PSHCE, or personal, social, health and citizenship education, is a planned programme of learning through which children and young people acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to manage their lives. As part of a whole school approach, PSHCE develops the qualities and attributes pupils need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society. It prepares them to manage many of the most critical opportunities, challenges and responsibilities they will face growing up in such rapidly changing and challenging times. It also helps them to connect and apply the knowledge and understanding they learn in all subjects to practical, real-life situations while helping them to feel safe and secure enough to fulfil their academic potential. In our programmes we actively promote British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs to prepare our pupils for life in modern day Britain. Our citizenship lessons enable our pupils to understand the British democratic process and how to effect peaceful changes in society.
All our year groups have timetabled PSHCE time but we encourage a cross-curricular approach to the development of PSHCE skills and understanding. Circle time is used to listen to others and to be heard with the help of class friends eg Talking Ted. Pupils learn about similarities and differences between people and cultures. They participate in a variety of cultural events such as Diwali, Hanukkah, Shrove Tuesday and Shavuot. Planting and growing things are important aspects of our PSHCE curriculum and we link this to an understanding of healthy eating. All pupils are taught how to use the TAG anti bullying strategy.
From September 2020, we will be teaching the statutory Relationships and Health Education curriculum. All children will be able to learn about different relationships, different families, growing up, puberty and their changing bodies. Sex education continues to be not compulsory in primary schools but we will be teaching some aspects of it. Parents will be able to request that their child is withdrawn from lessons about sex education, which are not statutory objectives covered in the science national curriculum.
To support the teaching of RSE and Health Education we use the "Teaching RSE with confidence" scheme of work which takes into account the: