PSHE and RSHE

 “When educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts.” – Dalai Lama

Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE), as well as Relationship, Sex and Health education (RSHE) is an important part of our curriculum as it enables children to gain the knowledge that is needed to enable them to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships as well as preparing them for a successful adult life.

RSHE is about the emotional, social and cultural development of pupils. It enables pupils to learn about relationships, sexual health, sexuality, healthy lifestyles, diversity and personal identity. RSHE involves a combination of sharing information, and exploring issues and values. RSHE is not about the promotion of sexual activity or sexual orientation but it is more about learning and celebrating differences as this reflects the world in which we live. We believe that it is the heart of what education is all about – educating children’s hearts and minds to learn, enjoy and succeed.

As a primary free school, we must provide relationship and health education to all pupils in line with statutory RSHE guidance from the Department for Education. You can also find out more information about RSHE, including leaflets translated into other languages such as Arabic and Somali via this link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-sex-and-health-education-guides-for-schools

Sex education is a non-statutory requirement and primary schools can choose whether they teach sex education to meet the needs of their pupils. After careful consideration and consultation with our school community, we have decided that we will only be teaching Relationship and Health Education (RHE) and therefore will not be teaching sex education at Kilburn Grange School.

We use the 1Decision scheme of work to teach and deliver PSHE education and RHE, as well as other resources that are carefully inspected when and if they are needed. The 1Decision scheme of work is aligned with the statutory guidance and covers all the relevant elements that are required to be taught. 1Decision brings together PSHE Education and RHE in a comprehensive scheme of learning and takes into account the age, needs and feelings of pupils. The curriculum also offers a robust understanding of safeguarding through the comprehensive PSHE, RHE and e-safety programmes. The scheme of work has been awarded the PSHE Association Quality Mark.

Every half-term, major key festivals, events and memorable dates are identified and planned for during assemblies and collective workshops. There are also key charities identified so children can take part in charitable events, in order to learn about responsibility, generosity, helping others and making positive changes. The overview below outlines the key festivals, dates and units of work covered in each year group throughout the academic year.

As Reception is part of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), they follow the Early Years curriculum including the characteristics of effective learning. In EYFS, teaching of PSHE is incorporated into the learning of Personal, Social, Emotional and Development, one of the prime areas of the EYFS curriculum. We have also recently linked this with the 1decision scheme of learning and are using it to strengthen these areas for EYFS.

We also use the Zones of Regulation, which is an approach designed to support the development of self-regulation in children. It teaches children to build awareness of their feelings and use a variety of tools and strategies for regulation, prosocial skills, self-care, and overall wellness.

To find out more about PSHE and RHE, please read our Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education Policy. Our overview also includes more information on the units of work pupils learn each term. The half-termly curriculum information provides further details about what will be taught in PSHE/RHE each half-term.