PSHE

Intent

At Barlby Bridge Community Primary School, our children’s care is of utmost importance. Enabling them to develop skills and knowledge to be able to safeguard themselves is a priority. Therefore, our goal is to ensure that every child leaves Barlby Bridge with a ‘ruck sack’ full of skills they have been able to rehearse and explore safely and the confidence to make their own knowledge based choices to be able to manage risks and say ‘no’ when needed. All our PHSE topics are taught in line with our equality, diversity and inclusion policies and children are not only taught about British Values but these are embedded within our ethos and modelled daily throughout all aspects of our school. Our PHSE curriculum builds on and works with children’s parents and carers to support their children to become  

mature, confident young adults who are able to use strategies to monitor and support their own wellbeing in the often busy, stressful modern society our world is today. 

The main aspects of our PHSE studied will be determined by the themes and outcomes taken from the NYCC Key Stage 1-2 PSHE and Citizenship Guidance for Schools which has been updated in to include the recent changes from the DfE regarding the statutory Relationship and Sex and Health Education. Risk taking and keeping safe are weaved throughout the aspects. Each topic covered is carefully revisited each year by staff and children paying particular attention to what our children told us in the ‘Growing up in North Yorkshire Survey’ and modified to ensure their needs are met. 

Implementation

Teachers ensure every child is able to learn within a safe and secure learning environment building positive relationships between pupils and staff. PSHE and Citizenship lessons explore pupils’ everyday lives and does include potentially sensitive and personal issues. To ensure this is managed effectively and sensitively, our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of PHSE involves the following; 

• PHSE will be taught through a planned spiral curriculum, arranged sequentially through topic areas taken from Jigsaw – a mindful approach to PSHE with bespoke additions carefully planned to meet the needs of our children at BBS. 

• Demonstrating the importance of kindness, respect and empathy within our school, local, wider and global communities. 

• Sharing and using a range of books and resources and toys (available to children around school at all times) that reflect our diverse communities. 

• Establishing ground rules with pupils so there is shared ownership of them (not imposing them on the pupils) 

• Building on the learning and skill development of not only previous years and phases but also children’s prior experiences. 

• Using ‘distancing techniques’ e.g case studies or by creating a character (a pretend classmate). This is useful as not only does it allow scenarios to be brought up safely with the children, it also allows the children to explore, reflect and rehearse without compromising their privacy in a safe way. 

• Knowing how to deal with unexpected and spontaneous questions from pupils. Pupils will be encouraged to ask questions in PSHE so it is important that staff can handle all questions that may be asked or use methods like the ‘question box’.

• Understanding and able to use vocabulary to enable them to communicate and understand their own emotions or keep themselves safe. For example, learning the correct names for all body parts (NSPCC PANTS). 

• Using a social norms approach by ensuring that sessions, including those on risky behaviours, remain positive in tone by focusing on the positive choices that most of their peers in North Yorkshire take. Using data to back up what we say from the ‘Growing up in North Yorkshire’ Survey. 

• Including our most vulnerable children within the lessons with adaptations to meet all their needs.  

Impact

The PHSE curriculum at Barlby Bridge Community Primary School gives our children a safe, secure environment to actively engaged in their PHSE learning through effective PSHE education which has the following impact on our children. 

• To plan carefully matched lessons to the age, stage and maturity which start ‘where pupils are’ using our PHSE progressive spiral curriculum with topics taught in a logical order taking into consideration the changing needs of our pupils as they grow older and develop. We use Jigsaw’s mindfulness approach to support this with bespoke additions carefully planned to meet the needs of our children at BBS. 

• To provide opportunities for pupils to consider and clarify their values and beliefs and to rehearse and develop enquiry and interpersonal skills. 

• To develop pupils’ sense of worth, understanding their rights and how to keep themselves safe on and offline. 

• To ensure all pupils are all aware of what a trusted adult is and who their trusted adult is in school and at home. 

• To build on our pupils’ knowledge and skills so they will be more aware of how to manage their own risk with the confidence to say no, making safe choices. 

• To model, demonstrate and encourage respect and understanding of our diverse communities with regard to the protected characteristics such as disability, gender, race, religion and sexual orientation recognised through our different families work. 

• To secure pupils’ knowledge and understanding of what a good relationship means. 

• To introduce our pupils to the language to support themselves and help keep them safe from abuse through the NSPCC Pants. 

• To have familiarised pupils with opportunities available to them in their future so they can be the best they can be. 

• To encourage and give opportunities to demonstrate what it means to be a good citizen by supporting local communities and caring for the environment. 

As outlined in our Curriculum Vision Statement for PSHE, we are passionate about implementing our curriculum through a progressive, emotional-literacy-focused and nurturing approach because we want our children to be able to overcome the challenges of creating a happy and successful adult life.

As such, we implement the Jigsaw PSHE curriculum which includes all the statutory objectives for Relationships, Sex and Health Education.

Of their curriculum, Jigsaw say this:

"Designed as a whole-school approach, Jigsaw PSHE / Health and Well-being provides a detailed and comprehensive scheme of learning for ages 3-16.

Jigsaw is a unique, spiral, progressive and effective scheme of work, aiming to prepare children/young people for life, helping them really know and value who they are and understand how they relate to other people in this ever-changing world."

At Barlby Bridge, we timetable weekly sessions for PSHE and our every day culture and weaving it into all curriculum areas.

Please see the Jigsaw website here, for more details.