2022-2023

PSHE and RHE Curriculum Statement:

At St Patrick’s Catholic Voluntary Academy, Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education is an embedded part of our broad and balanced curriculum. Our children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development is at the heart of our school ethos. Our Catholic Core Values and Virtues, as well as the British Values are promoted through the overarching aims and objectives of PSHE by supporting our children to become healthy and responsible members of society, as well as preparing them for life and work in modern Britain.

PSHE Intent:

How do we prepare a child for life in society now and in the future?

At St Patrick’s Catholic Voluntary Academy, it is our intention to provide a high quality, carefully planned and coherent PSHE curriculum which is accessible to all, and that will maximise the outcomes for every child, so that they know more, remember more and understand more. PSHE is embedded in all that we do, with the aim to support the development of the ‘whole’ child’, by helping them to understand how they are developing personally and socially as well as promoting their mental and physical development. Children will be able to develop the ability to tackle the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up.

It is our intention through our discreet lessons, as well as wider cross curricular approach to teaching PSHE, to prepare our children holistically for the next step in their life, teaching them how to keep themselves safe, physically and emotionally resulting in the acquisition of knowledge and skills, which enables children to access the wider curriculum. We provide our children with opportunities for them to learn about rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be a member of a diverse society. Equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed decisions to keep themselves and others safe, as they become independent, responsible, healthy and confident members of society.

We intend to do this as teachers, who are best placed to understand the needs of our children, supporting them to reach their full potential. We intend for our children to be healthy, independent and responsible members of the community. Where they feel valued and become responsible and resilient, respecting themselves, recognising their individual worth, as well as the worth of others, caring for one another with empathy, exploring and embracing the diverse and multicultural society, in Modern Britain, in which they live.

Implementation:

At St. Patrick’s Catholic Voluntary Academy, our PSHE programme of learning and wider curriculum will enable children to meet the End of Key Stage Statements as set out in the Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education Guidance 2019.

We deliver the PSHE curriculum by utilising first-hand experience and sharing good practice. It is every member of staff’s responsibility to do this by being a role model and having high expectations of our pupils. Staff should actively promote living out the Catholic life and mission of the Church, through our daily interactions with both children and their families.

Our PSHE programme is an integral part of our whole school PSHE education provision is designed to meet the unique needs of pupils. Teachers are supported to use the programme to equip pupils with a sound understanding of risk and with the knowledge and skills necessary to make safe and informed decisions. We are aware that our children’s personal development is a journey during their time with us and there is no end point. Our aim is to provide a wide range of learning experiences and activities across and beyond the PSHE curriculum, which are underpinned by our Catholic Ethos and through consultation with our parents.

Our aim is to develop the “whole child” through the creation of a spiral curriculum approach to develop knowledge, skills and understanding in the three core areas of:

- Relationships

- Living in the Wider World  

- Health and Well Being

Through the programme of study, the children should have a good knowledge and understanding surrounding:

Identity

Relationships

A healthy, balanced lifestyle

Identification of risk and safety

Diversity and equality

Rights, responsibilities and consent

Change and resilience

Power

Career

At St. Patrick’s Catholic Voluntary Academy, we believe that PSHE plays a vital part of the primary education and needs to be taught at least weekly, through a variety of activities and experiences, which enable our children to communicate their views confidently, appropriately and articulately. Our ever-expanding wider recognition and provision of PSHE promotes opportunities to link British Values and Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural (SMSC) responsibilities. Along with our broad and balanced curriculum, there are overlaps with other subjects, for example RE (families and relationships), Computing (E-Safety), Science (recycling and reproduction), Technology (Making healthy foods), PE (leading healthy active lives). Therefore, flexibility in the timetable needs to be accounted for as objectives for PSHE education will be met and revisited outside of the allocated timetable slot. Flexibility in the timetable is also important to allow us as a school to respond to local/ national and global events that may occur. As well as completing key campaigns throughout the year, such as: Anti-Bullying Week, Road Safety Awareness Week, Black History Month, International Women’s Day and Mental Health Week.

PSHE is integral to the development of children’s values and is an important part of school assemblies and collective worship where the children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural curiosity is stimulated, challenged and nurtured. Additionally, there are sometimes occasions where staff may feel it necessary to teach PSHE as a result of an issue which has arisen in their own class.

Impact:

What will this look like?

At St. Patrick’s Catholic Voluntary Academy, our spiral PSHE Curriculum and wider provision will ensure that children will be equipped to support their decision-making in regards to their wellbeing, health and relationships. Children will start their journey with us treating each other with kindness and respect. Our embedded whole school vision to nurture children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development supports them to foster good relationships between all in line with the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

Our spiral curriculum allows children to build upon their understanding of British Values in an age appropriate way, in order for them to become positive citizens in a forever-changing community and ultimately preparing them for life and work in modern Britain. Children have been given the opportunity to reflect on their experiences and understand how they are developing personally and socially. By the end of each key stage, children will have had opportunities to meet the end of key stage statements in line with the statutory guidance outlined in the Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education. Children will have enhanced knowledge and understanding through our quality links with our multi-cultural community, real life experiences and carefully selected external visitors who will promote specialist areas of our PSHE teaching.

Ultimately, our overarching aims and objectives in supporting our children to become healthy and responsible members of society, who are enabled to go on to form safe, effective and fulfilling relationships that are an essential part of life and learning. We aim for our pupils to make well-informed decisions, enabling our pupils to develop the ability to collaborate, build upon their emotional security, improve concentration due to a focus on their wellbeing as well as ensuring children have a sense of self-worth, that they are self-reliant with an understanding of self-care and nutrition. We aim for children to end their journey moving onto the next stage of their education with self-confidence and a high sense of self-worth, having the confidence to ask questions, to be willing to try new things, challenging themselves and persevering.