PSHE (Including Relationships Education and Health Education)
The national curriculum states that ‘all schools should make provision for personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE), drawing on good practice'. PSHE education contributes to schools' statutory duties outlined in the Education Act 2002 and the Academies Act 2010 to provide a balanced and broadly-based curriculum and is essential to Ofsted judgements in relation to personal development, behaviour, welfare and safeguarding.
‘PSHE education is a school subject through which pupils develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy and safe, and prepared for life and work. Well-delivered PSHE programmes have an impact on both academic and non-academic outcomes for pupils, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.’ PSHE Association
From 2020, most of the PSHE education will be compulsory
Under the 2017 Children and Social Work Act, the government has committed to compulsory ‘Relationships Education’ in all primary schools; and compulsory ‘Health Education’ from key stage 1–4.
PSHE education makes a major contribution to schools fulfilling this duty.
Schools also have duties in relation to promoting pupil wellbeing and pupil safeguarding (Children Act 2004) and community cohesion (Education Act 2006). Paragraph 41 of statutory guidance on Keeping Children Safe in Education, the Department for Education states that 'schools should consider how children may be taught about safeguarding, including online, through teaching and learning opportunities. This may include covering relevant issues through PSHE…'
The Equality Act 2010 also places duties on schools not just to address prejudice-based bullying but also to help to prevent it happening, and in doing so to keep protected characteristic groups safe. PSHE education, with its focus on identity and equality, can help schools to fulfil this duty.
Maintained schools have further statutory duties to:
PSHE at Berridge Primary School
Our PSHE program has been designed to develop skills and attributes such as resilience, self-esteem, risk-management, teamworking and critical thinking largely around three core themes: Health and Wellbeing, Relationships and Living in the wider world.
Health and Wellbeing: Keeping safe and managing risk, Drug, alcohol and tobacco education (DATE), Physical health and wellbeing, Health part of Relationships and Health education
This area of PSHE teaches children:
Pupils will learn things like the importance of personal hygiene; the physical differences between boys and girls; road safety, cycle safety and online safety; people who help us; how to talk about their feelings; and the benefits of physical activity.
Relationships: Mental Health and Wellbeing, Relationships part of Relationships and Health Education
This theme includes:
Among other things, children will learn to recognise that their behaviour can affect other people; to listen to other people and work and play cooperatively; to identify special people in their lives (parents, siblings, friends) and how they should care for each other; what physical contact is acceptable; and what to do if they’re being bullied.
Living in the Wider World: Identity, society and equality and Careers, financial capability and economic wellbeing.
Through this theme, children learn:
Some of the things your child will learn include- how to make and follow group, class and school rules; what protects and harms the environment; how to make choices about spending or saving money; ways in which we are all unique and the things we have in common; about basic human rights; and to respect national, regional, religious and ethnic identities.
PSHE will sometimes be taught in discrete lessons but where possible is linked to Science, Computing, RE, PE and English.
Sex Education :
We teach Sex Education to pupils in Y6. Parents have the right to withdraw their child from sex education lessons, except for areas that are statutory under the National Curriculum as part of science, Health Education or Relationships Education (for example, learning about puberty).
This is because the DfE recognises parents’ rights to teach their own children about sex in a way that fits with their own values and principles.