PSHE
“A good school provides a rounded education for the whole person.
And a good Catholic school, over and above this, should help all its students to become saints….” Pope Benedict XVI, 2010
PSHE is taught as a key part of the curriculum at Holy Family and we use the 'Connect' scheme.
https://www.connect-pshe.org/the-curriculum
Specific elements of PSHE are taught discretely but links are also made to learning in RE and Science. Our PSHE lead is Mrs Clark.
Within the curriculum, learners’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural needs are addressed across the range of subjects taught. At Holy Family, children are reflective about their own beliefs and religion and use their understanding to inform their perspective on life and their interest in and respect for different people’s faiths, feelings and values. Children continuously discuss and develop their awareness and understanding of reasoned views about moral and ethical issues and appreciate the viewpoints of those around them.
Celebrations are a key element within the school community and children are keen to involve themselves in national celebrations, raising awareness and monies for charities helping them to contribute positively to life in school, the local community and on occasions the global community. Children understand and appreciate the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage and that of the school community around them. There is a willingness from all children to participate in and respond positively to artistic, sporting and cultural opportunities that are offered.
In our school, we use the PSHE scheme Connect which is a whole scheme of work used across the school and rooted in wellbeing.
As a school, we are also encouraged to, and support taking part in Anti-Bullying Week and follow the theme set by the Anti-Bullying Alliance each year. We have identified how we uphold the statutory responsibility to support children’s spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life, underpinned by the Gospel Values of the Catholic Church; linking to British Values. Teaching high quality RSHE is essential in creating an inclusive ethos and is central to developing healthy relationships and behaviours where children are able to assess and manage risk.
Throughout the school year children are made aware of how to feel good and feel safe and be good citizens keeping Gospel Values at the core of all learning. We focus on how children can:
- be made aware of the strategies to deal with issues of bullying and what to do in different situations, including situations of cyber bullying.
- participate in role play work in class as part of EPR and SEAL to deal with any situations the children may find themselves in.
- have a raised awareness of how to stay safe through RE, cross curricular themes, drama, story writing, literature and theatre visits.
- make links to their rights and how to be responsible.
- stay safe on the internet in school and outside school.
- be good role models for younger children.
- know that feeling safe is dependent upon each individual having choice and control.
- know how peer pressure should be challenged.
- understand that families come in all shapes and sizes. Many families consist of a mother, father & children but not all families are like this.
RELATIONSHIPS, SEX & HEALTH EDUCATION
"The focus in primary school should be on teaching the fundamental building blocks and characteristics of positive relationships, with particular reference to friendships, family relationships, and relationships with friendship is, what family means and who the people are who can support them. From the beginning of primary school, building on early education, pupils should be taught how to take turns, how to treat each other with kindness, consideration and respect, the importance of honesty and truthfulness, permission seeking and giving, and the concept of personal privacy. Establishing personal space and boundaries, showing respect and understanding the differences between appropriate and inappropriate or unsafe physical, and other, contact – these are the forerunners of teaching about consent, which takes place at secondary."
(Department of Education 2019
"Any teaching about love and sexual relationships in a Catholic school must be rooted in the Catholic Church’s teaching about what it is to be truly human in Christ, what it means to live well in relationship with others and be presented within a positive framework of Christian virtue.
The learning needs to reflect each stage of the development of the person. Since a Catholic school is committed to the education of the whole person, teaching on relationships and sexuality needs to be reflected in each relevant part of the curriculum. Whilst, for example, some aspects of RSE will be more appropriately explored in science lessons and some more appropriately explored in RE lessons, each should be informed by the other. Each discipline should speak with consistency about the meaning of human love and the virtues that are enshrined in the Church’s teaching on human love.
A well-planned programme will not just ensure that there is correspondence between phases and across disciplines but will ensure that parents are fully involved in the planning and evaluation of the teaching of relationships and sexuality."
A Model Catholic RSE Curriculum", Catholic Education Service
At Holy Family, sex and relationships education is taught through a whole school policy and the scheme ‘Journey in Love’ and the use of Ten:Ten Resources as recommended by the Diocese. Where possible, it is integrated into other areas of the curriculum such as religious education, science and PSHE. It is always taught within the context of the church’s teaching on sexual relationships. Parents are given the opportunity to discuss what their child will be learning so that they can support their child’s work at home. Any questions that children ask are answered sensitively and in a caring manner. Lessons and resources are always chosen to suit to the age of the children.