St Andrew’s CE Primary School
Personal Social and Health Education and Citizenship Policy
Reviewed October 2016
Adopted by the Governing Body November 2016
To be reviewed in October 2018
Article 3: Everyone who works with children should do what is best for each child.
Article 28: Your right to learn and go to school
Article 29: Your right to be the best that you can be
Introduction
At St Andrew’s we believe that PSHE and citizenship should enable children to become healthier, more independent and more responsible members of society. Our PSHE policy is closely linked to our work on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and Rights Respecting Schools. We encourage our pupils to play a positive role in contributing to the life of the school and the wider community. In so doing we help develop their sense of self-worth. We help them to understand how society is organised and governed. We ensure that the children experience the process of democracy by frequently asking their opinions and listening to what they say (article 12). We teach children about their responsibilities and about their rights. They learn to appreciate what it means to be a positive member of a community within a diverse society.
Objectives of PSHE
The objectives of PSHE and citizenship are to enable the children to:
· know and understand a healthy lifestyle;
· be aware of safety issues;
· understand what makes for good relationships with others;
· have respect for others;
· be independent and responsible members of a community, such as school;
· be positive and active members of a democratic society;
· develop self-confidence and self-esteem, and make informed choices regarding personal and social issues;
· develop good relationships with other members of the community.
It will help children to:
Value their achievements
Deal with risk and meet the challenges of life now and in the future
Identify their values and strive to live up to them
PSHE helps to give pupils the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident and healthy, independent lives and to become informed, active, responsible citizens. Our children will take part in a wide range of activities and experiences across and beyond the curriculum, contributing fully to the life of the school and communities. In doing so they will learn to recognise their own worth, work well with others and become increasingly responsible for their own learning. They will 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. They will also find out about the main political and social institutions that affect their lives and about their responsibilities, rights (linked to the UNCRC) and duties as individuals and members of communities. They will learn to understand and respect our common humanity, diversity and differences so that they can go on to form effective fulfilling relationships that are an essential part of life and learning.
Teaching and Learning Strategies
We aim to use a wide range of teaching methodologies in our PSHE teaching. We recognise that PSHE must be wholly responsive to the experiences and needs of the children. And we will aim to use as many active learning strategies as possible.
We use the articles of the UNCRC as a basis for discussion and behaviour management throughout the school.
In order to address the active learning triangle of knowledge, skills and attitudes, a wide range of
methodologies needs to be used in PSHE teaching. Activities will include: Whole class discussion, small group, paired and individual work, Brainstorming, Circle games and activities, role-play, use of puppets, ‘Draw and Write’ approach, visits from outside agencies, the use of videos, stories and worksheets.
We will use ICT were it supports collaborative working and problem solving and where it allows access to high quality resources which enhance the children’s experience and understanding.
PSHE and citizenship curriculum planning
We teach PSHE and citizenship in a variety of ways. The SEAL scheme is a whole school approach where each year group will follow the same theme that can be interwoven into assemblies (whole school and class), displays and the general overview of PSHE lessons. Sometimes, for example when dealing with issues in drugs education, we teach PSHE and citizenship as a discrete subject. On other occasions we introduce PSHE and citizenship topics through teaching in other subjects. Also, as there is a large overlap between the programme of study for religious education and the aims of PSHE and citizenship, we deliver a considerable amount of the PSHE and citizenship curriculum through our religious education lessons. PSHE is also very closely linked to our work in school on children’s rights and the UNCRC.
We also develop PSHE and citizenship through various activities and whole-school events, for example the Rights Respecters from each form (R to Y6) meet regularly to discuss school matters. The Rights Respecters discuss issues they would like to put forward at meetings and also those, such as bullying, which they have been directed as a point on an agenda. We offer residential visits in Key Stage 2 where there is a particular focus on developing pupils’ self-esteem, and giving them opportunities to develop leadership skills and positive group work.
The Foundation Stage
We teach PSHE and citizenship EYFS as an integral part of our cross-curricular work and in line with whole-school work on the UNCRC. As the EYFS classe is part of the Foundation Stage of the National Curriculum, we relate the PSHE and citizenship aspects of the children’s work to the objectives set out in the Early Learning Goals (ELGs). Our teaching in PSHE and citizenship matches the aim of developing a child’s personal, emotional and social development as set out in the ELGs. We also support citizenship education in the EYFS classes, when we teach ‘how to develop a child’s knowledge and understanding of the world’.
PSHE and Citizenship and Inclusion
We teach PSHE and citizenship to all children, regardless of their ability. Our teachers provide learning opportunities matched to the individual needs of children with learning difficulties. Some children may have an Individual Support Plan. When teaching PSHE and citizenship, teachers take into account the targets set for the children in their ISPs, which may be directly related to PSHE and citizenship targets. The nature of the work is such that all children may be involved and expected to contribute at an appropriate level. Staff should be aware of the school’s Child protection policy
All children have equal access to PSHE in order to develop their personal PSHE capability. This is true, regardless of race, colour, religion, gender or ability including those children whose first language is not English. PSHE plays a part in creating a fully inclusive school.
The use of PSHE is carefully planned to ensure equal access for all pupils. Each and every child has an entitlement to develop his or her personal PSHE capability
Time Allocation
We recognise that there are several areas of school life which contribute to progress in achieving our aims for PSHE:
· Planned PSHE curriculum time
· Classroom management strategies such as Circle Time and Golden Time
· Planned enrichment activities such as Friendship Week, Life Education Centre visits and work related to rights, both in school, locally and around the world.
· Response to children’s requests for help and management of everyday issues in the classroom and on the playground.
Assessment Reporting and Recording
Our teachers assess the children’s work in PSHE both by making informal judgements, as they observe them during lessons, and through formal assessments of the work done, gauging it against the specific learning objectives set out in the scheme of work. We have clear expectations of what the pupils will know, understand and be able to do at the end of each Key Stage. We also place increasing emphasis on the children completing self-assessment exercises. The value of PSHE is the impact it has on the lives of the individual children, thus getting the children to reflect on their own knowledge and understanding is fundamental to learning in these subjects. Children’s social development is commented on in the yearly report.
Resources
We keep resources for PSHE and citizenship in a central location. We have additional resources in the library and some specific resources for dealing with sensitive issues.
Review and Monitoring
Our PSHE leader is responsible for monitoring the standards of children’s work and the quality of teaching. Our subject leader supports colleagues in their teaching by giving them information about current developments in the subject, and by providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject in the school.
Professional Development
Depending on the school’s priorities for development, time at staff meetings will be used to introduce new areas of work and to review effectiveness of new approaches. Whole staff INSET will be used when there are development needs for the while staff. Individual staff members will be offered training where necessary.
Policy Review
This policy will be reviewed at least every two years.