Our Aims for teaching PSHE

Personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) enables children to become healthy, independent and responsible members of society. Today’s children and young people are growing up in an increasingly complex world and living their lives seamlessly on and offline. This presents many positive and exciting opportunities, but also challenges and risks. In this environment, children and young people need to know how to be safe and healthy, and how to manage their academic, personal and social lives in a positive way. Our PSHE curriculum should be the key building blocks of healthy, respectful relationships, focusing on family and friendships, in all contexts, including online.

Teaching about mental well-being is central to our approach to PSHE, especially as a priority for parents is their children’s happiness. We know that children and young people are increasingly experiencing challenges, and that young people are at particular risk of feeling lonely. Our curriculum will give our pupils the knowledge and capability to take care of themselves and receive support if problems arise.

Finally, our curriculum will support the wider work of the school in helping to foster pupil well-being and develop resilience and character that we know are fundamental to pupils being happy, successful and productive members of society. Central to this is pupils’ ability to believe that they can achieve goals, both academic and personal; to stick to tasks that will help them achieve those goals, even when the reward may be distant or uncertain; and to recover from knocks and challenging periods in their lives.

Children should leave our school with: 

• the knowledge and understanding of what constitutes, and the importance of, a healthy lifestyle;

• an understanding of how to keep themselves safe, including online safety;

• an understanding of positive relationships with particular reference to friendships, family relationships, and relationships with other children and with adults; 

• an ability to collaborate with others: to take turns, to treat each other with kindness, consideration and respect and the importance of honesty and truthfulness;

• an understanding of personal space and boundaries, showing respect and understanding the differences between appropriate and inappropriate or unsafe physical, and other, contact. 

• the ability to be responsible members of a school and wider community;

• the ability to be positive and active members of a democratic society, including a sense of justice;

• self-confidence and positive self-esteem, with the ability to make informed choices regarding personal and social issues;

• the skills to be able to think for themselves and make rational and informed decisions: 

• character traits such as the belief they can achieve, to persevere with tasks, to work towards long-term rewards and continue despite setbacks; 

• an understanding of positive emotional and mental wellbeing, including how friendships can support mental wellbeing.