Sevenoaks Primary School

PSHE

Intent

Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) underpins life at Sevenoaks Primary School. We believe that nurturing happy and healthy children is central to all aspects of their learning and development. Through our bespoke curriculum, our school environment, our school ethos and the strength of our relationships, we strive to ensure all children develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to:

  • Keep themselves healthy and safe
  • Thrive as individuals, family members and members of society
  • Prepare themselves for life and work in modern Britain
  • Manage their lives now and in the future
  • …and achieve their full potential!

British Values

Implementation

PSHE is taught from plans created bespoke for SPS by the subject lead. In EYFS, PSHE is taught as an integral part of the curriculum covered during the year. Reception skills progression in PSHE is based on the EYFS ‘Birth to 5’ document. In Key Stage 1 and 2, PSHE is taught as a discrete lesson, weekly where possible. It was important that the following were embedded from the very beginning:

  • Our school’s termly values
  • Weekly PSHE themes shared by the whole school community
  • Local and school safeguarding priorities
  • The British values
  • Topical issues, keeping the topic relevant to the children
  • Circle Time opportunities
  • Relationship and Sex Education
  • Online safety
  • Mental Health, including mindfulness and the growth mindset

Below are listed the termly and weekly themes, shared by the whole school.

Term

Termly Theme

Weekly Theme

1 – Perseverance

One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.

1.     To Infinity And Beyond

2.     Should I Eat The Marshmallow?

3.     Together Everyone Achieves More

4.     You Got A Friend In Me

5.     We’re All In This Together

6.     Be The Change You Want To See In The World

2 - Kindness

We have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.

1.     Celebrating our Differences

2.     More In Common

3.     Anti-Bullying Week

4.     With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

5.     With a Little Help From My Friends

6.     Celebrating One Another

3 – Love of Learning

I am not afraid of the storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.

1.     May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears

2.     You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf!

3.     If the plan doesn’t work, change the plan – but never the goal.

4.     Nothing will work unless you do.

5.     Children’s Mental Health Week

6.     Place your mistakes under your feet and use them as stepping stones to rise above them.

4 - Creativity

The comfort zone is the enemy of creativity.

1.     Decisions, decisions

2.     You are what you eat

3.     I like the way you move

4.     Safety first

5.     Connection is key

6.     The best version of myself

5 - Team

Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships.

1.     Home is people, not a place.

2.     Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.

3.     If you take the team out of teamwork, it’s just work. Who wants that?

4.     As a society, we have never been so digitally connected and yet so disconnected.

5.     If you can be anything in this world, be kind.

6.     No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.

6 - Courage

The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.

1.     Courage doesn't always roar.

2.     Change begins at the end of your comfort zone.

3.     It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.

4.     Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves even when we risk disappointing others.

5.     Accept what you can’t change, change what you can’t accept.

6.     Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow.

As PSHE is not a knowledge-based subject, there is not a knowledge organiser nor a formal assessment of knowledge and skills. Instead, teachers assess the children in PSHE by making informal judgements as they observe them during lessons. As the whole school shares recurring PSHE themes, we can clearly see the progress across year groups and key stages by comparing different children’s learning on the same overarching theme. This will show that their understanding of the topic has deepened over their time at the school. 

Planning is differentiated or adapted as needed to ensure all children can access the PSHE units and further develop themselves. Teachers provide learning opportunities that enable all pupils to make progress, including the sourcing of alternative resources as necessary for more and less able children. PSHE inherently encourages inclusion of all, and supports the discussion of our differences and similarities, as well as covering stereotypes, prejudices, and overcoming difficulties. PSHE strategies such as circle time ensure a diverse range of voices and experiences are heard, discussed, and respected. The curriculum is designed to be accessible to all, with no pupils withdrawn regardless of their abilities or backgrounds. Staff will ensure that no judgement will be passed on the lifestyles and choices made by others.

Impact

In and out of PSHE sessions, we encourage pupils at Sevenoaks Primary School to confident, polite and considerate. The children know how to keep themselves healthy and safe, how to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society, and how to manage their lives now and in the future. Our children understand the essential requirements of effective communication and the development of positive relationships. Our aim is that they therefore leave Sevenoaks Primary School well equipped to embrace and enjoy secondary education, preparing themselves for life and work in modern Britain, and with the tools necessary to achieve their full potential.

The emphasis and importance of our school values is evident throughout the school day, as the children have a strong understanding of the meaning and importance of our school values and are very keen to identify, show, and celebrate them. 

Pupil voice is a powerful tool in assessing the impact on pupils of this less knowledge-based subject. Through interviews with the children, we can establish attitudes to PSHE, what interests the children, and how to improve the provision and impact of PSHE at our school. The following are quotes from children across different yeargroups, talking about their PSHE lessons:

“We talk about what makes us special!” 

“I love circle time, as it is really calming.”

“It is not just learning the Values, it is learning what they mean.”

“If you have worries, you can share them, or if you have something you need to talk about.”

“We learn how to be kind to our minds through saying nice thoughts to ourselves when something bad has happened.”

“The six ways to well-being were really helpful, because they weren’t just something being told to you – they were something to help you grow and be a better person!”

“PSHE makes us into the best team.”