PSHE

PSHE, RSE and PATHS Programme

Intent

At Leiston Primary School we believe Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is an important and necessary part of all pupils’ education. In our ever-changing world, we aim to equip children with the skills needed as they grow and into adulthood. We want them to question and understand what makes them special and unique as well as understand their importance as part of society and the role they could play.

At Leiston, we follow PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies) a social-emotional learning curriculum which helps children to improve their friendships, help them make good decisions and improve their behaviour, as well as helping children achieve overall academic success.

PATHS teaches children to;

•              Have the ability to think and problem solve for themselves

•              Understand themselves and others

•              Use emotional literacy and awareness of feelings

•              Improve their self-esteem

•              Increase their ability to learn more effectively in the classroom

Implementation

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The PATHS Programme develops children’s social and emotional skills, it is taught by class teachers as part of the school day. Starting in Reception, children begin to develop their self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship and responsible decision-making skills. Children learn how to manage and express their feelings and identify the feelings of others. They develop an understanding of how their behaviour affects others, and they are taught strategies to build and maintain healthy relationships and friendships. As they move further up the school, they learn how to effectively problem solve.

Every child gets a chance to be PATHS Pupil of the Day throughout the year. The pupil is chosen at random and will be given roles throughout the day which will support the teacher. They will be identified by a badge so that the rest of the school community is aware that they are the pupil of the day and they will have privileges throughout the day which vary from class to class. At the end of the session the Pupil of the Day will receive their compliments from their peers and an adult in the class, these will be written on a compliment letter and shared with parents.

PATHS is a fundamental part of our PSHE curriculum but it does not cover some of the elements of the statutory Relationship, Sex and Education (RSE) and Health education curriculum that is now compulsory for all schools. 

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In EYFS and Years 1,2,3 the statutory elements of RSE are taught through our Science and PE curriculum or throughout the school year in our PATHS or PSHE Jigsaw sessions. However, for Years 4, 5 and 6 the statutory curriculum does need to be taught in separate and discrete sessions.

PSHE lead: Mia Chadwick

LAB PSHE lead: 

PSHE is a school subject through which pupils develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy and safe, and prepare for life and work in modern Britain. Evidence shows that well-delivered PSHE programmes have an impact on both academic and non-academic outcomes for pupils, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.

From September 2018 we have followed the 'Jigsaw' PSHE programme as part of our wider offer to support and develop our pupils as they grow up in an ever evolving world. Not only does it focus on the key elements of personal awareness it also looks at supporting children's mental health, it also helps children to understand their role in the wider world. 
There are always occasions where teachers may feel it necessary to teach PSHE as a result of an issue that has  arisen in their own class.  This may be particularly relevant for our younger children as they adapt to working with others, learning how to get on and how to successfully resolve any conflict which may arise. PSHE can, and is included in other curriculum areas and aims to develop skills and attributes such as resilience, self-esteem, risk-management, team-working and critical thinking in the context of living and learning.

Each week begins with an Assembly for the whole school dedicate to the theme being covered in the programme, these include:

Being me in my world

• Celebrating difference

• Dreams and goals

• Healthy me

• Relationships

• Changing me

Further information for parents can be found about our PSHE programme by clicking here.

Parent Consultation

From September 2020, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), along with Health Education, is statutory, and forms part of the National Curriculum.

We have reviewed our RSE curriculum and policy so we can be sure our RSE provision is appropriate for our pupils based on their:

• Age
• Physical and emotional maturity
• Religious and cultural backgrounds
• Special educational needs and disabilities

As part of this process a parent consultation was held for parents February 2021.