PSHE & RHE

PSHE education gives pupils the knowledge, skills, and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy and safe and to prepare them for life and work in modern Britain.

Why teach PSHE?

PSHE education helps pupils to achieve their academic potential and leave school equipped with skills they will need throughout later life.  You may hear PSHE referred to as 'curriculum for life'.

For more information, access the PSHE Association's 'Curriculum for Life' report here.

What will my child learn in their PSHE lessons?

St George’s CE Primary School is committed to providing a high quality educational experience for all pupils. Our curriculum determines and underpins the whole ethos of our school. At St George’s, our personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum brings together citizenship with personal well-being, whilst promoting fundamental British Values. Although PSHE is taught through discrete lessons, it also underpins all activities, Collective Worship, educational visits and extra-curricular clubs. It is intended that we will offer a cohesive whole-school approach which enables our children to become healthy, independent and responsible members of society.

This includes:

Successful PSHE education can have a positive impact on the whole child, including their academic development and progress, by reducing and eliminating any social and emotional barriers to learning and building confidence and self-esteem. Evidence suggests that PSHE also helps disadvantaged and vulnerable children to achieve to a greater extent by raising aspirations and empowering them with skills to overcome barriers they face. All children are able to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to succeed at school and in the wider world.

Relationships & Health Education (RHE)

High quality RHE helps create safe school communities in which pupils can grow, learn and develop positive, healthy behaviour for life.

Children and young people need to be prepared for the physical and emotional changes they undergo at puberty, and young people need to learn about relationships. Older pupils frequently say that sex and relationships education was ‘too little, too late and too biological’. Ofsted reinforced this in their 2013 ’Not Yet Good Enough report.’

RHE plays a vital part in meeting schools’ safeguarding obligations. Ofsted is clear that schools must have a preventative programme that enables pupils to learn about safety and risks in relationships.

Schools maintain a statutory obligation under the Children Act (2004) to promote their pupils’ wellbeing, and under the Education Act (1996) to prepare children and young people for the challenges, opportunities and responsibilities of adult life. A comprehensive RHE programme can have a positive impact on pupils’ health and wellbeing and their ability to achieve, and can play a crucial part in meeting these obligations.

The aim of RHE is to provide children with age appropriate information, explore attitudes and values and develop skills in order to empower them to make positive decisions about their health related behaviour. This should take place with consideration of the qualities of relationships within families, including same sex relationships. In addition, SRE will promote self esteem and emotional health and well-being and help them form and maintain worthwhile and satisfying relationships, based on respect for themselves and for others, at home, school, work and in the community. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination or bullying and challenge all reported incidents of homophobic or sexist discrimination.

The objectives of Relationships & Health Education are:

• To help pupils’ develop their language, decision making and assertiveness
• To provide the confidence to be participating members of society and to value themselves and others
• To develop skills for a healthier safer lifestyle
• To respect and care for their bodies

Foundation Stage:

• Understanding where animals, including humans, come from
• Talking about their own relationships with others (friends/family)
• Diversity- recognising how boys and girls are different and how families can be different (including families with same sex parents)
• Name all body parts, including scientific names for male and female genitalia
• Openly talk about their own feelings, how other people make us feel and is this ok?
• Being able to recognise appropriate and inappropriate physical and verbal contact (wanted and unwanted) and respecting other people
• Knowing how to respond to unwanted physical or verbal contact and who to tell
• Understanding the difference between secrets and surprises and the importance of not keeping adults’ secrets

Key Stage 1:

• Developing empathy towards other people’s feelings and understanding how our behaviour can affect someone else’s feelings
• Develop relationships by being learning how to play and work cooperatively by taking turns, sharing, respecting other people’s belongings and resolving conflicts
• Understanding gender stereotypes
• Openly talk about their feelings relating to changes ie. Moving home, losing a toy, pet, friend, family member
• Understanding that some animals are born from their mothers (Science objective)
• Understanding the difference between secrets and surprises and the importance of not keeping adults’ secrets
• Understanding the importance of trust in relationships with others
• Developing feelings of self-worth and recognising positive attributes about themselves
• Recognise their own potential and aspirations and begin to set themselves goals
• Understand how people can persuade us to do things; know how to make the right decision and understand consequences

Lower Key Stage 2 (Year 3 and 4):

• Understanding the qualities of a positive friendship and the importance of love and trust in relationships
• Understanding the difference between keeping someone’s confidence and keeping secrets and knowing when it is necessary to break that confidence
• Talk openly about their own feelings and develop strategies for managing their feelings
• Understand how our behaviour can affect other people’s feelings
• Understand the consequences of bullying, teasing, discrimination, anti-social and aggressive behaviours
• Develop strategies for resolving conflict through negotiation, compromise and respecting other people’s points of view
• Develop strategies for resisting peer pressure and pressure to conform to gender stereotypes
• Reflect on and celebrate own achievements and strengths; recognise aspirations for the future and set goals

Upper Key Stage 2 (Year 5 and 6):

• Recognising the qualities needed in their own positive, healthy relationships and those of adults and develop the skills to form and maintain these
• Recognising signs of unwanted/inappropriate physical and verbal contact (including sexting, pornography, abuse, exploitation and grooming), understanding the law and knowing how they can protect themselves and who can help them
• Understand the responsibilities involved in a relationship and the importance of being ready for these responsibilities ie. Marriage and parenthood
• Understanding the process of birth (Science objective)
• Preparing for puberty and adulthood and understanding the changes that will happen to their bodies (Science objective) and changes to their emotions
• Understanding how a baby is conceived
• Talking openly about their feelings; what is a good feeling and how we can manage and overcome our emotions
• Coping with changes such as loss of a friend, family separation and bereavement
• Recognising good role models
• Developing a positive body image and understanding the effect of media
• Developing and using communication skills and assertiveness skills to cope with the influences of their peers and the media

The teaching method employed will vary according to the age, ability and experience of the children and the concept taught. These methods will include whole class/small group discussions, stories, role play, scenarios, puppets and videos. Relationships & Health Education is usually delivered in mixed gender groups however, there may be occasions where single gender groups are more appropriate and relevant. Class teachers plan and deliver engaging and relevant lessons, taking objectives from the scheme of work, which are differentiated appropriately to ensure all children, including SEN, can achieve the learning objective. Class teachers are responsible for giving pupils the opportunity to discuss openly and honestly their feelings on a variety of social and emotional issues.

Occasionally, lessons may be delivered by outside agencies, (for example ChildLine and NSPCC). The lesson content will be discussed prior to the lesson and will be monitored by the class teacher and/or subject leader.

 Parent Partnership

A positive relationship and communication between home and school is vital in the education of Relationships & Health. The school informs parents when aspects the programme are taught and provides opportunities for parents to view the videos and resources being used.

Parents have the right to withdraw their children from those aspects of the programme which are not included in the National Curriculum  and alternative work would be set.

Safeguarding / Confidentiality

Teachers need to be aware that effective Relationships & Health Education, which brings an understanding of what is and is not acceptable in a relationship, may lead to disclosure of a child protection issue. The staff member will inform the Head Teacher /DSL in line with the procedures for child protection. A member of staff cannot promise confidentiality if concerns exist.

RHE Policy

Vocabulary in RHE lessons - a useful article

British Values

Protected Characteristics

St George's CE Primary School is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and equitable educational environment where every individual is valued, respected, and provided with equal opportunities to thrive. Our commitment to equity is firmly rooted in the principles outlined by The Equality Act 2010, which prohibits discrimination, harassment, and victimization based on protected characteristics, such as:

- Age

- Disability

- Gender reassignment

- Marriage and civil partnership

- Pregnancy and maternity

- Race

- Religion or belief

- Sex

- Sexual orientation

Protected Characteristics PowerPoint Presentation