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PHSE/RHSE
Intent
At Thurgoland C of E Primary School, we believe that Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE), including Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), is fundamental to every child’s personal development, wellbeing and future success. Our aim is to nurture confident, resilient and compassionate individuals who are equipped with the knowledge, skills and values to thrive in an ever-changing world.
We intend that every pupil leaves Thurgoland as a happy, healthy and responsible individual, with the confidence to make informed decisions, build positive relationships and contribute positively to their communities. Rooted in our school vision of ‘Be Your Best Self’ and our Christian values, we encourage pupils to develop high aspirations, believe in their own potential and understand that perseverance, kindness and respect enable them to achieve their goals.
Our carefully sequenced PSHE and RSE curriculum provides pupils with the knowledge, understanding and practical skills needed to support their emotional, social, physical and mental wellbeing. Through meaningful and progressive learning experiences, pupils develop the confidence to recognise and manage their emotions, build healthy and respectful relationships, keep themselves safe, celebrate diversity, respect others and understand the importance of positive physical and emotional wellbeing. They also learn how to respond positively to the opportunities and challenges they may encounter throughout their lives.
As pupils progress through school, they revisit and build upon key concepts, enabling them to deepen their understanding and apply their learning in different contexts. This includes developing the knowledge, understanding and confidence to keep themselves safe through age-appropriate learning about personal safety, including road safety, water safety, online safety and assessing risk, empowering children to make safe and responsible choices.
Our PSHE and RSE curriculum promotes the spiritual, moral, social, cultural, mental and physical development of every child and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. It also actively promotes the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance, helping pupils become active, informed and respectful citizens within modern Britain and the wider global community.
By providing a broad, balanced and inclusive curriculum that reflects the needs of our pupils and the unique ethos of our school, we aspire to ensure that every child develops into a healthy, independent and responsible individual who is ready to flourish both now and in the future.
Implementation
At Thurgoland C of E Primary School, PSHE and RSE are central to our commitment to developing the whole child. Through a carefully planned, progressive and inclusive curriculum, we equip pupils with the knowledge, understanding, skills and confidence they need to become healthy, respectful and responsible members of society. Our curriculum reflects the needs of our pupils, our Christian ethos and our vision of Be Your Best Self, ensuring children are prepared for life in an ever-changing and diverse world.
Our curriculum is carefully sequenced so that pupils revisit key concepts throughout their primary education, building on prior knowledge and developing a deeper understanding over time. Each unit is taught at an age-appropriate level, allowing children to develop increasingly sophisticated knowledge, skills and vocabulary as they progress through school. This spiral approach ensures learning is meaningful, memorable and responsive to pupils’ developmental stages.
From Key Stage 1 to Year 6, PSHE is taught through the progressive 1Decision programme. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, the foundations of PSHE are delivered through the statutory EYFS Framework, particularly Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED), ensuring a seamless progression into Key Stage 1. The programme supports our school values, promotes the fundamental British Values and provides a consistent, progressive approach to teaching sensitive and important topics. Learning is adapted to meet the needs of all pupils, ensuring every child can access and engage with the curriculum regardless of their starting point.
Our curriculum meets all statutory requirements for Relationships Education and Health Education. Age-appropriate Sex Education is also taught in line with our school policy and complements the statutory Science curriculum. Parents are informed of this provision and have the right to request withdrawal from the non-statutory elements of Sex Education in accordance with Department for Education guidance.
Curriculum Structure
To ensure progression and consistency across the school, pupils study the same overarching themes at the same time each half term. This whole-school approach enables key concepts to be revisited and built upon year on year, whilst allowing learning to be carefully adapted to meet the developmental needs of each phase and year group.
All learning is delivered through a wide range of evidence-informed teaching approaches, including discussion, high-quality oracy, collaborative learning, role play, questioning, scenarios, stories and reflection. These approaches ensure lessons are engaging, inclusive and accessible for all learners whilst promoting the values, aspirations and ethos that underpin life at Thurgoland C of E Primary School.
Curriculum Enhancements
Whilst following the progressive 1Decision programme, we enhance our curriculum in response to the needs of our pupils, emerging priorities and our local context. Planned, age-appropriate learning around road safety, water safety and online safety, including an annual programme of assemblies and classroom learning, reflects the rural environment in which our pupils live and enables pupils to apply their learning to real-life situations. Staff also respond proactively to the needs of individual classes, emerging safeguarding priorities and significant local, national and global events, ensuring learning remains relevant, meaningful and responsive.
