PSHE/RSE

Following the statutory requirement to teach Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSE) as part of the updated PSHE curriculum, we have decided to follow a scheme of work created by Coram Life Education called SCARF from September 2021.

This scheme of work has been accredited by the PSHE Association and fully covers all of the PSHE and RSE curriculum objectives that we have to teach at Key Stage 2. As it is a spiral curriculum, there is clear progression for the children as they progress through each set of projects throughout their time at the school. The children are taught one weekly lesson across six half termly projects. These are: Me and My Relationships, Valuing Differences, Keeping Myself Safe, Rights and Responsibilities, Being my Best and Growing and Changing.

Due to our membership of SCARF we are also fortunate enough to have signed up for a Life Bus Education visit. Representatives from SCARF will come into school each year and provide additional learning experiences for the children in smaller groups. The sessions are all linked to SCARF and are a great way of offering further lesson time to support children’s understanding.

Due to following the suggested teaching materials within the programme of study offered by SCARF, the teaching of protected characteristics is taught through age-appropriate content across the spiral curriculum. Some of the protected characteristics require further in-depth coverage which enables a deeper understanding to be developed by the children. Furthermore, it provides a wider awareness of the protected characteristics and allows opportunities for the children to begin to develop an appreciation of them.

Intent

PSHE at Ringwood Junior School contributes to personal development by equipping our pupils with the attributes, knowledge and skills they need to support their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing in school and beyond. PSHE helps to develop positive attitudes to learning, a positive and respectful culture and encourage learners to develop positive behaviour and conduct. Children learn to understand and respect our common humanity, diversity and differences so that they can go on to form the effective, fulfilling relationships that are an essential part of life and learning.

In addition to the delivery of our comprehensive approach to PSHE, as a school we also contribute to the personal development of our children. We provide opportunities to experience visits from the wider community, for example local authors as well as educational trips to further enhance children’s learning of the world around them.

PSHE permeates life at Ringwood Junior School. We encourage children to be a part of school life through initiatives such as Job Junction which allows them to become fully engaged in the running of our school through applying for advertised roles. In doing so they learn to recognise their own worth, work well with others and become increasingly responsible for their own learning. They experience what it is like to be part of a democratic society when they are voted to be a member of our School Council, helping to make decisions and representing their peers. Our intent as a school is to prepare all of our children for the wider world and for life in modern Britain.

Implementation

We currently use the curriculum framework from Coram Life Education called SCARF. This is supported by a yearly visit from the Life Bus. SCARF provides the framework for a whole-school approach to improving children’s wellbeing and progress, based on five values:

Safety

Caring

Achievement

Resilience

Friendship

SCARF’s whole-school teaching framework is centred on the ‘Growth Mindset’ approach – promoting positive behaviour, mental health, wellbeing, resilience and achievement. SCARF provides a strong foundation for children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural education (SMSC) and development; it is at the heart of the SCARF curriculum. SCARF provides a robust framework for promoting a positive ethos and values across the school community, contributing significantly to British Values education. SCARF lessons are carefully planned as part of a spiral curriculum, covering all subjects which are comprehensively matched to the new Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education statutory guidance. For each year group, six themed units provide a complete PSHE and wellbeing curriculum. The six units are taught over the academic year. When they are taught is detailed in the below table:

Impact

Pupils at Ringwood Junior School are confident, polite and considerate. Upon leaving our school they will have participated in active engagement in learning and will have a sound understanding of the meaning and importance of our school TERRIFIC Values and the essential requirements for effective communication and the development of positive relationships. Pupils at Ringwood Junior School will have received opportunities to consider their own and others values and will be competent to develop their interpersonal skills. They leave us well equipped to successfully embrace and enjoy secondary education with a very real view of being an effective and happy contributor in today’s world.

Personal Social Health Education

Our aims for PSHE are to provide pupils with the knowledge, understanding, attitudes, values and skills they need in order to reach their potential as individuals and within the community. The children are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities and experiences across and beyond the curriculum, contributing fully to the life of their school and communities. In doing so they learn to recognise their own worth, work well with others and become increasingly responsible for their own learning. We also help the children to reflect on their experiences and understand how they are developing personally and socially, tackling many of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up.

Children learn to understand and respect our common humanity, diversity and differences so that they can go on to form the effective, fulfilling relationships that are an essential part of life and learning.

As a rights Respecting School we aim to explore the concepts of rights, respect and responsibilities (RRR)  linked to our school values (TERRIFIC). RRR is promoted in class, playground, dinner hall, everywhere in school and in the local, wider and global community.

As a “Healthy School” our curriculum also ensures that children understand what being healthy means; this includes a focus on food, physical activity, financial and emotional wellbeing.