PSHE

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At Oxclose Primary Academy, personal, social and health education (PSHE) enables our pupils to become healthy, independent and responsible members of a society.

It aims to develop their understanding of how they are developing personally and socially, and tackles many of the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. We provide our pupils with opportunities to learn about rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be a member of a diverse society. Our pupils are encouraged to develop their sense of self-worth by playing a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community.

At Oxclose Primary Academy we deliver PSHE by utilising first-hand experience to deliver a curriculum that reflects the needs of our pupils. We expect teachers to use PSHE to equip pupils with a sound understanding of risk and with the knowledge and skills necessary to make safe and informed decisions. We believe that the purpose of PSHE education is to build, where appropriate, on the content already outlined in the national curriculum, the basic skills curriculum and in statutory guidance on: drug education, financial education, citizenship, personal safety, relationship and sex education (RSE) and the importance of mental health, physical activity and diet for a healthy lifestyle. We believe that by allowing our pupils to gain these skills and deepen their knowledge it will help them throughout the rest of their lives.

Little People Big Dreams @ Oxclose

To complement our PSHE curriculum each year group has a designated aspirational influencer to learn about each term. This is based around the Little People, Big Dreams biography books. Through the books the children will discover the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream. Told as a story, with a facts and photos section at the back, this ground-breaking series celebrates triumph over adversity through some of history’s favourite characters. 

We use the books inspire the children of Oxclose Primary Academy in their future dreams and aspirations and to broaden the children’s knowledge of cultural diversity. Each class has influencer of the term book displayed in each classroom. The children also enjoy assemblies on aspirational people not covered in the year group allocations.

Intent

At Oxclose Primary Academy, personal, social and health education (PSHE) enables our pupils to become healthy, independent and responsible members of a society. It aims to develop their understanding of how they are developing personally and socially, and tackles many of the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. We provide our pupils with opportunities to learn about rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be a member of a diverse society. Our pupils are encouraged to develop their sense of self-worth by playing a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community.

At Oxclose Primary Academy we deliver PSHE by utilising first-hand experience to deliver a curriculum that reflects the needs of our pupils. We expect teachers to use PSHE to equip pupils with a sound understanding of risk and with the knowledge and skills necessary to make safe and informed decisions. We believe that the purpose of PSHE education is to build, where appropriate, on the content already outlined in the national curriculum, the basic skills curriculum and in statutory guidance on: drug education, financial education, citizenship, personal safety, relationship and sex education (RSE) and the importance of mental health, physical activity and diet for a healthy lifestyle. We believe that by allowing our pupils to gain these skills and deepen their knowledge it will help them throughout the rest of their lives.

Implementation

The school PSHE Long Term Plan was adapted from the PSHE Association long-term plan covering 6 core learning themes: feelings and friendship, rights and responsibilities, health, money, safety and risk and identity. It takes into account progression and development of pupils’ understanding of the overarching concepts and development of essential skills.

On a termly basis we will have themed weeks for Anti Bullying, online safety and health and happiness to further enhance our PSHE curriculum. RSE is covered discreetly across each year group following the Lucinda and Godfrey story and related learning materials. Operation Encompass Domestic Abuse Awareness Programmes are discreetly taught in KS1 and KS2; there are also half termly focussed sessions led by a school safeguarding liaison officer from Northumbria Police.

PSHE is taught weekly in all year groups across school. The majority of PSHE topics will be covered in a half term block however some longer, more in depth units will be covered across a term. This enables staff to ensure full coverage of PSHE is taught in their year group. There are always occasions where teachers may feel it necessary to teach PSHE as a result of an issue arisen in their own class. The school PSHE is reflected in school assemblies and collective worship where pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural curiosity is stimulated, challenged and nurtured.

Pupils have access to key knowledge, language and meanings in order to understand PSHE and to use across the wider curriculum.

Impact

The impact of our PSHE provision is the development of well-rounded pupils with a strong sense of ethics and values. Pupils will develop positive and healthy relationship with their peers both now and in the future. They will understand the physical aspects involved in RSE at an age appropriate level. Pupils will confidently understand how to keep themselves safe physically, mentally and technologically.

To enable us to measure the impact, the subject manager and senior leaders will use lesson visits, work scrutinies and pupil voice activities across the year.