well-being – We aim to support our children in recognising the importance of looking after their own emotional and physical wellbeing, recognise when and how to seek support when it is needed but also support others around us. We promote a positive mindset and encourage our children to ‘always try their best’ and to try to have an ‘I can’ attitude in all aspects of school life.  

Our communities – We provide our children with a strong understanding of the diverse world around them and support them in playing a positive role in contributing to the school and the wider community.  It develops the qualities and attributes children need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society as well as the global community. 

PSHCE in the Early Years 

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, PSHE is referred to as personal, social and emotional development. This area of learning is concerned with wellbeing – knowing who you are, where you fit in and feeling good about yourself. It is also about developing respect for others, social skills and a positive disposition to learn. 

Children will learn to form positive relationships that support mutual respect and understanding and that celebrate and acknowledge differences. With adults as guides and role models, children will gain a knowledge and understanding of their own culture and community to help them develop a sense of belonging and a strong self-image. Role play, stories, films and songs are used to help children explore their own culture and appreciate the similarities and differences in those of others. A positive self-image and high self-esteem will be encouraged to give children the confidence to make the most of opportunities, to communicate effectively and to explore the world around them.
Children will learn about different kinds of relationships. Being with the same adults and children regularly gives them the time and opportunity to develop relationships that promote social success. Children are encouraged to think about and practise ways of solving problems to help them to feel capable of responding to challenges.  

PSHE in Key Stage 1 and 2 

The teaching of PSHE is a whole school approach and not just an individual subject; therefore, the PSHE curriculum is covered in school in many ways. Discrete lessons are taught weekly (at least 1 hour), using the Jigsaw programme to enhance our PSHE curriculum. This resource will support our school to provide a comprehensive programme that combines the new statutory content for Relationships Education and Health Education and Sex Education. The class teacher will usually be responsible for teaching PSHE to their own class. The class teacher will know the children in their class and this will ensure that the curriculum content meets the needs of the children. It will also enable the class teacher to extend and enhance the children’s knowledge, skills and understanding throughout the school year and make reference to current and previous learning as necessary when opportunities arise across the school day. 

There will be half termly assemblies which will introduce the new focus to the whole school. Star of the week awards are also linked to skills and knowledge taught through PSHE lessons.  

Learning Links 

Throughout EYFS, and across both KS1 and KS2, children will have the opportunity to make links with learning in other subject areas.  

Through RE, children learn about the major world religions. They develop an awareness of faiths, religious practices and beliefs. They learn to compare religions respectfully and empathetically. They develop an awareness of their own beliefs too.   

Linked with the Science curriculum, children will learn about how the physical body changes as we get older and use correct terminology to describe body parts. 

Additional opportunities are provided across the whole school, such as taking part in annual Anti-Bullying Week, Children’s Mental Health Week and Black History Month.

We are also proud to work with the NSPCC through their ‘Speak out, Stay Safe’ campaign and ‘TalkPANTS’. This term we will be discussing ‘PANTS’ and more information about this can be found at Let’s talk PANTS | NSPCC.

British Values (democracy, rule of law, respect, individual liberty and tolerance) will also be discussed in weekly lessons, assemblies and class council meetings as it is also an integral part of PSHE. British values and knowledge from PSHE will regularly be referred to within all aspects of the school day.  

Impact 

As a result of strong teaching and learning in PSHCE as well as a progressive curriculum of skills and knowledge, we are providing our children with the life-long skills and knowledge to: 

• Act as kind, socially intelligent and resilient members of the community, who contribute to society. 

• Show empathy, respect and value to everyone, maintaining successful relationships with others. 
• Develop both enjoyment and skill in their areas of interests. 
• Work successfully alongside others in a range of situations. 
• Develop the relevant knowledge and understanding of how society functions and why. 
• Display our school values and British values. 

• Articulate themselves with confidence, listening well to others and holding effective conversations.  
• Show awareness and vigilance to stay safe, both in the online and offline world. 
• Use social media responsibly and safely. 
• Know (and make use of) ways of keeping physically and mentally well. 
• Work with curiosity and creativity in all they do. 

• Take pride in their achievements and successes but act reflectively by finding ways to improve themselves. 
• Challenge themselves in all they do, facing setbacks and hardship with resilience. 
• Aspire to be the best they can be and feel success in all they do.