Personal Social Health and Economic Education
The PSHE curriculum at St James Hatcham helps our children to be and feel safe, be emotionally and physically healthy and be prepared for all of life's opportunities.
PSHE
We recognise that PSHE is essential for the good personal development of every child. Research has shown that children who are emotionally healthy do better at school and we want our children to have and understand their place within the global family, as well as being able to reach their full potential whilst dealing with everyday challenges in the most effective way possible. As a school, we utilise the PSHE Association Programme of Study to ensure that we address PSHE in the most appropriate way for our children. Our PSHE curriculum covers 3 core themes:
- Health and Wellbeing
- Relationships
- Living in a Global Community (the Wider World)
As PSHE education address both pupils' current experiences and prepares them for their futures, these core themes are taught in a spiral curriculum to ensure the development of knowledge, skills and attributes where learning is revisited, reinforced and extended year on year.
We know that PSHE is not a stand alone subject. It is also used flexibly with links to a wide range of relevance to our half termly themes to ensure that learning is relevant. To have good personal health for example, we must explore and celebrate our identities. This is why PSHE learning will also be found when learning about Migration in Year 5, looking at self portraits in Art in Reception, or in Year 2 Science when learning about Growth and Survival. Medium Term plans map these links and make learning meaningful.
At St James Hatcham we have the flexibility to address the emerging needs of our children and community and so, as well as through regular timetabled lessons and within other subject areas, pupils will also learn about PSHE through:
- Circle time
- Pupil of the day
- Zones of Regulation
- Whole school initiatives such as Dragon's Den
- Talks from speakers to raise awareness of local issues
- Participation in National, annual events such as Anti-Bullying Week
- Working towards becoming a Gold Rights Respecting School
- Looking after their money with Hatcham Savers
LifeSavers
We use The Lifesavers Programme to run Hatcham Savers and through this, pupils begin to find answers to 5 big Economic questions:
- Where does our money come from?
- How does money make us feel?
- What can we use our money for?
- How does our money help other people?
- How can we look after our money?
RSE
At St James Hatcham, we believe that it is vital to go beyond the essential learning outcomes identified in the statutory DfE guidance ‘Relationships education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and Health Education’.
RSE is taught within PSHE education and we use the Christopher Winters Project to deliver the Statutory aspects of our Relationships and Sex Education from Reception to Year 6. Biological aspects of RSE are taught within the Science curriculum, and other aspects are included in Religious Education (RE). The Sex Education element of the resource is in line with the Science curriculum. Lessons on puberty form part of statutory Health Education.
The Church of England’s ‘Vision for Education document’ clearly references that good education must promote “life in all its fullness”. The focus on the education and development of the whole child is essential to this, enabling children to learn and grow to become the best that they can be. (Article 29, United Nations Rights of the Child)
So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them. (Genesis I:27, NRSV)
I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness.
(John 10:10, GNB)
"For Church schools, RSE is about the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing up, healthy relationships, sex, human sexuality and sexual health. It is also about the spiritual and moral aspects of relationships within a context of a Christian vison for the purpose of life.” (Church of England Education Office Response to a Call for Evidence on RSE Curriculum, p1)
Our sex education programme is tailored to the age and the physical maturity of the pupils and promote the school vision and develop equality and justice.
