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 our school, PSHE is central to developing the whole child. Our intent is to equip pupils with the understanding, confidence and moral compass they need to navigate an ever-changing world. We aim to foster self-awareness, empathy and respect, enabling children to form healthy relationships, manage their emotions effectively and make safe, informed choices. Through high-quality teaching, pupils develop the vocabulary and critical thinking skills needed to discuss sensitive issues thoughtfully and respectfully.

Our PSHE curriculum promotes equality, inclusion and an appreciation of diversity, preparing pupils for life in modern Britain. We are committed to ensuring that children understand their rights and responsibilities, value different perspectives and contribute positively to their communities. By embedding personal development at the heart of school life, we strive to ensure that every pupil leaves us prepared not only for the next stage of education, but for the wider opportunities and responsibilities of adulthood.

Cohesion Strategy 

Coherence within our PSHE curriculum is strengthened through our five essentials: Acquisition & Retention of Knowledge; Enriching Experiences; Independence; Oracy; and Understanding.

Acquisition & Retention of Knowledge ensures pupils secure and build upon key concepts related to relationships, health, wellbeing and citizenship through carefully sequenced and revisited learning. Enriching Experiences provide meaningful opportunities to apply learning through visitors, themed events and wider curriculum links. Independence is developed as pupils learn to reflect, problem-solve and make informed choices. Oracy underpins the curriculum, enabling children to discuss sensitive issues with confidence and respect. Understanding is demonstrated through pupils’ ability to apply their learning in real-life contexts and across the wider curriculum.

Our curriculum ensures all pupils develop both competence and confidence in managing themselves and their relationships, fostering personal growth that extends beyond the classroom.

Implementation
 

We have created a bespoke PSHE curriculum that is carefully designed to meet the specific needs of our pupils and reflect the context of our school community. Our curriculum follows a spiral model, enabling children to revisit key themes and concepts regularly, deepening their knowledge and understanding in an age-appropriate way as they move through the school. This ensures that learning builds progressively over time, strengthening both knowledge and personal development.

To ensure high-quality provision, we have drawn upon resources from Jigsaw and the PSHE Association to support delivery and to ensure full alignment with the standards set out in the government’s Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) guidance (2025). These resources have been carefully adapted to reflect our pupils’ needs, ensuring that statutory requirements are met while maintaining our school’s values and ethos.

Our revised lesson structure is consistent across all year groups and follows five clear stages: **Calm and Connect; Today’s Big Question; Think It Through; Try It Out; Take It Forward.** This structure provides continuity and familiarity for pupils throughout their time in school. Beginning with *Calm and Connect* helps create a safe, focused and reflective environment where children feel secure to share ideas. *Today’s Big Question* introduces the learning intention in a clear and engaging way, promoting curiosity and purposeful discussion. *Think It Through* allows pupils to explore ideas more deeply through dialogue and critical thinking. *Try It Out* provides opportunities to apply learning through role play, collaborative tasks or scenario-based activities. Finally, *Take It Forward* encourages reflection and supports children in transferring their learning into real-life contexts.

Having a consistent lesson structure across all year groups brings significant benefits. It supports children’s emotional safety by creating predictable routines, allowing them to focus on the content rather than the format of the lesson. It strengthens progression, as pupils become increasingly confident in engaging with discussion, reflection and application tasks. It also ensures high expectations and consistency in delivery, while allowing content to be adapted appropriately to each age group within the spiral curriculum model.

British Values are embedded throughout the curriculum and are taught both explicitly and implicitly, promoting mutual respect and understanding. Democracy and the rule of law are introduced within the context of school life and revisited across year groups. Pupils also explore key historical and social themes through cross-curricular learning, including The Magna Carta, The American Civil Rights Movement, The Suffragettes and The British Slave Trade, enabling them to develop a deeper understanding of equality, liberty, respect and justice within both historical and contemporary contexts.

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!
   

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.

PSHE Data

At the start of the year, all pupils complete a PSHE Baseline Mastermind to assess their prior knowledge and understanding of key themes. This provides teachers with a clear picture of starting points and informs planning to address misconceptions or gaps. Throughout the year, pupils revisit and build upon core learning through regular retrieval and reflective activities embedded within lessons.

At the end of the year, pupils complete a final Mastermind assessment to evaluate retention and depth of understanding. The outcomes support teacher judgements and enable subject leaders to evaluate the overall impact of the curriculum. This process ensures progression over time, identifies areas for further development and supports accurate assessment of pupils’ knowledge and development.

Impact Presentation 

This presentation shows the standards and progress of pupils from Y3 to Y6 via our identified "Golden Threads" of, 'Accepting everyone is different' and 'Dangers to our Health.'