At Newlands Community Primary School, Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) is at the heart of our approach to personal development.We want every child to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to be healthy, safe, respectful and responsible, and to be well prepared for the opportunities and challenges they will encounter as they grow.

PSHE is not simply a weekly lesson. The knowledge, skills and values children develop through PSHE are reinforced throughout school life: through our relationships, assemblies, behaviour expectations, personal development opportunities, pupil voice and everyday interactions.

Our PSHE Curriculum

We use Jigsaw PSHE 3–11 as the main framework for our PSHE curriculum. Jigsaw provides a carefully sequenced and progressive programme which enables children to build their knowledge and skills as they move through Newlands Community Primary School.

PSHE is taught every week through dedicated curriculum time. Teachers adapt learning where appropriate to reflect children’s developmental needs, prior learning and our Academy context.

Jigsaw places a strong emphasis on emotional literacy. Children develop an increasingly sophisticated vocabulary for recognising, understanding and expressing emotions. They also learn practical strategies for managing feelings, developing resilience, making informed decisions and building positive relationships.

Lessons are interactive and provide opportunities for children to listen to others, express their views respectfully, consider different perspectives, solve problems and develop the skills needed to participate confidently in discussion.

The Six Jigsaw Puzzles

All year groups study the same six broad themes, known as Jigsaw ‘Puzzles’. Learning is revisited with increasing depth and complexity as children progress through the Academy.

Autumn 1 – Being Me in My World

Children explore personal identity, their place within their class and Academy community, rights and responsibilities, democracy and how they can make a positive contribution.

Autumn 2 – Celebrating Difference

Children learn to recognise and respect similarities and differences, challenge stereotypes, understand bullying and develop empathy and compassion for others.

Spring 1 – Dreams and Goals

Children explore aspirations and future possibilities, set and work towards goals, develop perseverance and resilience, recognise achievement and learn to work collaboratively.

Spring 2 – Healthy Me

Children learn about physical and emotional health, nutrition, sleep, exercise, hygiene, emotional wellbeing, medicines and drugs, keeping safe, healthy habits and making informed lifestyle choices.

Summer 1 – Relationships

Children explore different relationships and their characteristics, families, friendships, communication, resolving conflict, recognising unhealthy relationships, and understanding loss and bereavement.

Summer 2 – Changing Me

Children learn about life cycles, human growth, coping positively with change, body image and self-esteem, puberty and changing relationships. In upper Key Stage 2, this also includes our age-appropriate teaching about human reproduction.

Keeping Children Safe

PSHE plays an important role in safeguarding at Newlands Community Primary School.

Our curriculum gives children the knowledge, language and confidence they need to recognise when something may be wrong and to seek help.

Children progressively learn to:

• recognise safe and unsafe situations and relationships;
• understand appropriate boundaries, privacy and consent;
• understand that their body belongs to them;
• recognise different forms of abuse;
• identify risks online and in the physical world;
• identify trusted adults;
• communicate worries and concerns;
• seek help and keep asking until they are heard; and
• know how to access appropriate support.

We establish clear expectations for safe and respectful discussion in PSHE lessons. Children understand that adults cannot promise confidentiality if something is shared which suggests that a child may be at risk.

Inclusion, Equality and Respect

We are committed to providing an inclusive PSHE curriculum which is accessible to and respectful of all children and families.

Children learn that everyone deserves to be treated with kindness, dignity and respect. They learn about diversity, stereotypes, discrimination and, in age-appropriate ways, the protected characteristics within the Equality Act 2010.

Our curriculum positively represents the different families children may belong to or encounter, including single-parent families, same-sex parent families, adoptive and foster families, kinship care, blended families, families headed by grandparents or other relatives, and families from different cultural and religious backgrounds.

We challenge harmful stereotypes, including stereotypes about what boys and girls should be like, what they can achieve or how they should behave. We also teach children that bullying, discriminatory behaviour and prejudiced language are never acceptable and ensure they know how to report concerns.

Supporting Children with SEND

PSHE is particularly important for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, who can be more vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and bullying.

Teachers adapt PSHE learning so that it is accessible and meaningful for individual children. This may include visual resources, simplified language, concrete examples, additional pre-teaching, practical activities, additional processing time or personalised resources.

Our SENCO, PSHE Lead and class teachers work together to ensure children receive appropriate PSHE education which supports both their understanding and their safety.

Working with Parents and Carers

Parents and carers are children’s first and most important educators in many aspects of relationships and health. We therefore want families to understand what we teach and why.

We provide information about PSHE learning throughout the year and offer opportunities for parents and carers to:

• understand what children will learn in each Jigsaw Puzzle;
• view teaching resources;
• attend parent information sessions where appropriate;
• ask questions about sensitive curriculum content; and
• continue PSHE conversations at home.

Parents and carers who would like to look at teaching materials in greater detail are welcome to arrange a time to view them at Newlands with a member of staff or the PHSE Lead