Subject Lead: Mrs Bowler 

At Holtspur School and Pre-School, we intend to provide a whole school PSHE curriculum that develops the needs of every child in a safe, nurturing environment where our values of ‘Ready, Respectful, Safe, Kind, Unique’ enable children to thrive emotionally and socially. We want children at Holtspur to deepen their personal, social, health and emotional development using the ‘Jigsaw’ scheme, whilst also expanding upon their prior knowledge using skills they have been taught through lessons (including Oracy training) as they progress through the school. We aim for all children, regardless as to their: age, gender or sexuality, race, religious beliefs (or none) or academic ability, to be able to articulate their thoughts in a safe environment that embraces every child’s uniqueness in the world today.

We want to provide a safe space for the children to enjoy PSHE, by providing them with the skills to make safe and informed choices, taking responsibility for their actions, respecting and valuing difference and being the best person that they can possibly be. Holtspur aims to develop pupils’ acceptance and understanding of others regardless of their background, religion, race, gender or sexuality.

Our intent is for children to learn about themselves and the world around them by developing their knowledge of their local, national and global communities whilst building on their own experiences and the experiences of others. The children are encouraged to be resilient in their learning, and accept that their peers may have views that are different from their own.

Throughout school, we want to provide effective Relationship and Sex Education, to enable the children to make responsible and well-informed decisions about their lives, to help and support them through their physical and emotional development. It is our aim to help pupils to learn to respect themselves and others and move with confidence from primary education into the next phase of their lives and beyond. 

At Holtspur, we follow ‘Jigsaw’, which is a whole school approach that provides a scheme of learning from the Early Years Foundation Stage through to, and including, Year 6. Each class has PSHE timetabled for a minimum of 40 minutes per week with additional time being allocated to learning at various times throughout the year for specific events such as: Anti-bullying Week, Black History Month, Sponsored Events and activities as they arise, for example the bereavement of a monarch/peer/parent etc. Such events are either whole school activities or tailored to meet the needs of a specific class.

The pieces are tailored to each year group under the following ‘pieces’:

o             Being Me in My World

o             Celebrating Difference

o             Dreams and Goals

o             Healthy Me

o             Relationships

o             Changing Me (RSE element)

Each ‘Jigsaw piece’ is delivered through a curriculum that builds year upon year and the whole school follow the same theme* each half term; each year group builds and develops knowledge, skills and the ability to articulate their emotions/feelings in greater depth as they get older and progress through school.

Every teacher has access to Jigsaw online resources, which include lesson plans and additional resources for use/amendment/adaptation depending on the confidence of each teacher; teachers who feel increasingly confident can adapt the content whilst delivering the same outcome.

Each class has the use of a floor book, used to record any significant learning each week. Floor books can be used by the teacher, teaching assistant or children to record learning, work produced/activities completed, images/photos of activities, or discussion points made.

Children attend assemblies that launch each new topic to motivate the children’s learning and enjoyment of PSHE and focus their understanding of the Jigsaw piece for the term ahead. As well as using the Jigsaw scheme, we also use assemblies to discuss matters such as: anti-bullying, e-safety, wellbeing etc.

We embed our school values of; Ready, Respectful, Safe, Kind and Unique across the curriculum and we promote these throughout the curriculum wherever possible; the values play a key part within our Green card system that celebrates children’s successes, achievements and outstanding work or effort.

British Values are also embedded throughout the curriculum where possible and children have their own voices heard at the weekly School Council meetings, subject specific surveys and end of year pupil voice surveys; all results are analysed and fed back to staff, governors, parents and the children with any key areas addressed as soon as is practically possible.

Core / key vocabulary for each topic is on display in each class for children to refer to and use in their discussions and for their future use.

The PSHE Jigsaw curriculum – alongside Oracy -  continues to support Holtspur children in becoming happier, increasingly positive, resilient children who build upon prior knowledge and skills to be able to articulate their thoughts,  feelings and emotions during PSHE lessons, across the curriculum and within the school environment and beyond.

Children have a better understanding of rules and responsibilities and being able to handle setbacks and disagreements as they occur. They demonstrate a healthy outlook towards school, and demonstrate positive behaviours because they understand that they have a responsibility for their own actions and how they affect others.

PSHE is evidenced using the class floor books, leaving teachers and children increased time better spent participating in meaningful discussions and role play etc to address new learning, build upon prior learning and address children’s misconceptions as they arise.

Children have a safe space in which they feel happy to share/discuss their feelings/opinions and build their emotional intelligence year upon year when revisiting familiar topics and vocabulary.

Children recognise and understand the school values and the fundamental British values of Democracy, Rule of Law, Respect and Tolerance, Individual Liberty.

Timetabled PSHE has supported an improvement in behaviour across school as children are better equipped today to articulate their thought processes and emotions in an increasingly coherent way since its adoption in January 2020.