PSHE (Physical, Social, Health and Economic Education)

 "No society can long sustain itself unless its members have learned the sensitivities, motivations and skills involved in assisting and caring for other human beings." - Urie Bronfenbrenner

Intent

At St Francis de Sales, we strive for all pupils to play a positive role by contributing to the life of the school and wider community. In doing so, we help to develop their sense of self-worth and appreciation of their personal contribution to the world. We believe that it is vitally important to ensure that pupils at our school develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need in order to manage their lives, now and in the future.

We follow the ‘Jigsaw’ PSHE scheme of work recommended by the PSHE Association. This  focuses on developing mindfulness techniques to enhance pupils' personal development, therefore supporting the self-regulation of emotion, resilience and enhancing their focus and concentration. Alongside this we carefully plan and schedule themed weeks and opportunities to enrich learning which reflect the needs of our community.

Implementation
 

The whole school engages in one ‘Jigsaw’ theme at a time across all year groups, with 6 themes over the course of a year. This enables the whole school to focus on the same learning themes at the same time, each year group at its own level. This also ensures that children's PSHE skills are progressing using their previous knowledge each year.

All of the lessons follow the same structure: ‘Calm Me’; ‘Open My Mind’; ‘Show Me/Tell Me’; ‘Let Me Learn’; ‘Help Me Reflect’. This creates a relaxed atmosphere where the children can engage in activities such as a class discussion, a blind quiz to address misconceptions, role play games that create empathy or other activities that address the sensitivities of the lessons theme in a respectful environment.

British values are taught implicitly through lessons and promote mutual respect for all. The first Jigsaw topic of the year addresses democracy and rule of law in relation to the school environment. Each year group also addresses all of the British Values through a cross curricular writing topic. These include: The Magna Carta; The American Civil Rights Movement; The Suffragettes and The British Slave trade.

To enhance our provision we deliberately plan visits from outside agencies to deliver specific aspects of PSHE content to the children, e.g:

• The NSPCC, came to speak to year 5 about ‘speak out, stay safe’. The workshops equipped the children with an understanding of how to recognise unhealthy relationships.
• Everton in the community came to speak to all of the children about the importance of resilience when chasing your dreams.
• British Military School has been to deliver Year 5 and 6 ‘first response’ first aid training. We now know who we can count on in an emergency situation!
   

'Drugs and Alcohol' Awareness

At St.Francis De Sales we believe that the children should be educated about all of the different issues that await them in the world. Through an understanding of what 'drugs and alcohol' are and the effects that they have upon a person's body, and lifestyle, we are enabling the children to make informed and positive choices. Now that we also have the Jigsaw curriculum, we have combined 'Drugs and Alcohol' awareness and our topic 'Healthy Me'. 

Impact

We use a variety of strategies to measure and evaluate the impact of our intent and implementation. This ongoing process enables us to refine and adapt our planning, ultimately enhancing the quality of teaching and learning.

PSHE lessons are designed to facilitate continuous formative assessment and feedback. Each session incorporates questioning, games, quizzes, discussions, or debates to actively engage pupils. Children are also encouraged to reflect on and self-assess how each learning intention might support them in their lives.

To measure progress, children complete a baseline assessment at the beginning of the year. At the end of the year, they take part in a Mastermind quiz to evaluate their PSHE knowledge, providing a clear comparison of their development over time.

All PSHE work is recorded in dedicated exercise books, which are monitored termly to ensure consistency and high-quality teaching and learning. Book scrutiny within year groups promotes the sharing of best practice. Additionally, pupil engagement is assessed through end-of-lesson reflections, offering valuable insights into their understanding and personal connection to the material.