The
Phoenix Primary School & Nursery
Personal, Social, Health & Economic 
What is the vision for PSHE at The Phoenix Primary School and Nursery?
Intent
At The Phoenix Primary School and Nursery our aim for personal, social and health education is to develop articulate and informed citizens. We want our children to develop as great communicators, who are confident about sharing their views and opinions. We aspire to ensure PSHE is at the core of everything we do. By doing so, it allows our children to blossom into confident, independent, reflective and responsible members of the ever-changing society around them. We strive to ensure children are challenged intellectually, socially, spiritually and morally. We want our children to grow and develop in a safe and nurturing environment where they are able to express themselves articulately, gain a further understanding of themselves as unique people and build resilience. The Phoenix Primary School and Nursery encourages children to develop their sense of self-worth by playing a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community. The children at The Phoenix Primary School and Nursery are given a number of opportunities to discuss topical issues in class in an objective way, such as discussions on human rights, climate change and any other current affairs that are affecting the World that we live in. In order to ensure that we meet the expectations of the PSHE curriculum and the new RSE curriculum, we have introduced a scheme that covers each in their entirety. Our approach to teaching PSHE is intended to support and encourage all learners to be the very best they can be. PSHE is taught weekly as a stand-alone session and then the core values are embedded throughout class assemblies.
How is this vision for PSHE to be achieved?
Implementation
Our whole school approach to PSHE and RSE is down to the belief that success in these areas will lead to excellence across the whole curriculum. At The Phoenix Primary School and Nursery, we deliver the PSHE curriculum through the use of the Jigsaw scheme. The curriculum offers our children meaningful content and learning experiences that places an emphasis on:
- Building resilience
- Emotional literacy
- Nurturing both mental and physical health
- Improving communication
- Developing positive relationships with themselves and others
- Navigating their world.
The scheme is tailored by teachers to meet the specific needs of the children in our school. The application of the PSHE curriculum is intended to equip our children with the knowledge and skills to make self-informed decisions. Each session that is taught is recorded in a whole class exercise book (Jigsaw Journal). Classes complete their learning in many different ways, including the use of drama, circle time and some written activities. Evidence of these is gathered and then displayed within the Jigsaw Journal for children to look through to recap previous learning. If occasions arise within individual classrooms where teachers feel that an extra PSHE session may be appropriate due to a specific issue, this is actively encouraged. Jigsaw lessons also include a wealth of mindfulness and wellbeing activities that allow the children to advance their emotional awareness, concentration and focus.
How does the school know if the PSHE curriculum has been effective?
Impact
Our teaching of PSHE will lead to children meeting the standards of attainment across the school and those of children nationally. Children will each make progress relative to their own individual starting point. Children who have followed the school’s PSHE curriculum will be thoroughly equipped with the key skills, knowledge and vocabulary that is needed to successfully access the Secondary School curriculum. The implementation and impact of the PSHE curriculum is assessed across the school to ensure that children are provided with the best possible chance of succeeding. We strive to ensure that by the end of their time with us at The Phoenix Primary School and Nursery each child will:
- Recognise and apply British Values
- Be able to recognise, understand and manage their own emotions
- Understand who they can rely on and ask for support.
- Look after their own mental health and ask for support where necessary.
- Be on their way to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
- Recognise differences and understand diversity.
- Apply learnt skills in real life situations
- Demonstrate self-confidence and self-esteem.
- Have developed and maintained healthy relationships with peers and adults.
- Understand the physical aspects involved in the teaching of RSE at the level appropriate to them as an individual.
- Show respect for themselves and others.
Assessment
As a large percentage of the PSHE curriculum is verbal and delivered via circle times and discussions, on-the- spot assessments are carried out to show evidence of how each child can articulate their understanding of the topic that they have completed.
Assessment in Jigsaw is both formative and summative. The clear learning objectives for each lesson allow teachers to be mindful of the assessment elements within that session that can formatively help them pitch and plan subsequent lessons, and activities are included in each lesson to give the children the opportunity to self-assess using simple pictorial resources designed in a child-friendly, age-appropriate manner. It also allows children the opportunity to identify areas for self-improvement.