PSHE
At Wadhurst we are dedicated to supporting all our young people to be happy, healthy and safe. Equipping them for life as an adult in British society. Our aim is to ensure that each of our pupils holistically develops the knowledge, skills and attributes to keep themselves safe and healthy to play a positive and respectful role within an ever-changing society.
We encourage our children to be curious about their own place in the world through questions, discussions, explorations, and active learning. Our supportive school environment offers children a smaller version of the world in which to be curious about and celebrate the complexities of human relationships and society as a whole. We actively encourage children to explore their own and others’ ideas to develop their understanding of society’s conventions. We provide the opportunity to understand and develop respect for the diversity of life to prepare them for the wider world as they grow up and face new, challenging and evolving situations.
We recognize the sensitive nature of PSHE learning and respect the fact that every child will have had their own unique and varied life experiences to date. To this end we establish a non-judgmental environment of safety, confidentiality and respect to offer all children the freedom and opportunity to share and develop their own thoughts, ideas and opinions about challenging topics. PSHE underpins all aspects of learning and as such is carefully woven into all opportunities (planned and unplanned) throughout the school’s curriculum provision, Collective Worship and school life as a whole to offer an embedded ethos of curiosity, confidence and respect for all.
Why do we use the scheme we use?
At Wadhurst we base our PSHE curriculum on the Kapow scheme which is designed to respect pupils’ previous and current experiences as a basis for preparing them for their future. The Kapow Programme of Study therefore provides a spiral curriculum to ensure progression of knowledge, skills and attributes, where prior learning is revisited, reinforced and extended year on year throughout their primary school career.
The DFE signposts learning opportunities spread across three core themes: Health and Wellbeing, Relationships, and Living in the Wider World as their only national programme of study to incorporate the statutory elements of RSHE. However the Kapow Programme of Study identifies a broad range of important topics - Health & Wellbeing, Family & Friendships, Safety, Citizenship, Economic Wellbeing, The Changing Body & Transition - which are delivered in termly units through a series of videos, discussions and activities, with emphasis on utilising practical learning approaches to free the children to explore their thoughts and feelings.
Assessment takes place at the start of each unit to establish their current knowledge with a self-reflection activity at the end for the children to reflect on the development of their knowledge and understanding.
It is essential to prioritise quality over quantity so that staff can deliver meaningful and connected PSHE lessons whilst ensuring that the programme reflects the universal needs of all our children, as well as the specific needs of the pupils in the school and our local community. Therefore the Kapow scheme has been adapted accordingly to suit Wadhurst’s mixed-age classes but to sensitively respect that some topics such as Sex Education should be taught in single year groups.
At Wadhurst our scheme addresses the following:
• Promoting good health
• Valuing families and different family structures
• Creating and maintaining positive friendships
• Developing safe and respectful relationships
• Operating safely in a digital world and carrying out first aid
• Learning to make independent choices without influence
• Understanding the changes that take place during puberty
• Preparation for and coping with change in school and beyond
Our Principles For Great Teaching In PSHE
If our children are keeping up with the curriculum, they are deemed to be making good or better progress. We measure the impact of our curriculum through the reflection on what they know and remember in regards to our mapped knowledge goals for each year group, tracking knowledge in pre- and post-learning challenges and in pupil discussions about their learning. The impact of our PSHE curriculum is that our pupils are equipped with the knowledge that will enable them to be ready for the next stage of their curriculum and for life as an adult in the world outside the classroom.
We expect that:
When children leave Wadhurst they will have developed their understanding of:
• Physical & mental health – wellbeing & prevention
• Families, friendships & respectful relationships; change & loss
• Keeping safe; online safety; drugs, tobacco & alcohol; basic first aid
• Responsibility, community & democracy, money & career aspirations
• The physical & emotional changes of the developing body; coping with change; gender identity; body image (Yr6 only)
And be able to:
• Be confident in interacting with others.
• Show empathy and respect for the lives, situations and views of others
• Make responsible and informed choices and decisions and challenge uncomfortable/unsafe situations
• Have a sound start for further development at Key Stage 3 and beyond.
- Recorded learning and pupil voice
- Lesson design to provide opportunities for adults to continually assess for understanding both in PSHE and across the curriculum
- Knowledge catchers completed at start of unit, refined at end of unit, cross-referenced with Substantive Concepts progression
- Evidence of behaviours in school, in their family lives and in the wider community
Beyond Wadhurst
We believe that when children leave Wadhurst CE Primary they will have a natural curiosity, confidence and respect for the conventions, diversity and challenges of life in a constantly changing modern society. They will therefore be equipped to continue their learning journey at Secondary School and beyond to become a happy, healthy and responsible citizen in the wider world.
Please note The DFE states: that personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is an important and necessary part of all pupils’ education. All schools should teach PSHE, drawing on good practice, and this expectation is outlined in the introduction to the proposed new national curriculum.
PSHE is a non-statutory subject. To allow teachers the flexibility to deliver high-quality PSHE we consider it unnecessary to provide new standardised frameworks or programmes of study. PSHE can encompass many areas of study. Teachers are best placed to understand the needs of their pupils and do not need additional central prescription.
However, while we believe that it is for schools to tailor their local PSHE programme to reflect the needs of their pupils, we expect schools to use their PSHE education programme to equip pupils with a sound understanding of risk and with the knowledge and skills necessary to make safe and informed decisions.
Schools should seek to use PSHE education to build, where appropriate, on the statutory content already outlined in the national curriculum, the basic school curriculum and in statutory guidance on: drug education, financial education, sex and relationship education (SRE) and the importance of physical activity and diet for a healthy lifestyle.
Relationships and sex education
Relationships and sex education (RSE) is an important part of PSHE education. Relationships education is compulsory for all primary school pupils.
When any school provides RSE they must have regard to the Secretary of State’s guidance, this is a statutory duty. For further information on our provision for RSE at Wadhurst CE Primary school please click here