PSHE & RSE

         Miss Oxbrow                           

    PSHE/RSE Subject Lead     

Intent - What do we want children to learn?
Quite simply, it is our intention that every pupil, irrelevant of needs, develops their knowledge, understanding, attitudes, values and skills that they will need in order to reach their potential as individuals and within the community. At Birchwood pupils are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities and experiences across and beyond the curriculum, contributing fully to the life of their school and communities. In doing so they will learn to recognise their own worth, work well with others and become increasingly responsible for their own learning. They reflect on their experiences and understand how they are developing personally and socially, tackling many of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. They learn to understand and respect our common humanity; diversity and differences so that they can go on to form the effective, fulfilling relationships that are an essential part of life and learning. In our school we choose to deliver Personal, Social, Health Education using the Kapow scheme of work.

Kapow PSHE will support the development of the skills, attitudes, values and behaviour, which enable pupils to:
•    Have a sense of purpose
•    Value self and others
•    Form relationships
•    Make and act on informed decisions
•    Communicate effectively
•    Work with others
•    Respond to challenge
•    Be an active partner in their own learning
•    Be active citizens within the local community
•    Explore issues related to living in a democratic society
•    Become healthy and fulfilled individuals

Implementation - How are we going to achieve our intent?
Birchwood pupils have a weekly PSHE lesson.  Any themes, current issues or situations pertinent to that particular cohort are covered in these weekly lessons.  The five main topics that we cover throughout the year are;

Family and relationships

Exploring how families can be composed of different people who offer each other care and support. The characteristics and impact of positive friendships; learning that issues can be overcome, people show feelings differently and that stereotyping is unfair. Learning how other people show their feelings and how to respond to them as well as understanding physical and emotional boundaries in friendships.

Exploring the roles of bully, victim and bystander and what action can be taken. Looking at conventions of manners and understanding that everyone deserves to be respected as well as developing self-respect.

Health and Well being

Exploring personal qualities and emotional maturity; learning that we experience a range of emotions and are responsible for these; appreciating the emotions of others and developing a growth mindset as well as identifying calming and relaxing strategies to manage feelings. Understanding that a healthy lifestyle includes physical activity, a balanced diet, and rest and relaxation. Looking at the importance of hand washing and sun protection, identifying and dealing with allergic reactions and people in the community who keep us healthy. 

Safety and the Changing Body

Learning how to respond to adults in different situations; distinguishing appropriate and inappropriate physical contact and understanding what to do if lost and how to call the emergency services. Identifying hazards in the home and people in the community who keep us safe. Developing understanding of safety around roads, medicines, first aid, bites and stings. Distinguishing secrets from surprises, naming body parts and looking at the concept of privacy. Building awareness of online safety and the benefits and risks of sharing information online.

Upper key stage two will explore the physical and emotional changes in puberty, including menstruation, how a baby is conceived and develops, the risks associated with alcohol and how to administer first aid to someone who is choking or unresponsive.

(Birchwood PSHE  fully meets all requirements of the SRE statutory curriculum).

Citizenship 

Learning about children’s rights and human rights as well as the importance of rules and consequences of not following them. An introduction to the justice system and how parliament works. Exploring the roles of local community groups, appreciating community diversity, charities, recycling and local and national democracy. Caring for the needs of babies, young children and animals; exploring our similarities and differences and how we can contribute to the community. 

Economic Well Being

Learning about financial literacy including how adults get money, managing money, what makes something good value for money, the emotional impact of money and the ethics of spending. Introduction to budgeting, learning about the different paying methods and understanding borrowing. Considering careers in various workplaces, and identifying the paths to pursue different careers. Learning how to use skills and talents to align interests with future careers. Understanding stereotypes, challenging workplace stereotypes and inclusive environments. 

Each unit contains age appropriate lessons which have been carefully sequenced so the children can build upon their prior knowledge. We have spent time looking at how our Birchwood Bolts and our local resources support our PSHE curriculum. For example, building perseverance and resilience in Forest School skill activities and the close links between Social Moral Spiritual Moral education and the Kapow topics. 

Impact - What will it look like when we have achieved our intent?
There are many ways we can demonstrate the excellent impact our curriculum design has on our pupils. In a nutshell, here are some examples:
•    Every year group have weekly Forest School sessions to focus specifically on Forest School skills as well as using the Forest School to contextualise their curriculum.  The Forest School offers wonderful opportunities for PSHE education for example, paired directional work where one child wears a blindfold and the other guides them along a roped trail using positional language. This builds trust, perseverance and resilience skills.
•    Pupil voice takes many guises at Birchwood.  School Council / Eco – Council / Digital Ambassadors / Head Gardeners / Chicken Monitors / Meeters & Greeters…to name but a few. These roles are formally applied for by pupils from Y1 – Y6 with 2 pupils from each class being voted for democratically, following their written ‘job,’ applications. These various roles are particularly ‘active,’ and require daily interventions from the elected pupils with many different stakeholders from our school community, local businesses and wider audiences. These various roles and opportunities they bring prepare pupils exceptionally well for life in Modern Britain.  

•    Each Kapow unit has assessment questions that teachers will use along with their ongoing teacher assessments to complete the Birchwood PSHE Progression of skills document on a termly basis.

The whole school had a week looking at their mental health; they discussed the meaning of mental health and how to recognise their changing emotions. They learnt some effective breathing techniques that they can use when they feel anxious and stressed. In addition, they used the above slides to help them remember the things they can do and people who can help them with their mental health. 

During the topic of Being Me in My world, the children across school having been learning about the importance of class rules and their own individual role they play in creating an effective working environment.

Here are Year 1's class rules!

Click here for our Progression of Skills, Knowledge, Understanding and Vocabulary documents. These sequencing documents show how knowledge builds from EYFS year by year to the end of Y6 so that children know more and remember more.