PSHE at Gade Valley Primary School

PSHE Subject Leader: Mrs Burtt

Intent:

Gade Valley strives to:

• Ensure all pupils are provided with the knowledge, understanding, attitudes, values and skills they need to reach their potential as individuals and within the community.
• Ensure all pupils value themselves, have sense of purpose, form positive relationships and be an active partner in their own learning.
• Ensure all pupils are provided with opportunities to talk about how they feel and understand their feelings, within a safe and secure environment and without judgement.

Implementation:

At Gade Valley, PSHE is taught using the Jigsaw approach. As a school, we chose to use the scheme as a framework for delivering high quality learning opportunities. The framework is broken down into half-termly puzzles which ensure all areas of the PSHE for the primary phase are covered.

Through proactive PSHE teaching and learning, mindfulness is developed through the ‘Calm Me’ time in each lesson. This consists of breathing techniques, awareness exercises and enjoyable activities- where children can begin to understand their thoughts, feelings and learn techniques to support the regulation of their emotions and build emotional resilience, emotional literacy, social skills and spiritual development.

All PSHE lessons include the Gade Valley principles of learning. This ensures all teachers are mindful of pupils learning styles, provide effective challenge for all pupils ensuring all their individual needs are being met and good learning behaviours are displayed. Each Key Stage work on the same theme at the same time, this enables each Puzzle to start with an introductory assembly, generating a whole school focus for adults and children alike. Teachers are then able to teach the lessons either weekly or in blocks. Throughout the year, children are given opportunities to demonstrate the skills they have learnt through special PSHE days. In the autumn term, they are encouraged to provide gifts for families that are less fortunate than they are in their local community as well as communities around the world.

In the Early Years, PSHE lessons are taught through all areas of learning. Both Nursery and Reception classes have daily circle-time to develop social and emotional skills. Through child-initiated-learning, pupils are provided with opportunities to further develop these skills.

Sex and Relationships Education (SRE)

As a school, SRE is taught through the ‘Changing Me’ Puzzle which provides teaching and learning intentions for each year group. Effective SRE can make a significant contribution to the development of the personal skills needed by children if they are to establish and maintain relationships.  In addition, it provides opportunities for children to understand the difference between safe and abusive relationships and equips them with the skills to get help if they need it. 

Drug and Alcohol Education

The Drug and Alcohol Education programme at our school reflects the school ethos and demonstrates and encourages the following values. For example:

• Respect for self
• Respect for others
• Responsibility for their own actions
• Responsibility for their family, friends, schools and wider community

Impact:

The PSHE Curriculum is sequenced to demonstrate progression through all the year groups. Each puzzle has clear assessment criteria, which all teachers follow. This enables teachers to ensure the majority of their class are achieving age related. In addition, the impact of PSHE is monitored through observing children’s behaviour towards each other in and outside of the classroom and through regular pupil voice.

Up to March 2020, the following measureable impact includes:

• In the 2018/19 academic year, the large majority of pupils achieved age related expectations or above.
• Pupil voice (in Key Stage 1 and 2) says that most pupils:

• enjoy learning in PSHE
• feel that teachers encourage them to participate in lessons.
• know when they have achieved the learning expectations.
• they prefer the instant feedback given throughout the lesson as this helps them to identify what they have done well and what they need to improve on.
• enjoy the practical side to the learning and how it links to other subjects.

• In the summer term 2019, all pupils participated in an enrichment event. Children worked in groups to design and make boats. This provided opportunities to develop social skills
• In the autumn term 2019, pupils in Year 5 participated in workshops from Nuffield Health. These provided opportunities to learn about healthy living, eating and exercise. 
• Each academic year, whole school participate in an Anti-bullying week.
• Each academic year, whole school participate in Children in Need.
• In the autumn term 2019, whole school participated in Harvest Festival where items are collected and given to DENs - a local charity for the homeless.
• In the autumn term 2019, whole school participated in a Growth Mindset Day.
• In the autumn term 2019, Year 6 visited the local residential care home for the elderly.
• In the autumn term 2019, Majority of the school provided gifts for families less fortunate than they are. (Rotary Club)
• In the current academic year, whole school will be completing an e-safety week.
• From March 2020 till July 2020, during lockdown all children could access Mindful activities from the Home Learning page.
• From March 2020 till July 2020, during lockdown all teachers provided activities for the children to complete to help understand what was happening around them due to Covid19. Examples: Making a card for a member of your family, Making a picture to say thank you to the NHS.