Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) and Relationships Education (RE)
Understanding Relationships and Health Education - a guide for parents
All children have the right to grow up healthy, happy, safe and able to manage the challenges and opportunities of modern Britain. That is why all primary age children will be taught Relationships and Health Education.
These subjects are designed to equip your child with knowledge to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships as well as preparing them for a successful adult life. The world for all young people looks very differed from the way it did 20 years ago when this curriculum was last updated by the DfE - the current changes bring the content into the 21st century, so that it is relevant for your child.
It is important to note that many of the topics are already being taught across the curriculum, particulalry during PHSE, science and computing lessons, so the new requirements formalise expectations but don’t make significant changes to what we teach our pupils at Belvedere Infants.
Belvedere Infant School will deliver the content in a way that is age and developmentally appropriate and sensitive to the needs and religious backgrounds of our pupils.
Please note that the DfE have advised that due to COVID 19, the introduction of the new curriculum can be delayed until Summer 2021 (DfE guidance in June 2020)
What is PSHE Education?
PSHE Education (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) is a planned programme of learning through which children and young people acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to successfully manage their lives – now and in the future. As part of a whole-school approach, PSHE Education develops the qualities and attributes pupils need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society.
What do schools have to teach in PSHE Education?
According to the National Curriculum, every school needs to have a broad and balanced curriculum that:
• promotes the spiritual, moral, social, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school;
• prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life;
• promotes British values.
From September 2020, primary schools in England also needed to teach Relationships and Health Education as compulsory subjects and the Department for Education strongly recommends this should also include age-appropriate Sex Education.
Schools also have statutory responsibilities to safeguard their pupils (Keeping Children Safe in Education, DfE, 2021) and to uphold the Equality Act (2010).
As the PHSE/RSE curriculum has undergone a change, it is important that you, as parents and carers, were involved in a consultation process, we therefore sought your views
Parents and carers were invited to submit feedback and suggestions via the questionnaire below.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd3KngZuzP6q0b3aYE60AL2WmoZ-e9QvkMZZ9_i0jESTEdLqA/viewform
The consultation process ran until 12th May 2021
What is taught, and how, is ultimately a decision for the school and consultation does not provide a parental veto on curriculum content as schools are legally required to teach the Health Education curriculum and Relationship Education curriculum.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to provide further input or require further information on how we deliver PHSE at Belvedere Infant School.
Our PHSE/RHSE Curriculum Rationale
Below you will find our curriculum rationale for PHSE/RHSE which outlines the design of our curriculum and what we hope the children to achieve from their lessons in school.
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What is Jigsaw, the mindful approach to PSHE, and how does it work?
Jigsaw is a whole-school approach and embodies a positive philosophy and creative teaching and learning activities to nurture children’s development as compassionate and well-rounded human beings as well as building their capacity to learn.
Jigsaw is a comprehensive and completely original PSHE Education programme (lesson plans and teaching resources) for the whole primary school from ages 3-11 (12 in Scotland). Written by teachers and grounded in sound psychology, it also includes all the statutory requirements for Relationships and Health Education, and Sex Education is also included in the Changing Me Puzzle (unit).
Jigsaw has two main aims for all children:
• To build their capacity for learning
• To equip them for life
Jigsaw brings together PSHE Education, compulsory Relationships and Health Education, emotional literacy, mindfulness, social skills and spiritual development. It is designed as a whole school approach, with all year groups working on the same theme (Puzzle) at the same time at their own level. There are six Puzzles (half-term units of work) and each year group is taught one lesson per week. All lessons are delivered in an age and stage appropriate way so that they meet children’s needs.
The Six Puzzles
There are six Puzzles in Jigsaw that are designed to progress in sequence from September to July:
Autumn 1: Being Me in My World
Autumn 2: Celebrating Difference (including anti-bullying)
Spring 1: Dreams and Goals
Spring 2: Healthy Me
Summer 1: Relationships
Summer 2: Changing Me
Each Piece has two Learning Intentions: one is based on specific PSHE learning (covering the non-statutory national framework for PSHE Education but enhanced to address children’s needs today); and one is based on emotional literacy and social skills (covering the SEAL learning intentions but also enhanced). The enhancements mean that Jigsaw is relevant to children living in today’s world as it helps them understand and be equipped to cope with issues like body image, cyber and homophobic bullying, and internet safety.
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Jigsaw Charter
We take turns to speak
During the Jigsaw Circle, the Jigsaw Friend for that year group is used as the ‘talking object,’ replicating the Native American ‘talking stick.’ The Jigsaw Friend must be held when the person, adult or child, wants to speak, and needs to be treated as a special asset and member of the class, used in Jigsaw and related lessons.
We use kind and positive words
It is vital that the teacher models the use of positive language and praises children for doing so. Circle work should be a positive and enjoyable experience. Only when this is established can the Jigsaw Circle be used to tackle more difficult and sensitive issues.
We listen to each other
The Jigsaw Circle and ‘Connect us’ aspects of Jigsaw teach children the social skills necessary for active listening, for example, eye contact, open body language, and turn taking. These need to be encouraged and praised in circle work.
We have the right to pass
The Jigsaw Circle necessitates children feeling secure and choosing if and when to speak. They must never feel pressured to do so and thus must know they have the right to pass, that is, not to speak if they don’t want to. This approach can raise very personal issues for children and it must always be their choice as to whether they share these in the circle or not.
We only use names when giving compliments or when being positive
If the Jigsaw Circle is being used to tackle a sensitive issue, like trouble in the playground, no names must be used to describe negative behaviours. It is not appropriate for a child to say, “Jamie pushed me in the playground”; instead, children are encouraged to say, “At playtime, someone pushed me and this really hurt my feelings”. Then the whole circle can suggest positive solutions to the problem described.
We respect each other’s privacy (confidentiality)
Although, realistically, it is unlikely that complete confidentiality will be observed, it is important that children are taught to respect the privacy of others and to do their best to keep what is said in Jigsaw Pieces (lessons) and Circles confidential. The teacher must emphasise that she cannot promise complete confidentiality as she must report any information relating to safeguarding concerns.
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