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Brackenbury Primary School

Part of the
Brackenbury, Kenmont and Wendell Park
Federation

PSHCE

PSHCE

PSHCE Intent

At Brackenbury, we know PSHCE makes a significant contribution to developing values, skills and age appropriate knowledge pupils need to thrive as individuals both at school, in the wider community and globally.   

From recognizing, building and sustaining positive, healthy, respectful relationships to knowing how to stay safe and contribute in a community minded manner, both online and off, PHSCE helps to prepare our pupils to manage many of the most critical opportunities, challenges and responsibilities they will face growing up.  

 

We, at Brackenbury, intend impart the knowledge and skills for children to develop and build upon progressively each year, revisiting topics and objectives throughout their time at school so they develop a deep and secure knowledge in the three areas of Relationship, Healthy and Wellbeing and Living in the Wider World.

 PSCHE Implementation and Impact

The curriculum has been built by the PSHCE lead to respond to the personal needs and questions of the pupils at Brackenbury, informed by the statutory guidance, Child Public Health Profile and staff knowledge and understanding of the school cohort. It recognises safe boundaries, promotes core values and maintains the ethos of the school through teaching. Incorporated within the curriculum are the objectives of the statutory Relationship and Health education, as well as carefully selected Sex Education objectives (taught in Year 2 and 5), ensuring the pupils have a broad and balanced PSHCE curriculum that addresses their needs.

It has been shared and agreed by our Parents/Carers, our Governing Body, all Staff and Children to our school to ensure all support our children’s learning journey and development in this subject area. 

The skills and knowledge that children need to develop and build on, from Reception through to Year 6, are clearly set out in our PSHCE progression and skills document. This document is a vital tool for both the Lead PSHCE Teacher and class teachers who deliver lessons to ensure learning is developed and built upon throughout a child’s time at Brackenbury.

At Brackenbury, PSHCE lessons are taught for 45 minutes weekly, with learning recorded in whole class floor books which show children’s progression through the learning journey and responses to the topic. These books travel with the children as they move to their next year group so they can look back on their learning and teachers are aware of their previous learning.

The programme of study covers Key Stage 1 and 2 and is focused around three core themes, meaning that learning is developed consistently, and a deeper level of understanding can be achieved for pupils.

  • - Core theme 1. Health and Wellbeing
  • - Core theme 2. Relationships
  • - Core theme 3. Living in the Wider World

During PSHCE lessons at Brackenbury, teachers create a safe and supportive environment through:

  • Boundaries for discussion and issues of confidentiality are discussed before RHE (including sex education) lessons begin.
  • Each class/group works together to establish its own ground rules about how they would like everyone to behave in order to learn.
  • Distancing techniques such as role play, third person case studies and an anonymous question box are employed when teaching sensitive issues.

They show good practice through:

  • Using the correct terminology makes clear that everybody understands and avoids prejudiced or offensive language.
  • Inclusive and non-heteronormative language eg referring to someone’s ‘partner’ or ‘boyfriend or girlfriend’ (whole phrase) helps all children and young people feel included and normalises a range of different types of relationships.
  • Lessons contain a variety of teaching methods and strategies that encourage interaction, involvement and questioning: working individually, in pairs and groups; discussions; role play; prioritising; quizzes; research; case studies; games; circle time.
  • Resources, in line with the school’s Teaching and Learning Policy, are chosen to reflect a suitable range of cultures, identities and genders.

Impact

Teaching of PSHCE through a planned programme, with learning which is appropriate to children’s ages, abilities and stages of development, is key to ensuring we "promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society, and prepare pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life" (Education Act 2002).  

Our unique PSHCE programme of study ensures children will secure a deeper level of understanding in the three core areas, with opportunities for children to revisit topics/skills and progress further in their knowledge and skills in these areas, building on previous learning and understanding.

This will result in children leaving primary school with self-awareness and resilience in a range of areas linked to relationships and health; along with an ethos of cultural understanding and acceptance, the ability to empathise and resolve conflicts and an understanding of positive mental and physical health and how to achieve and maintain this.

 

 

Progression of skills and knowledge

Our ‘PSHCE subject progression of skills and knowledge  ‘ document gives further information about what the children are taught in this subject by year group

PSHCE progression of skills and knowledge

PSHCE Long term plan

PHSCE Long Term Plan

Statatory Guidance

If you would like to know more, please visit Statatory Guidance for PSHCE

Bruce Banner