Intent

Through PSHE at Cedar Park School we aim to provide pupils with the knowledge, skill and understanding from which they can make informed choices and decisions with regard to their present and future lifestyles.

We do this by:

• providing an atmosphere of trust and security in which effective learning can take place
• fostering a relationship of respect between children, between children and adults, and between adults
• preparing children for responsibilities, opportunities and experiences in school and outside school as individuals and members of communities.

PSHE gives children the opportunity to:

• reflect on and understand their personal and social development
• discuss, consider and examine spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues
• find out about the main political and social institutions
• learn about their responsibilities, rights and duties as members of communities
• understand and respect our common humanity, diversity and differences
• develop personal and social skills to be effective in learning and life relationships and to enable emotional development and interaction with others as well as making healthy positive choices and actively participating in society
• clarify and develop attitudes and values that support self-esteem and are positive to health and well being
• access relevant and age-appropriate information

PSHE supports children in their development, builds self-esteem, enables them to participate confidently, promotes health and emotional well-being and equips them with skills and knowledge to recognise and manage feelings and relationships and make positive health decisions. It supports learning through raising standards of achievement in all subjects by children who are more motivated, secure and confident learners in all areas of the curriculum. 

Relationships Education

From September 2020 statutory Relationships Education and Health Education have been part of the taught curriculum within PSHE. This is an essential part of a child’s education and contributes to their personal development. Sex Education is not statutory at primary, but recommended by the DfE. We teach Sex Education as part of our Relationships Education within the planned PSHE curriculum.

Relationships Education became statutory in September 2020. High quality Relationships Education will support pupils to:

• Form and maintain positive relationships with other children and adults
• Understand the importance of positive and healthy relationships on their wellbeing
• Recognise what makes a good friendship and how to be a good friend in return
• Strategies to manage the ups and downs of friendships and relationships with others
• Show respect for others and recognise diversity within relationships, treating each other with kindness , consideration and understanding
• Develop positive character traits and personal attributes such as self- respect, kindness, honesty , integrity and resilience
• Understand the principles of positive relationships also apply online, how to keep safe and how to report concerns
• Understand the importance of recognising and establishing their own personal boundaries and privacy
• Understand and respect differences and combat all forms of bullying and discrimination
• Recognise unhealthy relationships, inappropriate behaviour and bullying and to report concerns or abuse and are taught the appropriate vocabulary to do so (including signposting to trusted online support services such as Childline)
• Ask a trusted adult rather than go online with regards to any concerns about relationship issues and avoid viewing any inappropriate material or entering into social media conversations that could cause them harm
• Recognise intimate physical relationships are for adults

Sex Education

High quality Sex Education will support pupils to:

• Be taught factual and correct information about this how a baby is conceived and born
• Explore in a safe and managed environment questions they may have about puberty and give them an age appropriate understanding of sexual development
• Understand that all intimate relationships should be consensual and based on love and respect
• Understand the law and be taught that intimate relationships are for consenting adults
• Understand the importance of marriage and committed relationships and learn about different cultural and religious approaches to this
• Recognising and establish their own personal boundaries, and privacy relating to their own bodies and are taught the scientific vocabulary for body parts
• Dispel myths and incorrect information about sex and how a baby is conceived and born

Implementation

PSHE is provided across the curriculum in all subject areas as well as in a planned programme - Dimensions 3D PSHE. This scheme runs from Nursery through to Year 6. It includes areas such as emotional health and well-being, sex and relationships education, healthy eating, physical activity and safety. School PSHE complements what is learnt at home from parents, carers, family and friends as well as the wider society.

Aspects of PSHE will also be covered within other subjects. For example, in English lessons during discussions and debates, in Science and Geography when learning about the local environment, Computing when learning about keeping safe online and in P.E. when topics such as exercise, well-being and safety occur.

Throughout the schemes of work, we concentrate upon knowledge, skills and understanding.  PSHE and Citizenship encourages children to develop the key skills listed below:

• to think critically and express opinions confidently
• to take responsibility
• to make choices within a moral context
• to form clear values and attitudes
• to make and sustain good relationships and to co-operate with others
• to develop a healthy lifestyle
• to develop awareness of safety issues
• to listen attentively to others

Developing progression throughout the school means that skills which are covered are relevant to the age group and progress alongside the children’s needs.

For example, at KS1, children will be taught to recognise hazards and the importance of adult supervision.  This will be developed at KS2 with greater emphasis on taking responsibility for their own safety.

We are well aware that some PSHE topics may come up earlier than planned or need re-visiting depending on the specific needs of a pupil or pupils. We are able to tailor our sessions to support those needs.

Relationships Education is delivered through the PSHE curriculum, we use the 3D PSHE Scheme at Cedar Park school. These aspects of the Relationships Education as defined by the DfE will be taught at an age appropriate level.

To ensure the content and delivery of Relationships Education is appropriate and relevant to our pupils we use simple baselines to ascertain what pupils already know, and find out what they would like to learn.

Distancing techniques are used to teach Relationships Education, which provides depersonalised examples which support children to explore what is being taught without sharing their own personal experiences in the lesson.

We provide an inclusive curriculum that promotes understanding and mutual respect for all. We reflect diversity within our curriculum to ensure that no pupil feels excluded and teach pupils to respect difference, promote equality and challenge stigma. Outcomes for Relationships Education are defined by the DfE and cover:

• Families and people who care for me
• Caring friendships
• Respectful relationships
• On line relationships
• Being safe (In which we teach the scientific names of body parts)

Sex Education is delivered through the Relationships curriculum as part of PSHE education. To ensure the content and delivery of Sex Education is appropriate and relevant to our pupils we use simple baselines to ascertain what pupils already know, and find out what they would like to learn. Sex Education is delivered by the class teacher in Years 5 and/or 6.

Distancing techniques are used in PSHE education, which provide depersonalised examples which support children to explore what is being taught without sharing their own personal experiences in the lesson.

Impact

At Cedar Park School we are aware that –

• Learning is most effective with spaced repetition.
• Interleaving helps pupils to discriminate between topics and aids long-term retention.
• Retrieval of previously learned content is frequent and regular, which increases both storage and retrieval strength

As such, previous skills and knowledge are returned to and built upon in every lesson. Lessons incorporate independent tasks, paired and group work and teacher led activities. Each lesson can be accessed by all pupils and opportunities to challenge are also built into lessons.

Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the PSHE curriculum will be assessed according to the provisions outlined in our school’s Feedback & Marking Policy. Children demonstrate their ability in PSHE lessons in a variety of different ways and also throughout the school day. Teachers will assess children’s learning and development by making informal judgements as they observe them across the day.

Evaluation of the quality and standards of children’s learning in PSHE can be seen through Learning Walks, book scrutinies (where appropriate) and observations. Monitoring of general behaviour across the school day, including breaks and lunchtimes, is essential to see where further support can be directed. Regular Pupil Voice can assess where the children see their own Personal, social and health needs are. Monitoring the quality and standards of the teaching will take place in partnership with the headteacher through observations and Learning Walks.

What does PSHE and RSE look like at Cedar Park?

There are three underlying core themes taught throughout 3D PSHE, within which there is broad overlap and flexibility:

• Health and Wellbeing
• Relationships
• Living in the Wider World

The concepts and skills are taught together within each topic and year group to ensure systematic progression.

In EYFS, children are introduced to ideas through a series of stories based on characters of similar age to themselves. Themes and concepts are explored through use of these characters in familiar situations.

In KS1 and KS2 the lessons follow an introductory question, a main activity and a plenary. Lessons are based on a model of ‘Recognise, Reflect, Respond’.

The PSHE curriculum will be taught throughout the year but may be weekly or in blocks depending on class timetables. The Sex Education will take place in the Summer Term of Years 5 and/or 6.

In addition to explicit learning, we also address PSHE through specific focus days or weeks, for example: Being Different Being Equal week, and Anti-bullying week.

The elected school council are also actively involved in promoting PSHE issues.

PSHE & RSE at Cedar Park for children with SEND

In order for PSHE to be accessible and inclusive for all, teachers need to anticipate potential barriers for individual learners and consider ways of minimising these to ensure participation.

For some learners, PSHE can be a medium to break down barriers that may exist in other curriculum subjects. The nature of the subject allows freedom and flexibility in classroom set-up, learning activities and how we record them. This is beneficial, not only for personal, social and health development, but for the growth of self-confidence and for the fostering of emotional wellbeing in all learners.

Teachers should always be aware that some children may have sensitivities to some of the PSHE curriculum depending on their background, home life and experiences. Teachers should be mindful of this when approaching any PSHE topic.

At Cedar Park, we provide suitable learning opportunities for all pupils by matching the challenge of the task to the individual needs and abilities of each pupil. We will achieve this in a variety of ways, including:

• Pre-expose learners to the content of the lesson, e.g. talk about new vocabulary
• Ear defenders can enable learners to partake in lessons with more confidence.
• Create opportunities for learning outside of the usual classroom or within the classroom using a different layout
• Drip-feed key vocabulary and ideas throughout the school day
• Assigning classroom assistants to individual/groups of pupils, where appropriate, to enable greater one-to-one support.
• Providing extra learning opportunities through bespoke support groups (e.g. one for those with SEND and another for academically more able pupils)
• Using cooperative learning to ensure all children are engaged in their learning
• Use strategies such as modelling, demonstrating and imitating to help learners understand concepts.
• Use of individual, paired and group activities to support learning.
• Use of different methods of recording to support those who find writing challenging.

Useful Documents & Links