Personal, Social and Health Education
Our School is a family and as such, we want to ensure that every child has access to the best start in life and develops to their full potential. We strive to ensure that our school is at the heart of the local community, developing strong relationships with our families and with other groups and organisations in our locality. We also recognise the importance of broadening our children’s views and experiences beyond school and the estate of Holmewood to the rest of Britain and the wider world.
At Ryecroft Primary Academy, we offer an engaging Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) curriculum that not only gives our children the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours that will enable them to succeed, but interests, intrigues and inspires our young learners. It is not only designed to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum, but to engender a love of learning and a willingness to help others, meeting the needs of all backgrounds, cultures and abilities. It is our aim that our pupils are happy, well-rounded and responsible citizens.
From the beginning of EYFS to the end of KS2, our PSHE curriculum ensures that knowledge and skills will be taught thoroughly and progressively, whilst allowing teachers the flexibility to be creative in their approach and respond to the needs and interests of the children. Clear progression within and across year groups allows children to revisit, recap and build on prior learning helping them to embed skills and knowledge. This allows our children to have the cultural capital to be successful citizens at high school and beyond as well as developing their potential as adults in the wider world.
It is our intent that we provide a Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) curriculum that successfully develops the qualities that our pupils require to flourish in our society. This includes raising awareness of current affairs and/or issues that our pupils are facing. Also, by providing opportunities to work as part of a team and by challenging pupils in order to develop their resilience and perseverance.
Throughout the curriculum, pupils are provided with opportunities to deepen their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This includes using current affairs and cultural experiences to enable them to become thoughtful and caring citizens within school, and within society. An example of this is pupils visit different places of worship allowing them to be reflective of their own beliefs and respectful of others. Opportunities are also planned throughout the curriculum for pupils to develop a sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them and for them to use their imagination and creativity in their learning.
As a result of robust curriculum provision, pupils have a good understanding of, and are able to discuss/ debate confidently about, how to keep safe, including their understanding of e-safety and different forms of bullying. Pupils have an age-appropriate weekly debating session linked areas such as British Values, inclusivity and mental health. This is linked to a key issue in the news and further develops their cultural development, understanding of the world, their moral development and how to keep safe. For example, children investigate the issue of radicalisation.