St. Mary's C.E. Primary School, Washington

Intent

At St Mary’s C.E Primary School, Washington, RSHE (Relationships, Sex and Health Education) is the life-long learning about physical, moral and emotional development.  It is the understanding of the importance of family life, stable and loving relationships, respect, love and care.  Our Christian ethos is fundamental to our success in being a happy, caring and safe school. Our values of Service, Teamwork, Ambition, Resilience and Self-Control enable all children to grow, develop and make changes in their own lives and the lives of others.  Alongside this, our consultation with pupils, staff and families has enabled us to plan a curriculum that serves the specific needs of our children.

Implementation

At St Mary’s we follow Jigsaw; a teaching and learning programme, which contains all of the necessary statutory information as well as having a strong focus on emotional and mental health and wellbeing.

The overview below summarises the content in each of Jigsaw’s units of work, which each class follows half termly over a two year cycle.

Being Me in My World covers a wide range of topics, including a sense of belonging, welcoming others and being part of a school community, a wider community, and a global community.  It also looks at children’s rights and responsibilities, working and socialising with others, and pupil voice.

Celebrating Difference focuses on similarities and differences and teaches about diversity, such as disability, racism, power, friendships, and conflict; children learn to accept everyone’s right to ‘difference’, and most year groups explore the concept of ‘normality’. Anti-bullying, including cyber and homophobic bullying, are also an important aspect of this strand.

Dreams and Goals aims to help children think about their hopes and dreams, their goals for success, what their personal strengths are, and how to overcome challenges, using team-work skills and tasks. There is also a focus on enterprise and fundraising. Children learn about experiencing and managing feelings of pride, ambition, disappointment, success; and they get to share their aspirations, the dreams and goals of others in different cultures/countries, and their dreams for their community and the world.

Healthy Me covers two main areas of health: Emotional/mental health (relaxation, being safe, friendships, mental health skills, body image, relationships with food, managing stress) and Physical health (eating a balanced diet, physical activity, rest and relaxation, keeping clean, drugs and alcohol, being safe, first aid). Most of the statutory content for Health Education is covered through this unit.

Relationships starts with building a respectful relationship with self and covers areas including families, friendships, pets and animals, and love and loss. A vital part of this strand is about safeguarding and keeping children safe; this links to online safety and social networking.  Children learn how to deal with conflict, build assertiveness skills, and identify their own strengths and strategies for building self-esteem and resilience. They explore roles and responsibilities in families and friendship groups, and consider stereotypes.

Changing Me deals with change of many types, from growing from young to old, becoming a teenager, assertiveness, puberty, self-respect and safeguarding. Each year group thinks about looking ahead, moving year groups or the transition to secondary school and how to cope positively with such changes. Life cycles and human reproduction are taught in some year groups at the school’s discretion.

Impact

Our RSHE scheme of work supports the active development of a school culture that prioritises physical and mental health and wellbeing, providing children with skills to evaluate and understand their own wellbeing needs, practise self-care and contribute positively to the wellbeing of those around them. 

It should ensure that individual children leave St Mary’s CE Primary School, Washington:

• With self-confidence, high levels of self-esteem and pride in who they are
• With positive, respectful and healthy relationships with their peers and others
• Resilient to the social and emotional barriers they may face
• Able to clearly articulate their thoughts and feelings using a wide range of appropriate vocabulary
• Knowing when and how to seek the support of others
• Able to apply their knowledge and understanding to everyday interactions from the classroom to the wider community and the society of which they are part.
• Able to recognise and apply British Values of Democracy, Tolerance, Mutual respect, Rule of law and Liberty.
• Able to demonstrate their new knowledge, skills and understanding through capture of pupil voice in the class RSHE books.