Personal, Social, Health and economic (PSHE) education

Subject Lead: Miss K Matthews

PSHE Intent

At Leasowes Primary School, we teach Personal, Social, Health and Economic education as a whole-school approach to underpin children’s personal development. Our ambitious PSHE curriculum aims to future-proof our children and supports them to develop their character, equipping them for success in the next stage of their education and later life. PSHE at Leasowes embeds our school’s values and charter, the British Values and CRC. In PSHE lessons, other curriculum lessons and experiences beyond the classroom, children are taught to understand and show empathy for all people; understand their bodies (including the differences between them and peers and how to remain healthy); and learn how to approach many of the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. It is our aim for pupils to develop positive relationships with themselves, others and wider society and this is a fundamental part of our school ethos and culture.

PSHE at Leasowes

All year groups plan and teach the PSHE curriculum using the Jigsaw PSHE scheme of work to guide the teaching of knowledge and skills. The Jigsaw Programme offers us a comprehensive, carefully thought-through Scheme of Work which brings consistency and progression to our children’s learning in this vital curriculum area ensuring a coherent and enquiry-based approach is adopted. That being said, our PSHE curriculum is assisted by Jigsaw and is thoughtfully adapted by teachers to meet the needs of their children. Jigsaw brings together PSHE Education, emotional literacy, social skills, SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural) development opportunities in a comprehensive scheme of learning. The curriculum is progressively structured so that all children, from nursery to year 6, focus on the same element of the curriculum each half term at an age and ability appropriate level: Being Me (Autumn 1); Celebrating Difference (Autumn 2); Dreams and Goals (Spring 1); Healthy Me (Spring 2); Relationships (Summer 1); and Changing Me (Summer 2). See the PSHE Curriculum Progression documents.

Relationship and Sex Education (RSE)

Relationships and Health Education is a statutory requirement that must be delivered to every primary-aged child. Primary schools also have the option, which at Leasowes we have taken, to decide whether children are taught sex education. Relationships Education focuses on giving children the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships, therefore building their self-efficacy. Health Education focuses on equipping children with the knowledge they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing.  By using the Jigsaw Scheme of Work, the statutory Relationship and Sex education elements of the curriculum are covered with rigor, equipping children with the skills in order to enable them to understand and respect who they are, to empower them with a voice and to prepare them for later life and learning. 

Rights Respecting School

The Rights Respecting Schools Award puts children’s rights at the heart of school life in the UK. At Leasowes, we are proud to have achieved the highest accreditation, Gold Rights Respecting School. There are 54 articles within the convention of the rights of the child. There are many articles, of which most of these are taught within normal day to day practice. The convention of the rights of the child supports this and helps make discussing children’s rights more child friendly and opens conversations up for both children and adults to discuss issues they may be experiencing or seeing in the world around them.

As a Rights Respecting School, we embed the Convention for the Rights of the child through all areas of the curriculum. We believe that through PSHE, children must understand their right to access education (article 28). Additionally, children must understand their right to have their views respected (article 12) and be given time to share thoughts freely (article 13).

British Values
At Leasowes, British Values are woven through all subjects, supporting our school values and charter. Jigsaw contributes to the British Values agenda significantly, both through the direct teaching of information and through the experiential learning children will enjoy. The 5 strands of the British Values agenda have been mapped across every Puzzle and every Piece (lesson).

Life Beyond Leasowes

Fortnightly ‘Life Beyond Leasowes’ assemblies allow children the opportunity to openly converse about current worldwide affairs. This provides opportunities for children to learn from our world and develop respect for other’s beliefs, feelings and faiths to gain a heightened sense of justice and equity for all children. All assemblies encourage exploration, discussion, challenge and reflection and inspire children to learn about the wider community and world. British Values, United Nations Convention of the Rights of a Child and the protected characteristics as set out by the Equality Act are discussed during every assembly.