PSHCE inc. RSE & Online Safety at Grenoside
Rationale
At Grenoside Primary School, we see the development of PSHCE including RSE and Online Safety, SMSC and British Values very much working hand in hand and leading the way in our school ethos and in our teaching and learning. Opportunities for explicit teaching of, or linking to, SMSC, PSHCE and British Values is planned into our curriculum topics with appropriate content reflecting the over-arching theme. We also teach PSHCE explicitly and link it, again where possible, to other areas of learning and life experiences.
Statement of intent for PSHCE at Grenoside Community Primary School
The intent of our PSHCE/RSE curriculum is to equip all of our pupils with knowledge and understanding of how to manage their lives effectively now and in the future to help them become independent and responsible members of a diverse society. It supports our pupils to live healthy, safe, responsible and balanced lifestyles. Through our PSHCE and RSE curriculum, we aim to provide our pupils with opportunities to reflect on and clarify their own attitudes and values in a safe and trusting environment. Our PSHCE and RSE curriculum encourages our pupils to manage risks and increase their ability to make informed choices by developing an understanding of what influences their decisions. Our aim for this curriculum is to develop our pupils overall personal development by building on knowledge for the following concepts; respect, consent, diversity, identity, being safe, the law, online, responsibility, friendships and family. We believe that the purpose of our PSHCE curriculum is to build on, where appropriate, the statutory guidance outlined in the Relationships Education, Relationships, Sex Education (RSE), and Health Education.
The PSHCE curriculum at Grenoside Primary School aims to ensure that all pupils:
- Are provided with opportunities for both explicit and implicit learning opportunities and experiences, which reflect pupils’ increasing independence and physical and social awareness as they move through the primary phase.
- Build on the skills that pupils started to acquire during the Early Years Foundation stage (EYFS) to enable pupils to develop effective relationships, assume greater personal responsibility and manage personal safety, including online.
- Can cope with the changes at puberty, introduces them to a wider world and enables them to make an active contribution to their communities.
Implementation
At Grenoside, we deliver our PSHCE curriculum by making practical and effective use of our children’s first hand experiences. We take into account that our PSHCE curriculum must reflect the needs of our pupils.
Our PSHCE curriculum is constructed to give all our pupils the knowledge and cultural capitol they need to succeed now and as future citizens in society. The PSHCE curriculum is planned in such a way as to ensure that all pupils study the full curriculum and that they can build on the skills learnt from previous years. In developing our PSHCE curriculum and ensuring the progression of key skills through a thematic approach there are 3 topics (Relationships, Living in the Wider World, and Health and Well Being) in which a series of lessons are developed key concepts.
We teach our PSHCE curriculum through discrete lessons and during other learning opportunities across our broad and balanced curriculum. Teachers at Grenoside are effective in using the robust scheme of work developed and their professional judgment as to when and how they deliver the PSHCE curriculum to their children. Using a thematic approach (Relationships, Living in the Wider World, and Health and Well Being) throughout school at the same points in the academic year we ensure a whole school approach to PSHCE and one that provides opportunities for enhancement days around whole school topics. We have a clear and comprehensive scheme of work developed in conjunction with the PSHCE Association and the Sheffield Primary RSHE Curriculum 2020, which is in line with the National Curriculum. The PSHCE curriculum has three core learning themes: Health and well-being, Relationships and Living in the wider world. The scheme of work also includes the RSE policy and identifies links to British values, SMSC and cultural capitol. Teachers are encouraged to use the content from the themes to build a series of lessons which is relevant and appropriate to the children in their class at that moment in time, taking into account their interests and previous knowledge and experiences. It is recognised that some of the content from some of the themes may transfer into other themes. Where this happens, staff and children are encouraged to try to see the link and how the learning they are experiencing helps to form their overall knowledge. The children have a ‘personal development’ journal. This book helps to demonstrate how they are developing and are aware of the life skills they are learning throughout their school life. This book aims to encourage the children to reflect on their experiences in and out of school where they have learnt life skills that support them in becoming a responsible citizen.
Through CPD, with Maria Collins-Donnelley (CBT therapist) staff have worked on the importance of naming emotions. When developing the PSCHE scheme of work ‘key vocabulary’ names of many emotions is included. This provides children with a vocabulary rich PSHCE curriculum they can use to express themselves coherently.
