PSHCE
The PSHCE curriculum offer follows the national curriculum in KS1 and KS2 and the EYFS Statutory Framework and Development Matters in the early years. The PSHCE curriculum is ambitious and designed to give all learners, particularly the most disadvantaged and those with special educational needs, the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. Where required, pedagogy is adapted so that all pupils including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND are on the same knowledge journey towards the same endpoints. We have made some enhancements, such as visits from the RNLI, visits from health professionals, and emergency services.
We have developed our own PSHCE curriculum, based on the PSHE Association curriculum building blocks, taking into account the particular needs of our children. This ensures that all pupils receive key messages relative to their age. It builds in complexity so that pupils can build on their knowledge and skills. Knowledge and skills are revisited and refreshed to ensure they become embedded. Vocabulary is also taught explicitly in every lesson. Review and retrieval is a key part of every lesson where quick quizzes are used to support this.
The PSHCE curriculum is set out in the curriculum overview document below.
Relationships and Sex Education
The pupils gain knowledge and skills when learning about Relationships, Healthy Living and Living in the Wider World. An essential part of the PSHE programme is Relationships Education and this is compulsory for all primary school children. As part of the Year 5 and Year 6 curriculum, we also deliver sessions on sex education. The lessons are at an appropriate level for the age range and will use resources that will support the learning. Teachers will use the Medway RSE resources. We will contact you prior to these sessions and invite you to look at the resources if you so wish. If you wish to view the resources that will be used please click on the link below.
The PSHE curriculum ensures that key messages relating to British Values, SMSC (spiritual, moral, social and cultural development), diversity, wellbeing and safeguarding are explicitly developed. The messages are aimed at developing the knowledge necessary for pupils to make safe choices and informed decisions that will help prepare them for later life living in modern Britain.
British Values
All have a duty to ‘actively promote’ the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. These values were first set out by the government in the ‘Prevent’ strategy in 2011.
Below are some examples of what children will be expected to learn:
- an understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process
- an understanding that the freedom to hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law
- an acceptance that people having different faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behaviour
- an understanding of the importance of identifying and combatting discrimination
No Outsiders
All year groups from Reception to Year 6 follow the No Outsiders curriculum. This curriculum teaches the Equality Act to the children through a carefully selected set of stories in an age-appropriate way that will support the children in their understanding of diversity and equality. Below is an interactive link to the stories that are used in each of the year groups.
Socratic Sessions
At Well Lane, we believe that communication is key to developing positive relationships and that our interactions with others should be built on mutual respect. We have developed an approach that develops philosophical thinking and respectful debate. The books in our No Outsiders curriculum are used as the stimulus for the discussion. The children create philosophical questions around themes that are raised from the stimulus. They then vote for the question that will be discussed. The discussion that follows is facilitated by the teacher but led primarily by the children. They share their views, thoughts and ideas connected to the question and are encouraged to listen to each other respectfully, acknowledging that they may not always agree with each other. Our hope is to nurture a generation of future philosophers!