PSHE

Recovery Statement

At St Norbert’s, personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education enables our children to become healthy, independent and responsible members of a society. It aims to help them understand how they are developing personally and socially, and tackles many of the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up.

Now more than ever, PSHE education will be crucial to the well-being of students in our school. Through PSHE promotions and development of interactions with all pupils will be crucial based on mutual respect, care, empathy, and warmth; avoiding negative emotions when interacting with pupils; being sensitive to individual needs, emotions, culture and beliefs of individuals. Pupil-pupil relationships will be supported and characterised by respect, trust, co-operation, and care through the monthly values.

Questioning will be crucial in developing positive dialogue and connected flexible thinking amongst learners. This will enable then to deeper understand their own ideas and those of others.

Children will be provided with opportunities for them to learn about rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be a member of a diverse society.

A key part of our plan for education is to ensure children become valuable and fully rounded members of society who treat others with respect and tolerance, regardless of background. This ensures young people understand the importance

Intent

PSHCE aims to equip children with essential skills for life. It aims to develop the whole child through carefully planned and resourced sessions that develop the knowledge, skills and attributes children need to protect and enhance their wellbeing. Through these sessions, children will learn how to stay safe and healthy, build and maintain successful relationships and become active citizens, responsibly participating in society around them. A successful PSHCE curriculum is intrinsically linked to the St Norbert’s Catholic values and ethos. It is a vital tool in preparing children for life in society now and in the future. All learning in PSHCE has foundations rooted in the school’s core virtues and in seeing each and everybody’s value in society, from appreciation of others, to promoting strong and positive views of self as someone that is made in God’s image. Through the teaching of PSHCE St Norbert’s aim to cover a wide range of the social and emotional aspects of learning, enabling children to develop their identity and self-esteem as active, confident citizens. Termly themes support social, moral, spiritual and cultural development, alongside the Catholic RSE programme ‘Journey In Love’ and provide children with protective teaching on essential safeguarding issues, developing the knowledge of when and how children can ask for help.

In St Norbert’s PSHCE is manly in line with the Learning Outcomes and Core Themes provided by the PSHE Association Programme of Study which is widely used by schools in England and is recommended and referred to by the DfE in all key documentation relating to PSHE provision in schools. Some themes are covered through Come and See RE curriculum and RSE ‘Journey In Love programmes as well. the Wider World. PSHCE in St Norbert’s fulfils the requirements of 2020 Statutory Relationships and Health Education.

Implementation

PSHCE is designed to be taught in themes across a term. These themes are taught in a across using key programmes of study identified through the Catholic Schools RSE Audit. This enables children to recall and build upon previous learning, exploring the underlying principles of PSHCE education regularly at a depth that is appropriate for the age and stage of the child. Sessions signpost key words, building a rich vocabulary to develop understanding. Here at St Norbert’s we strive for sessions to be for delivered in a creative manner, using many approaches such as role play, discussion and games in groupings of various sizes. These types of activities enable children to build confidence and resilience.

PSHCE is further enhanced by the inclusion of P4C (Philosophy for Children) and What’s in the News activities. P4C gives the children the opportunity to ask, discuss and attempt to answer questions about situations, events, images, stories, etc that they may wonder about and do not always have definitive answers. What’s in The News’ allows children the opportunity to watch or read current relevant news events and to discuss and formulate their own ideas on them.

Assessment for learning opportunities are built into each session which enable self-evaluation and reflective learning as well as allowing teachers to evaluate and assess progress. Sessions begin with a discussion of children’s existing knowledge and experience, providing an opportunity for immediate baseline assessment. The session then ends with an opportunity to consolidate and reflect upon learning.

Impact

PSHCE is a crucial part of St Norbert’s effective curriculum for wellbeing. Children are enabled to develop the vocabulary and confidence needed to clearly articulate their thoughts and feelings in a climate of openness, trust and respect, and know when and how they can seek the support of others. They will apply their understanding of society to their interactions within communities, from the classroom to the wider community of which they are a part. PSHCE at St Norbert’s supports the development of a school culture that prioritises physical and mental health and wellbeing, providing children with skills to evaluate and understand their own wellbeing needs, practise self-care and contribute positively to the wellbeing of those around them.

Successful PSHE education can have a positive impact on the whole child, including their academic development and progress, by mitigating any social and emotional barriers to learning and building confidence and self-esteem. Evidence suggests that successful PSHE education also helps disadvantaged and vulnerable children achieve by raising aspirations and empowering them with skills to overcome barriers they face. It is intended that the impact of a consistent and well embedded whole-school approach to PSHCE will positively impact wellbeing, safeguarding and SMSC outcomes. This will ensure that all children can develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to succeed at school and in the wider world.