Teachers at Grenoside have good PSHCE subject knowledge and regular input in CPD sessions ensures that the PSHCE knowledge is current. Some staff are trained as ‘mental health first aiders’. They are specifically trained to support our children who need extra support to develop key social skills that help them cope with everyday life scenarios. The staff as a whole take care of each other’s overall mental health and well-being and have regular input from a CBT therapist on how to develop their own emotional intelligence as well as the children and parents.
Staff actively promote the four R’s (Reflectiveness, Reciprocity, Resilience, and Resourcefulness) and these are on display in all KS1 and KS2 classrooms for constant referral and use. In P4C (Philosophy for children) sessions we provide children with the opportunities for discussion and deeper thinking around the PSHCE objectives linked to the needs of our children. All staff are currently accredited with a Level 1 P4C qualification with the aim of being level 2 accredited at the end of the academic year 2020.
Whole school, key stage and class assemblies at Grenoside always make links to the four R’s (Reflectiveness, Reciprocity, Resilience and Resourcefulness) and to PSHCE, British Values and SMSC. The clear and detailed assembly timetable ensures full coverage of these. At Grenoside, we celebrate the local community and often have guest speakers come into our assemblies this supports our SMSC work.
The strong links that Grenoside have with external agencies and the swiftness of staff to act to involve these agencies is a strength of Grenoside School. The children who need support with personal and emotional aspects of PSHCE are quickly identified and measures are put in place by teachers and the SENCO to ensure that these children make progress quickly.
Outside agencies such as the NSPCC, Crucial Crew and Cycling proficiency, as well as the internally run Grenoside School residentials, ‘well-being’ Wednesdays, healthy minds, mental health first aiders all act to support the PSHCE curriculum here at Grenoside.
Impact
Through regular professional discussion, learning walks and feedback from pupil voice we are confident that the PSHCE curriculum at Grenoside is at least good. OFSTED January 2019 also identified that “Behaviour in lessons, around school and on the playground is good. Pupils are self-confident, caring individuals. This is a result of the school’s carefully designed approach to promoting pupils’ personal development and welfare.” All staff have a swift and proactive approach in tackling less than good behaviours sensitively and with consistency. Behaviour policies in place ensure clarity and a consistent approach by all. Using the robust PSHCE scheme of work we teach our children to develop the skills needed to understand good and less than good behaviours. We develop children’s understanding and ownership over their choices and provide them with the skills to ensure they can make the informed decisions about what it is they are doing. Staff communicate regularly with parents around changes in behaviour and through our strong parent partnerships; we work together with parents to support our children. Our staff are trained to work sensitively with parents managing behaviours and communicating acceptable behaviours at school that may differ at home. Where necessary we provide bespoke behaviour support for those children/ families that require it.
Our PSHCE curriculum is supported by the ethos of the school, a consistent approach to behaviour through clear and concise policies and with all teachers knowing the children well, not just in their own year group but also across key stages. As a school, we prioritise smooth transitions between year groups and communicate to share vital information about our children. The school dedicates a week in the summer term for transition to ensure the children’s emotional well-being and personal development is supported. We have staff trained to support children and their families in extreme situations such as bereavement. During the Covid-19 school closures period, staff worked with families to support their emotional well-being. Staff made weekly phone calls to parents and children and were on hand to offer support through an online community portal (class Dojo). In the run up to schools closing in March 2020, parents shared their opinions on how as a school we dealt with the situation and how we supported our children (see attached comments sheet in PSHCE file)
The measures stated demonstrate how we are proactive in addressing any gaps in a child’s PSHCE learning and how as a school we develop our children’s PSHCE development through a holistic approach. When teaching PSHCE all staff know the progression of the skill being taught and know what previous learning took place.
As a result of the good PSHCE teaching at Grenoside children:
Are able to recognise and apply the British values of Democracy, Tolerance, Mutual Respect, Rule of Law and Liberty.
Become independent responsible members of a diverse society
Are aware of their emotional intelligence and they will be able to identify their feelings and the feelings of others and be equip with the tools to look after their overall mental well-being.
Have a clear and concise understanding of relationships between themselves, family members and relationships online
Know how to keep themselves and others safe in society
Develop a range of skills and strategies to live a healthy, safe, fulfilling, responsible and balanced life.