Our core curriculum is complemented by carefully planned enrichment opportunities which reinforce and extend pupils’ learning at appropriate points throughout their primary education. These enhancements are progressive and responsive to pupils’ developmental needs, our Christian vision, our rural context and emerging safeguarding priorities. Throughout their time at Thurgoland, pupils revisit key aspects of Personal Safety, including road safety, water safety and online safety, developing increasingly sophisticated knowledge, skills and confidence as they progress through school.
EYFS and Key Stage 1
Pupils develop an awareness of personal safety, healthy relationships and keeping healthy, including road safety, water safety and online safety through age-appropriate experiences. They begin to recognise hazards, understand how to keep themselves safe and know who to ask for help.
Lower Key Stage 2
Pupils build on this learning through age-appropriate teaching about road safety, water safety, online safety, mental health and wellbeing, anti-bullying, respectful relationships and financial awareness. In Year 3, this is further enhanced through curriculum swimming alongside a dedicated programme of water safety learning, helping pupils develop both practical swimming skills and the knowledge needed to stay safe in and around water.
Upper Key Stage 2
Pupils deepen and apply their understanding of road safety, water safety and online safety through practical experiences including Bikeability, Crucial Crew, first aid, the Y6 residential visit, transition education and revisiting key safeguarding themes. These experiences enable pupils to recognise, assess and manage risks, develop resilience, work collaboratively, make informed decisions and become increasingly independent as they prepare for secondary school.
Alongside these planned enhancements, pupils participate in national awareness events including Safer Internet Day, Anti-Bullying Week and Children’s Mental Health Week. Learning is further enriched through Collective Worship, visitors, educational visits and wider enrichment opportunities, all of which reinforce pupils’ personal development and support them to live out our vision of Be Your Best Self.
Wider Curriculum
PSHE and RSE are further embedded throughout school life through Collective Worship, assemblies, educational visits, visitors, enrichment opportunities, pupil leadership responsibilities and everyday interactions, ensuring that pupils have regular opportunities to apply their learning beyond discrete lessons. We believe that every member of staff has a responsibility to model positive relationships, respectful behaviour and our vision of Be Your Best Self. By creating a safe, inclusive and nurturing environment, we ensure that pupils are able to apply their learning confidently in school and beyond.
Impact
Our PSHE and RSE curriculum prepares children for life by enabling them to understand and value who they are, build positive relationships with others, and thrive in an ever-changing world. Through a carefully sequenced, progressive curriculum, pupils develop the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to stay safe, healthy and emotionally resilient, both online and offline. Key concepts are revisited throughout the curriculum to deepen understanding, strengthen retention and ensure children can confidently apply their learning to real-life situations as they mature.
Underpinned by our school values of Aim High, Love to Learn, Give it a Go, Be Resilient and Show Respect, PSHE and RSE make a significant contribution to pupils’ personal development. Children learn to make informed decisions, recognise, assess and manage risks, recognise and regulate their emotions and demonstrate empathy, respect and responsibility towards others. They are equipped with the confidence to face challenges, celebrate diversity and contribute positively to their communities.
Regular subject monitoring, learning walks, book scrutiny, pupil voice and discussions demonstrate that PSHE and RSE are taught consistently and progressively across the school. Teachers build on prior learning and create safe, inclusive environments where pupils feel confident expressing their views, asking questions and engaging in respectful discussion. High expectations ensure that all children participate meaningfully, while assessment statements within the 1Decision programme are used to monitor progress, identify misconceptions and inform future planning, ensuring that learning is responsive to pupils’ needs.
By the time pupils leave our school, they are well prepared for the next stage of their education and for life beyond primary school. They will:
- confidently apply their knowledge and skills to navigate a wide range of real-life situations safely and responsibly;
- be healthy, resilient, open-minded and socially responsible citizens who contribute positively to society;
- understand, appreciate and celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion;
- demonstrate the British Values of democracy, individual liberty, mutual respect, tolerance and the rule of law in their everyday lives;
- recognise, assess and manage risks, including those associated with roads, water, the internet and personal safety, and know how to respond appropriately in emergency situations;
- understand and regulate their emotions, supporting their own mental health and wellbeing while recognising when and how to seek help;
- build and sustain positive, respectful and healthy relationships with friends, family and others, understanding the qualities of healthy relationships and the importance of mutual respect;
- have an age-appropriate understanding of relationships, health and the physical aspects of growing up;
- show respect for themselves and others, valuing differences and treating people with kindness and empathy;
- leave our school with confidence, self-esteem and the skills needed to flourish as lifelong learners and responsible members of modern Britain.
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Values that are at the heart of Thurgoland
"Be, and become, your BEST SELF!"
Getting here
Halifax Road
Thurgoland
Sheffield
S35 7AL
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