PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) Education and RSE (Relationships and Sex Education)
Intent
At Gusford, we are committed to developing a PSHE and RSE curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of all pupils. We believe that all children should leave Gusford equipped with the knowledge, attitudes and skills needed to become healthy, safe and responsible citizens who respect and celebrate difference and diversity. Children must be prepared for change and challenge as they grow and know how to keep themselves and others safe, including how to form and maintain healthy relationships. At Gusford, we encourage children to develop a sense of self-worth and independence, to reflect on and express their own values and attitudes and to explore the complex and sometimes conflicting values and attitudes they may encounter in their lives. The RSE statutory subject is interwoven through many other areas of the curriculum and we offer to plan, teach and provide children with high quality age appropriate information and support to ensure all aspects are explored. Our RSE offer is a fundamental part of our PSHE curriculum and the provision reflects the connection within each area. Pupil voice is a fundamental aspect of our curriculum and children are given safe opportunities to discuss and explore current and relevant issues allowing them to take ownership of their learning and experiences. Our PSHE/RSE curriculum aims to teach and support children through key areas: Family and relationships, Health and wellbeing, Safety and the changing body, Citizenship, Economic wellbeing. PSHE and RSE are deeply integrated within all the key areas, especially health and wellbeing and relationships. Strands within these key areas provide implicit learning opportunities to develop and deepen understandings about health and relationships.
Implementation
PSHE and RSE establishes the key building blocks for healthy, respectful relationships, focusing on family and friendships, in all contexts, including online. It sits alongside the essential understanding of how to be healthy, physically and mentally and teaches economic wellbeing including careers. The aim is to give pupils the knowledge and capability to take care of themselves and receive support if problems arise. Our intent is to foster the pupil’s wellbeing and support the development of resilience and character, skills that we know are fundamental to pupils being happy, successful, and productive members of society.
At Gusford, we use a variety of resources to support with the teaching of PSHE and RSE including Kapow and the PSHE Association. We also follow the No Outsiders Programme which is a way of using selected stories to support with the teaching of inclusivity.
A balance of class discussion, assemblies and weekly lessons provide opportunities for our children to:
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Develop their confidence, self-esteem and self-awareness
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Understand and manage their feelings
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Develop social skills and social awareness
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Better understand the nature of human relationships
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Learn about relationships, the importance of communication and assertiveness skills including the importance of values such as respect (for self and others), equality, responsibility, care and compassion.
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Reflect upon the importance of stable and loving relationships for family life, including bringing up children, this also includes marriage and civil partners.
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Consider and understand the changes that occur to their bodies, minds and emotions as a consequence of growth from childhood to adulthood.
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Reflect upon how to make good, informed and safe choices concerning relationships and healthy lifestyles.
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Develop a caring attitude and sense of responsibility about the environment in which we live learn about how society work and the rights and responsibilities involved
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Develop an understanding of economic wellbeing and how to manage money
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Promote careers to children
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Understand and use technology safely and responsibly
Impact
To ensure we have successful independent learners, pupils need regular opportunities to reflect on and identify what they have learnt, what needs to be learnt next and what they need to do to continue their learning. All staff need to be clear about the progress and achievements of the pupils, and how their learning might be improved. Assessment has to be an integral part of PSHE/RSE education, however the personal nature of this means that it cannot be assessed in the same way as most other subjects. It is important for staff to recognise and evidence progress and attainment in the knowledge, understanding, skills and attributes that both PSHE and RSE strive to develop.
The model of assessment we have developed encourages the individuals to embed knowledge and skills through an initial activity is carried out that gauges pupils’ starting point in terms of their existing knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs. This is then used to inform the teacher’s planning for that topic. At the end of the key area or lesson an activity is carried out which allows pupils to demonstrate the progress they have made since doing the baseline activity. This will then demonstrate the progress they have made and can also be used to measure attainment against a set of success criteria identified by the teacher. The subject leader will monitor the impact and progress through learning walks, floor book looks and lesson observations. Pupil voice is extremely important in this process and will be captured throughout the year to ensure the development of this subject.
Cross Curricular links
PSHE is at the centre of daily life within our school, providing opportunities to learn about rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be a positive member of a diverse and ever-changing society. At Gusford we promote the school values of honesty, kindness, respect, responsibility and confidence, all of which are embedded through our PSHE/RSE curriculum.
There are strong links between our PSHE/RSE and Science curriculum in which the children are taught about parts of the body, how to take care of themselves and how their bodies grow and change over time. As part of our DT curriculum, children are taught how to prepare healthy dishes, linking with the Health and Wellbeing aspect of our PSHE/RSE curriculum.
RSE Consultation
We have consulted our parents on our Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) policy, also called RSHE. Last consultation ended Monday 26th February 2024. Thank you.