Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE)
Our Intent -
At Meadowcroft, PSHE is embedded in everything we do and enables our children the best start to develop into confident, independent, healthy and responsible members of society. It also allows our pupils to become intellectually, morally, socially and spiritually educated.
PSHE is taught all the way though the school using the Jigsaw scheme, starting in EYFS and continuing through until the pupils leave us in year 6. Our PSHE curriculum allows children to access relevant and purposeful content, laced with emotional literacy, building resilience and promoting mental and physical health. As a school, our values (Respect, trust, perseverance and friendship) are reinforced within our PSHE lessons.
With the society we live in ever-changing, we are able to provide our children with the best understanding possible of the diverse and sometimes confusing world around them and support them in contributing to the school and wider community. We strive for our students to leave Meadowcroft as resilient, respectful and considerate individuals who are aware, at an appropriate level, of the factors that may affect their world and how best to try and deal with them whilst maintaining their health and well-being.
Implementation -
At Meadowcroft, we take pride in providing a holistic approach, so we have adopted the Jigsaw scheme which aims to develop 'whole child' through a spiral curriculum. We implement the Jigsaw approach through all our year groups and teachers adapt the scheme to ensure that lessons are needs-led for their class.
The Jigsaw scheme is taught through six half termly units which each year group will 
study at the same time. These units are
- Being Me In My World - Healthy Me
- Celebrating Difference - Relationships
- Dreams and Goals - Changing Me
Learning within each topic takes place during weekly whole class lessons which explore the different themes. Progression in skills and knowledge in PSHE are outlined in the progression grid.
The cohesive vision within PSHE helps children understand and value how they fit into and contribute to the world. With a strong focus on emotional literacy, building resilience and nurturing mental and physical health, JIgsaw equips us to deliver engaging and up to date PSHE education.
We believe that PSHE is vital within education, therefore it is embedded throughout the curriculum. Key concepts are explored through many other subjects and topics to further develop emotional literacy and other SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) within a spiral curriculum. PSHE also plays a key role within our assemblies where children spiritual, social, moral and cultural curiosity is stimulated, challenged and nurtured to help our pupils to reflect on and clarify their own values and attitudes.
Impact -
When the time comes to leave us at Meadowcroft, we hope our pupils will:
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Demonstrate kindness and respect towards themselves and others.
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Have the courage and ability to try new things, challenge themselves and persevere.
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Take responsibility for their actions.
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Have a good understanding of how to stay safe, healthy and how to develop positive relationships now and in the future.
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Understand RSE at an age appropriate level.
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Be able to understand and manage their emotions.
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Be able to look after their mental health and well-being.
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Have an appreciation of what it means to be a positive member of a diverse, multicultural society.
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Demonstrate and apply the British Values of Democracy, Tolerance, Mutual respect, Rule of law and Liberty.
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Be able to approach a range of real life situations and apply their skills and attributes to help navigate themselves through modern life.
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Be able to reach for and achieve anything they put their mind to.
We are continuously monitoring and assessing the impact and effect of our PSHE in order to achieve the best outcomes possible and target those areas where we feel pupils may still need further information or a deeper understanding.
Our needs-focused, evidence-based and trauma-informed delivery of PSHE has a positive impact on our pupils intellectually, morally, spiritually and socially and encourages development in all SEAL type skills. This enhances children's education to help them become caring, responsible, respectful and confident individuals and members of society.
What is PSHE Education?
PSHE Education (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) is a planned programme of learning through which children and young people acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to successfully manage their lives – now and in the future. As part of a whole-school approach, PSHE Education develops the qualities and attributes pupils need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society
What are school required to teach in PSHE?
According to the National Curriculum, every school needs to have a broad and balanced curriculum that:
• promotes the spiritual, moral, social, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school;
• prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life;
• promotes British values.
From September 2020, primary schools in England also need to teach Relationships and Health Education as compulsory subjects and the Department for Education strongly recommends this should also include age-appropriate Sex Education.
Schools also have statutory responsibilities to safeguard their pupils (Keeping Children Safe in Education, DfE, 2019) and to uphold the Equality Act (2010).
At Meadowcroft Primary School, our Jigsaw scheme supports all of the above statements.
To find out more about Jigsaw please see the following helpful documents-
Jigsaw SMSC and Emotional Literacy Map
By providing you with the curriculum coverage and the key vocabulary that we use in each year group, you as parents will develop an awareness of what children are expected to understand at what age. We also hope this will help you to be able to speak openly at home about these topics, which is a starting point for safeguarding and improving mental health.
Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE)
From September 2020, Relationships and Health Education are compulsory in all primary schools in England. This falls under two headings:
Relationship Education
Relationship Education is designed to aid children to build positive and safe relations with family, friends and people online. By government requirements, all primary schools have to deliver this education and parents cannot withdraw children from this section of the curriculum. The areas this part of the curriculum covers are:
- Families and people who care for me
- Caring Friendships
- Respectful Relationships
- Online Relationships
- Being Safe
Health Education
Health education will allow childen to make good, well informed decisions aboput their health and wellbeing and give them the knowledge on how to seek help and support if any health issues arise for themself or others. The areas covered in this section are:
- Mental wellbeing
- Internet safety and harms
- Physical health and fitness
- Healthy eating
- Drugs, alcohol and tobacco
- Health and prevention
- Basic first aid
- The changing adolescent body
This DfE guidance clearly states the statutory requirements, i.e. what children MUST be taught by the end of primary school. Health Education includes learning about ‘the changing adolescent body’ to equip children to understand and cope with puberty. The National Curriculum for Science (also a compulsory subject), includes learning the correct names for the main external body parts, learning about the human body as it grows from birth to old age and reproduction in some plants and animals (which could include human beings). So, Relationships Education, Health Education and Science are compulsory subjects and parents/carers do NOT have the right to withdraw their children from these subjects.
Sex Education
Sex education is designed to help children to:
- Understand and respect their bodies
- Develop positive and health relationships appropriate to their age and development
- Support children to have positive self-esteem
- Empower young people to be safe and safeguarded
The DfE recommends, ‘that all primary schools should have a Sex Education programme tailored to the age and the physical and emotional maturity of the pupils.’ At Meadowcroft this is taught through our Jigsaw PSHE programme, which is delivered through the ‘Relationships’ and ‘Changing Me’ puzzle pieces of Jigsaw.
Parents do have the right to request their child is withdrawn from these specific lessons. If you wish to do so, please contact us and we can ensure it is arranged.
Below is a summary of RSE coverage within the Jigsaw scheme for each year group:
• Foundation Stage – Growing up: how we have changed since we were babies
• Year 1 – Boys’ and girls’ bodies; naming body parts
• Year 2 – Boys’ and girls’ bodies; body parts and respecting privacy (which parts of the body are private and why this is)
• Year 3 – How babies grow and how boys’ and girls’ bodies change as they grow older
• Year 4 – Internal and external reproductive body parts, body changes in girls and menstruation
• Year 5 – Puberty for boys and girls, and conception
• Year 6 – Puberty for boys and girls and understanding conception to birth of a baby
If you would like more information about statutory Relationships and Health Education, please click below to read a parent and carer guide. Further information on the teaching of Relationships and Sex Education through the Jigsaw programme can also be found within the documents listed below:
RSE - Jigsaw Parent / Carer Guide
RSE - Jigsaw LGBTQ+ relationships
If you feel you require any further information please contact us, and we will be happy to help!