Intent

We believe that children learn best when they feel safe, are engaged in their learning, are resilient and are inspired to want to learn more. It is the intent of the federation that children develop the skills to be positive contributors and citizens within society developing the knowledge and skills needed to lead physically and mentally healthy, safe and responsible lives.

In order to achieve this, pupils are given the opportunity to explore a range of values, attitudes, beliefs, rights and responsibilities to help them make their own decisions about the world around them.

Implementation

PSHE is taught discretely in weekly lessons (excepting the Taking Care Project which explores Protective Behaviours which is delivered across one week in Autumn 1 - please below for more information). Schools across the federation use the Coram Life Education Scheme (Scarf) to deliver the curriculum and termly themes are selected in a rolling programme ensuring progression and coverage of the four main elements of the PSHE curriculum:
1. Relationships
2. Health and Well-Being
3. Living in the Wider World

4. Relationships and Sex Education

The CORAM scheme of work sets the learning intentions for each area of the curriculum. These intentions direct the learning that the childre​​​​​​​n can achieve across the whole unit, this is both knowledge and skills based. The skills are pupil focussed and allows for self-reflection. Assessment opportunities reflect whether the skills have been practised and embedded.

The curriculum is delivered across a two-year rolling programme to ensure progression and coverage of the statutory expectations for the whole curriculum. RHSE is covered throughout the curriculum across the years through the growing and changing units (CORAM have developed road maps to demonstrate the progression across the Growing and Changing units).

Mental health is given the same status as physical health and children are taught a range of strategies to identify and manage difficult feelings.

Online Safety is embedded across the curriculum but is also taught via discrete lessons. Fundamental British Values are promoted throughout.

Teachers delivering PSHE are encouraged to be responsive to issues arising in their class/the media/society and allow for opportunities for children to debate and discuss moral and social issues and think critically. Teachers may use carefully selected picture books, social stories and a range of resources to enhance learning experiences.

Clear ground rules are always established so that lessons are a safe place for children to share their views/experiences and ask questions.

Early Years

Personal, Social and Emotional Development is highly valued and underpinned by British values. Children’s emotional well being thrives when they have positive and strong relationships with adults and other children. This starts with a clear and robust transition programme. Information is collected about each child through stay and play sessions, visiting other settings and discussions with parents, carers and key workers. This information is used to inform the design of the environment and helps to focus the learning in the first few weeks of term.

In Early Years we create a supportive and nurturing climate and ethos which provides children with a sense of safety, security, belonging and self worth by:

• Establishing and developing mutually respectful relationships with and between adults and children

• Understanding children’s idiosyncrasies, qualities and attributes so they feel valued and develop positive attitudes towards themselves and others

• Knowing and understanding children’s family contexts and dynamics

• Setting rules, establishing boundaries, following routines and explaining consequences

• Modelling and explaining behaviours and emotions and how to manage and resolve conflict

• Empowering children to be independent enabling them to make informed choices and decisions

• Using praise to build confidence.

Impact

A robust PSHE curriculum prepares pupils for their adult lives and teaches them to understand how to engage with society, including valuing difference and diversity, being responsible and respectful citizens and further deepening pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values. Children will learn how to develop positive relationships with their peers both now and in the future, having respect for themselves and others, and will be equipped with the skills to know how to seek help when required. 

SCARF

At Loxley Primary School we use the SCARF scheme, by Coram Life Education. The scheme offers a whole school approach to building effective foundations for children's success across all areas of the curriculum by fostering their personal, social, physical and mental well-being.

Protective Behaviours

The Taking Care project aims to improve the safety and well being of children in Warwickshire by teaching them to keep themselves safer in a variety of situations.

 Protective Behaviours is based on two key messages:

• We all have the right to feel safe all of the time
  
• We can talk with someone about anything, even if it feels awful or small
  

The programme can be used in a wide range of settings by teachers, parents, women’s refuge workers, the police, social workers, youth workers, health visitors and community workers. The approach therefore also provides a useful framework for working together to keep children safe.

Protective Behaviours is an approach to personal safety that aims to empower and increase the self belief of children and adults in order to keep them safe. This is done through the recognition of their own personal intuitive feelings (Early Warning Signs) and the strategies that can be used to help them.

Protective Behaviours also recognises that life is also about challenging ourselves and taking safe risks in order that we try new things, and that this is both part of our development and an important life skill.

Further information and a national practice sharing forum can also be found at PB People www.pbpeople.org.uk

For further information about Safeguarding please navigate to our 'Key Information' tab and click on 'Safeguarding'.

Resources

Please find below some links to useful information for parents and carers about the main messages of the Protective Behaviours programme, which we teach in our school in the first weeks of the Autumn Term.