PSHE, RSE and Protected Characteristics

Intent:

At Westhouses Primary School we aim to promote healthy, independent and responsible members of society. We encourage all our pupils to play a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community through class & school councils, fundraising events, supporting nominated charities and involvement in community activities. Our pupils are given opportunities in PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education) lessons and assemblies to develop confidence, self-motivation and an understanding of their rights and responsibilities within our diverse society.

PSHE Matters because it plays a key role in pupil wellbeing, safeguarding, and preparation for adult life. It provides the opportunity to develop knowledge, skills and values that our children and young people need, to live, grow and thrive with confidence.

Implementation:

We teach PSHE in a variety of ways: as a discrete subject, through PSHE and RSE lessons, via assemblies and through other subjects such as RE, History, Geography, Literacy, Maths and Science, as well as through outdoor educational visits, community work and activities.

PSHE Matters is a resource which helps to deliver a coherent and progressive learning experience for children. Teachers know what is developmentally appropriate for their pupils. PSHE Matters is designed to allow the flexibility to select activities and resources, based on the previous experience and levels of maturity, and needs of the children in their class.

Our 12 PSHE/RSE themes are;

1. Drug Education - including how to manage risk and peer influences

2. Exploring Emotions - including how to recognise and manage feelings and emotions

3. Being Healthy - including the importance of looking after our mental health

4. Growing up - including age-appropriate sex education

5. Changes - including loss

6. Bullying Matters - including how to ask for help

7. Being Me - including identity and community

8. Difference and Diversity - including challenging stereotypes

9. Being Responsible - including looking after the environment

10. Being Safe - including online and offline

11. Relationships - including what is a healthy relationship

12. Money Matters - including enterprise

Mindfulness

How would children and their learning benefit if they could be aware of their thoughts and feelings as they happen, in the present moment, on purpose with no judgement?

This is what mindfulness means.

How could being mindful help to address the emotional health and behaviour issues so often acting as barriers to learning?

Mindfulness:

• to be aware of your thoughts and feelings as they arise

• to be able to focus your mind on what you choose to focus it on both outside of you and within you.

  Thoughts and feelings motivate and determine actions/responses/behaviours. If we are caught up in thoughts and feelings and are not aware of them as they happen, the responses that follow may not be under our control, and may not be in our best interest or appropriate in the situation.

  If a child can be aware of their thoughts and feelings as they arise and have been taught and practised how to use interventions e.g. breathing (Calm Me) techniques, they can choose to regulate/ manage their thoughts and feelings by using these interventions. They can effectively press the ‘pause’ button and consider whether to allow that chain of thoughts to continue or to change its direction, thus potentially choosing the response, action/ behaviour that will be motivated by it.

  If thoughts and feelings are left unchecked they will lead to responses/actions/behaviours (e.g. fight/ flight/freeze responses), and some of these may not be conducive to learning either for the child or their classmates.

  If I can see my thoughts as they arise and intervene, I can press the ‘pause’ button and consider my response.

  Mindful children can more readily choose their responses to situations rather than react while caught up in the thought-flows and emotions, saving behaviour issues from happening, helping concentration and lessening stress and anxiety.

RELATIONSHIPS & SEX EDUCATION (RSE)

Within our PSHE curriculum we also teach RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) which aims to help children understand healthy relationships, respect for themselves and others, personal safety, growing up, and how to seek help when needed. Relationships and sex education is a crucial part of preparing children for their lives now and in the future, as adults and parents.    Inclusive to this is education around LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and trans-sexual).  Discrete lessons are not taught around LGBT but it may form part of discussions around family relationships.  All of the RSE is delivered to ensure children acquire the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to accept their own and others sexuality in positive ways, showing mutual respect and responsibility, free from abuse.

Parents are also informed prior to the delivery of RSE sessions and are invited to come and view the resources used and discuss the content with the teacher and headteacher. 

Parents have the right to withdraw their child from non-statutory RSE lessons. Please see the RSE policy for more information. If you wish to withdraw your child please consult with the head teacher, Mrs Whitby, and the RSE Lead, Mrs Gregg, before you withdraw your child. 

PROTECTED CHARACTERISTICS

It is important that all children gain an understanding of the world they are growing up in, and learn how to live alongside, and show respect for, a diverse range of people. 

The Equality Act 2010, identifies the ‘protected characteristics’ as:

• age

• disability

• gender reassignment

• pregnancy and maternity

• race

• religion or belief

• sex

• sexual orientation

• Marriage and civil partnership

At Westhouses, we have a well-considered approach to the teaching of the protected characteristics, in order to:

• eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation

• advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it

• foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it

The documents below show how this philosophy is an integral part of school life and is embedded into our curriculum. In addition to this planned approach, we react and respond to any incident as it arises within school, the community or is in the news.

In our PSHE and RSE lessons, there is a strong emphasis on Protected Characteristics particularly in the theme of Difference and Diversity. Children also explore these characteristics throughout the year through fortnightly assemblies from the No Outsiders website and also through story as outlined at the bottom of the page.

Impact:

We strive to provide our pupils with opportunities to learn about their rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be a member of a diverse society. Children will be able to navigate their world and develop positive relationships with themselves and others. Our children are encouraged to develop their sense of self-worth by playing a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community. We aim to have a positive impact on both academic and non-academic outcomes for all pupils.

Detailed schemes of work are available in school if parents wish to look at them, but we cannot publish them on this website due to copyright.