"What do you want to be when you grow up? Kind, said the The Boy". The Fox, The Horse and The Boy - Charlie Mackesy, British Author and Illustrator

PSHE/RSE Statement of Intent

The intent of our PSHE/RSE curriculum at Peel Common Junior School is to deliver a 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. Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education combined with the new statutory Relationships and Sex Education enables our children to become healthy, independent and responsible members of a society. It aims to help them understand how they are developing personally and socially, and tackles many of the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. 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. Our children are encouraged to develop their sense of self-worth by playing a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community and to prepare children to be a global citizen now and in their future roles.

At Peel Common Juniors, good relationships are fundamental to our ethos. Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is lifelong learning about relationships, emotions, looking after ourselves, different families, sex, sexuality and sexual health. It involves acquiring information, developing skills and forming positive beliefs, values and attitudes. RSE has a key part to play in the personal, social, moral and spiritual development of young people.

Implementation

PSHE/RSE is taught as explicit lessons but is also embedded in other areas of the curriculum and day-to-day life of the school. The curriculum will demonstrate appropriate subject knowledge, skills and understanding to fulfil the duties whereby schools must provide a balanced and broadly-based curriculum which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils and prepares them for the opportunities and responsibilities and experiences for later life. This will include lessons covering: healthy relationships, including friendships; families; growing and changing, including puberty; personal hygiene; changing feelings; becoming more independent; keeping safe; developing self-esteem and confidence.

Children are taught by familiar adults who they have a good rapport with, in order to facilitate constructive and supportive discussions around sensitive topics in a safe and secure environment. Staff have received in-house CPD to support them in responding to the needs of the individual child and support children with any questions or concerns they may have. If staff feel uncomfortable or unsure when delivering the RSE curriculum or dealing with individual pupil needs, they know where to seek advice and support. Staff are responsible for:

• delivering RSE in a sensitive way
• modelling positive attitudes to RSE
• monitoring progress
• responding to the needs of individuals
• responding appropriately to pupils whose parents wish them to be withdrawn from the non-statutory elements of RSE.

Pupils are expected to engage fully in RSE and when discussing issues related to RSE, treat others with respect and sensitivity. Our high expectations of behaviour, interpersonal relationships, respect and tolerance of others reflect the British Values upheld in both our community and the wider world. Children develop key skills and are prepared for the wider world beyond primary school, a world in which they can keep themselves safe and healthy and thrive with the support of the positive relationships they foster with those around them.

Impact

The impact of our curriculum will be that the standards of attainment across the school will meet or exceed those which are expected of our children nationally. We will continuously assess the implementation and impact of our RSE curriculum in order to achieve the highest outcomes possible across all year groups and ensure we provide the support that is necessary for all children to have a good understanding of the complexities of relationships and sexual matters and a secure knowledge and skills base to navigate their way through these, now and in the future. Through our PSHE/RSE curriculum, we believe we can enhance children’s education and help them to become confident individuals who have positive body awareness, an in-depth knowledge of how to keep themselves safe and healthy and who will, through respect, tolerance and understanding, forge and maintain positive relationships with a diverse range of family and friendship groups.

“Be who you are and say how you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind. You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself in any direction you choose.” Dr Seuss, American children's author and cartoonist.