Intent 

At Upton upon Severn we aim to prepare our children adequately for adult life: its decisions, responsibilities, experiences and opportunities, and to allow pupils to develop as fully emotionally mature human being.  We aim to do this by developing key character skills, including decision making, informed risk taking, good communication, and self-regulation strategies.   

We want to enable our children to develop a deepening knowledge of their health and wellbeing, including their mental and physical health, through equipping our children with information, skills, and values to understand and be able to cope with the physical and emotional changes that they will encounter.  We encourage the exploration of, and respect for, values held by diverse cultures and groups within or community and promote the development of positive attitudes.  We encourage honesty and respect in all relationships, and nurture sensitivity to the needs and feelings of others. 

Learning begins with rich knowledge and skills development for curious minds. Children are actively encouraged to question, explore, and make links with prior learning. Key links to prior PSHE knowledge and/or cross-curricular learning are made explicit to connect the learning tapestry for all.  

To foster mastery in PSHE, vocabulary and skills are planned for in progression steps that refer to and strengthen foundation knowledge and develop this further each year and/or key stage.  

Children are encouraged to develop a sense of their RESPONSIBILTY for their role of being a global citizen through honesty, kindness, and RESPECT and to feel COURAGE in their ability to face challenges, changes and assess risks.  They will develop an understanding of TRUST and who their trusted adults are.  Through greater understanding of their local COMMUNITY and wider environments they will develop their understanding of living in the wider world.  This common theme runs throughout the learning at Upton upon Severn Primary School.  

Implementation 

PSHE is taught weekly under three main themes of Relationships, Living in the Wider World and Health and Wellbeing.  These three themes have equal weighting and importance within teaching, and topics are taught on a rolling, spiral basis.  Topics are revisited across year groups, and understanding is deepened.  This allows for progression and retention of new skills and knowledge, and also the introduction of some concepts at an age-appropriate point. 

Teaching sequences logically build on prior learning. Opportunities to recall prior learning are embedded in lessons and called upon to answer open-ended questions.  

Key vocabulary is shared with children and utilised throughout the learning sequence. The same vocabulary can be used as scaffolding for written work or discussion.  Key words and home learning opportunities are shared with parents at the start of each half-term. Some children will spend time revisiting key vocabulary in small groups to secure good recall.  

Teachers do not have a scheme to follow as PSHE and the needs of the cohort can be very different.  However, the curriculum is based on prior knowledge using the PSHE Association programme builders question-based approach.  Resources are linked to each topic of work that has been quality assured by the PSHE Association.  Teachers will form an initial baseline and from the recommended resources, teachers will adapt lessons to ensure that the core purpose of each lesson is for children to think hard and learn more and fill in any gaps in knowledge.  

Assemblies, themed days, visits and visitors are used to support the teaching and not used in place of it. 

Teachers make use of the learning opportunities available in the local community such as visits from Dentists, Emergency Services and people with different jobs and community leaders. 

Impact 

Children have individual PSHE/RE books. Key vocabulary is readily accessible and adapted as required for the learner. Children are confident and accurate in their use of Tier 3 vocabulary.  

Children can recall links to relevant prior learning as this is implicitly visited over the course of the learning sequence. Children can talk about what they knew then and what they know now as a logical development.  

Children are encouraged to be curious about their own role as global citizens and encouraged to think deeply about how they would respond within specific situations and scenarios. 

Assessment for learning is consistently planned for and included in lessons through questioning and low-stakes quizzes. Teachers consider misconceptions prior to the learning sequence and plan to address and resolve these.  Information gathered from these sources informs next steps in learning with opportunities to strengthen recall incorporated where recall falls below 80%.  

Assessment of learning occurs through extended questions requiring application of recalled knowledge e.g. a response to an open-ended question, a presentation of facts to the class in response to a posed problem, a summary of a debate in class, draw and write – going back and adding in new information, response either verbal or written to a scenario where they can use the skills and knowledge learnt or posters to encourage others to think about how they act. 

Pupils leave us ready for their next step into Secondary school and are armed with skills, knowledge and understanding that they can take forward into adulthood. 

Pupils leave us prepared for life in an ever-changing modern Britain.  They have the tools to succeed, keep themselves safe and thrive.