PSHE & Safeguarding Newsletter

Welcome to the WPT PSHE and Safeguarding Newsletter.

We hope you have had a wonderful summer break and are settling well into the new school year.

You will receive PSHE & Safeguarding newsletter every half term; this is to provide you with updates, support and information for you and your child. You can also visit the emotional health and well-being section on all school websites. This will provide links to lots of external organisations for both parents/carers and young people. 

What is PSHE Education?

PSHE is an umbrella term for a whole range of different education topics, that are grouped under the headings: Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education. These topics include themes such as personal finances, drugs and alcohol awareness, mental health and wellbeing, careers, online safety, and relationships and sex education (RSE) PSHE provides children and young people with the skills and knowledge they need to live healthy lives in an ever-changing and diverse society. 

How can I support my child’s PSHE Education? 

• Allowing your child to talk about PSHE topics at home can be a really good way for them to explore and contextualise some of the content. 

• If you have time, research some of the areas you know are coming up in your child’s PSHE programme, and anticipate any awkward questions. 

• Be honest if you don’t know the answer to a question. However, you can listen to your child and explore these areas further together. 

• Sensitive conversations can be easier to have if you are not facing each other directly, so whilst driving or walking, for example. 

• Ask open questions. For example, how is your friendship group at the moment? 

• Listen and try not to lecture. They will ask for advice when they want it .

The PSHE programme at Wickersley Partnership Trust means our students in Y7–8 have weekly PSHE lessons. In Y9-10, students have a PSHE lesson once every two weeks. PSHE classes are taken by a dedicated PSHE teacher to facilitate respectful and responsible discussions in an inclusive atmosphere. All students will complete regular knowledge and skills assessments and receive effort grades throughout the year. 

Pupils in Y11 have 6 lessons of PSHE per year delivered by their PSHE teacher and additional assemblies over the year.

Pupils in the Sixth Form have regular assemblies and tutorials that are dedicated to supporting their wellbeing and preparing them for adult life. 

Over the school year all students will take part in a variety of personal development activities through tutor time and assemblies as well as Money Matters in their Maths lessons and careers through the curriculum themed weeks.

Helping your child settle back in to school

We know that beginning a new term, new school and new classes can be overwhelming for some of our children. Please be assured that staff in school are here to support all students and if you would like any further support contact your child’s pastoral team.

Spotting the signs that your child may be experiencing higher levels of school anxiety.

• not wanting to get up, get ready or go to school

• anxiety and heightened emotions when getting ready to leave for school

• physical symptoms like headaches, stomach ache or feeling sick

• a change in behaviour either by becoming more withdrawn or acting out more

• trouble sleeping or getting to sleep

• not doing schoolwork or performing worse at school

• not going into school without telling you

It can be a worrying time for you as a parent, so go easy on yourself and your child. The most important thing is to listen to your child and to try and be calm, patient and show empathy. It’s also important to look after yourself and seek support when you need it. 

It’s important to have open and non-confrontational conversations with young people about what they’re finding difficult, remembering that they may not be able to verbalise this fully themselves.

Start talking to your child’s school as early as you can. Most schools will suggest talking with the form tutor and non teaching head of year first, and this can be escalated to further in school support if needed.

You can support your child by talking to them about the school day and discussing what might help at each stage, linking them up with a pastoral staff member and/or peer buddy at school, providing a safe space for them within school, and having a ‘time-out’ or ‘exit’ card they can use in class if they feel anxious.

Some children may also benefit from extra responsibilities at school, or involvement in sport or extracurricular activities. 

Secondary school demands are greater, so preparation should help build their own skills and confidence. This will help them settle quicker. Don’t do it all for them. Could they arrange to meet friends, do shopping errands (good lunchtime practice) or organise their bag for a day out? Be guided by what feels manageable for your child though. It’s fine if they need more support than some others.

Once school starts, try developing independent organisation with post-it notes listing what’s needed each day; boxes to store other books and worksheets; and an evening habit of checking their school planner and preparing uniform and bag.

Trusted old friends and habits are comforting, particularly in the exhausting early weeks, if a child doesn’t know anyone, or if they are finding it hard to settle. Seeing primary classmates or enjoying familiar activities may be a welcome relief from the effort of starting a new school.

Too much change at once can feel overwhelming too. So while it’s great if they throw themselves into everything, don’t worry if they don’t. They need to adjust and relax. So resist the urge to quiz them too heavily as well.

If your child often feels worried or anxious, and it’s upsetting them or making it difficult for them to think about or do other things, you can try making a worry box together.

Worry boxes are containers into which children can post their anxious thoughts. Children can find them soothing because they:

• give them a physical way of getting rid of their worries, so they don’t need to carry them around anymore

• make them feel safer by holding their anxious thoughts for them

• help them to understand that thoughts are just thoughts, not real things that happen in the world, and that it’s possible to let them go

• create a routine for sorting out their worries and sharing them with you.

https://www.youngminds.org.uk/young-person/blog/how-to-make-a-self-soothe-box/

Within each newsletter will also provide you with some support and guidance on ways to support your child with online safety. Please take some time to read our top tips, access recommended websites and don’t hesitate to contact your child's non teaching head of year.

Also visit:

• www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/social-media/

• https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/

As you will be aware our schools are mobile free zones. Mobile phones are not to be seen, heard or used in school. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule. If a phone is seen, heard or used at any point in the building, the phone will be confiscated straight away by a member of staff.

There are many reasons why schools across the country are taking this approach and at the heart of it is to reduce distractions to learning, prevent online issues taking place in the school day and to give all young people clear periods of time to focus on education, relationships and social skills.

Below is a link to a fantastic national organisation that provides a huge array of advice and guidance to help parents reduce their child's screen time, look for alternative options to replace the smartphone and push for change around smartphone technology and young people in the UK.

Their message is very clear “Smartphones have fundamentally reshaped childhood.
Not because this is what any of us want for our kids. Just because, until now, choosing another path has felt impossible. That’s why this movement exists. Not to judge or divide, but to stand together. To say: maybe this isn’t inevitable. Maybe we can pause. Maybe if we work together we can reset – and give our kids something better”.

https://www.smartphonefreechildhood.org/resources-for-parents

Please take some time to review the information on here and do not hesitate to contact your child's safeguarding and pastoral team if you have any concerns.