P.S.H.E. (Personal, Social and Health Education)

At St Andrew’s we believe that a strong PSHE education is important to help our pupils develop into well-rounded members of society, who can make a positive contribution to their community. Our PSHE curriculum is strongly tied to our RSE, relationships, health education and pastoral care programme. We nurture our children with care and respect and expect them to do the same. We offer counseling with our trained ELSA and support and social skills groups that run alongside our comprehensive curriculum.

The vision for pupils, staff and others linked to our school is to always look to achieve our personal best in every aspect of school life.

During key stages 1 and 2, PSHE education offers 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. It builds on the skills that pupils started to acquire during the Early Years Foundation stage (EYFS) to develop effective relationships, assume greater personal responsibility and manage personal safety, including online. PSHE education helps pupils to manage the physical and emotional changes at puberty, introduces them to a wider world and enables them to make an active contribution to their communities

We use 1Decision to deliver our extensive programme of study.

The 1decision vision

“In an ideal world, children would arrive at school socially developed and ready to learn but this is not always the case. As such, high-quality life skills education is essential for all students to reach their full potential. 1decision provides an interactive bank of resources which supports PSHE, RSE, Health education, SMSC development, and safeguarding.

Mapped to the PSHE Association’s Programme of Study, our resources help children to develop the skills needed to manage difference influences and pressures, as a part of their personal development. Our unique suite of resources allows students to experience challenging situations in a safe environment.

During their time at primary school, children will encounter many of life’s challenges for the first time. 1decision aims to provide children with the knowledge and skills needed to lead safe, healthy, and happy lives.”

Within the school’s wider approach to PHSE, issues such as bullying are taught explicitly and are part of the school’s culture and ethos. Links are made within the computing curriculum around elements such as cyber-bullying, e-safety and influence of the media.

RSE

From September 2020, the teaching of RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) became a compulsory component to teach within primary schools.

The government has stated that ‘In primary schools, we want the subjects to put in place the key building blocks of healthy, respectful relationships, focussing on family and friendships, in all contexts, including online. This will sit alongside the essential understanding of how to be healthy.’

Here at St Andrew’s, we follow the Respect Yourself programme developed by Shropshire Council, which provides an in-depth overview of issues such as relationships and sex education in conjunction with the resources provided by 1Decision.

This prepares the children for the changes they may experience and allows them to move on to secondary with a better understanding of RSE.

• Our school is one where everyone is encouraged and supported to achieve their personal best.
• Our school is welcoming, inclusive, has a real community feel and is a place where everyone is valued.
• Our pupils and staff treat each other equitably, fairly, with kindness and with mutual respect. At all times, staff and pupils are encouraged to show a high regard for the needs and feelings of others through their actions and words.
• Our pupils and staff are enterprising and approach challenges with a ‘can-do’ attitude.
• The needs and interests of all pupils, irrespective of gender, culture, ability or aptitude, will be promoted through an inclusive and varied PSHE curriculum at our school.
• Our environment is safe and clean with everyone sharing responsibility for it.
• Our culture is one of continuous improvement, creativity and enthusiasm.
• Our Christian values and ethos permeate throughout our curriculum and school community.