PERSONAL, SOCIAL, HEALTH & ECONOMIC EDUCATION AT PGS
INTENT
At Peter Gladwin School our PSHE programme aims to equip our children with essential skills for life and to develop a moral compass to help them make good choices. We intend to enable our pupils to grow into considerate, respectful, reflective and open-minded citizens who have a sense of community and unity.
Our PSHE learning is deeply entwined with our school motto of ‘Dream, Believe, Achieve’ and our ethos of being responsible, trustworthy, friendly, courageous, caring and respectful human beings. Carefully -planned and resourced lessons that develop the knowledge, skills and attributes children need to protect and enhance their wellbeing are delivered by experienced practitioners. Through these lessons, children learn how to stay safe and healthy, build and maintain successful relationships and become active citizens, responsibly participating in society around them.
IMPLEMENTATION
PSHE at Peter Gladwin is taught in safe, respectful environments with clear ground rules that have been co-created by staff and pupils. Children receive relevant learning experiences to help them navigate their world and to develop safe, positive relationships with themselves and others. At PGS we closely follow the Brighton & Hove / PSHE Association model of thematic teaching. Three themed units of work are delivered over six half terms each year, with detail of the precise knowledge, skills and understanding on our PSHE Long Term Map with clearly defined endpoints for each year group.
Theme 1 Relationships: This unit explores families and friendships, safe relationships and respecting ourselves and others.
Theme 2 Health and Wellbeing: This unit explores physical Health and mental wellbeing, growing and changing and keeping safe.
Theme 3 Living in the Wider World: This unit explores belonging to a community, media literacy and digital resilience and money and work.
We support all pupils with transitions during the autumn and summer terms and deliver our protective behaviours (including Relationships and Sex Education - RSE) during the spring term. During the autumn term we ‘Say No to Bullying’ in our Relationships unit.
In Early Years, PSHE follows the same themes but these may be delivered at different times in accordance to Early Learning Goals.
Learning objectives are specific to relationships and health education and to developing emotional literacy and social skills. Lesson content is taught by the class teacher and reinforced in whole-school/year group assemblies. Key values and attitudes are modelled by staff and reinforced in everyday interactions with colleagues and children alike. Teaching and learning activities are engaging and mindful of the need for differentiation. Early Years planning is aligned to the National Early Years Framework (England). In addition to this, teachers have the freedom to plan with detail and attention to their individual children. Learning is scaffolded, and any individual needs are supported where necessary.
Our PSHE curriculum is delivered by well-trained teachers with a good knowledge of the subject. Teachers present the subject matter clearly, promoting appropriate discussion. They check understanding, identify misconceptions and provide clear feedback to pupils. We recognise the skills and expertise needed to deliver PSHE and RSE education safely and in a way that does not harm. Staff training needs are addressed by whole school INSET days and shorter training sessions, as well as opportunities for the co-ordinator and others to access local authority and national network meetings, training days, conferences and workshops.
IMPACT
The PSHE curriculum at Peter Gladwin School supports our school culture and ethos that prioritise physical and mental health and wellbeing. It enables pupils to evaluate and understand their own wellbeing needs, practise self-care and be a positive contributor to those around them.
We aim to ensure that individual children leave Peter Gladwin:
- with self-confidence, high levels of self-esteem and pride in who they are
- with positive, respectful and healthy relationships with their peers and others
- resilient to the social and emotional barriers they may face
- able to clearly articulate their thoughts and feelings using a wide range of appropriate vocabulary
- knowing when and how to seek the support of others
- able to apply their knowledge and understanding to everyday interactions, from the classroom to the wider community and the society of which they are a part.
- able to recognise and apply British values of democracy, tolerance, mutual respect, the rule of law and liberty.
