PSHE

Our children are the future, therefore how they view themselves, their community and their world is of the utmost importance. We foresee a world where good health, communication, empathy and understanding will enhance everyday life and be key elements to success. To facilitate this, the principles of PHSE are embedded in school life, to enhance and improve every child’s learning, safety, wellbeing, informed decision making and future life success.

At Bidston Village C.E. Primary School our aims are to

• Embrace the challenges of creating a happy and successful future adult life for all our pupils.

• Give children the knowledge that will enable them to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships.

• Allow children understand their emotions and behaviour, also how they impact upon other people.

• Enable children to appreciate the importance of communication and socialisation as an essential tool for learning and understanding their environment.

• Inspire children to gain confidence and understanding of how they can have dreams and aspirations for future jobs and careers.

• Equip children with the knowledge of how to keep themselves safe physically, emotionally and virtually.

• Ensure that children know what to do if they feel unsafe physically, emotionally and virtually.

• Prepare children for adult life by explaining about the differences between girls and boys, the changes puberty brings and what reproduction is.

• Build resilience and tenacity in order to enable children to overcome and learn from obstacles and challenges.

• Understand and embrace differences which contribute to our rich, diverse culture.

In each of our year groups, we teach Relationships Education and Personal Health Social Education within the context of a Christian understanding. We follow the Jigsaw scheme, which is a spiral approach to learning, in which pupils will revisit the same topics at an age appropriate stage through their school life. The programme includes teaching about personal health, physical and emotional wellbeing, strong emotions, private parts of the body, personal relationships, family structures, trusted adults, growing bodies, puberty, periods, life cycles, where babies come from, the dangers of social media, dealing with change, dreams and aspirations. The programme is fully inclusive of all pupils and their families.

Why do we teach Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)?

Children can start to go through puberty from the age of 8 (Year 3) and the physical and emotional changes that take place can be very confusing, and even frightening, if they do not accurately understand what to expect. Children need help to make sense of the messages they have may picked up (including from the media) about our bodies, puberty and how a variety of relationships work (e.g. with friends, parents and carers, family members, romantic and sexual relationships). Being aware of and able to talk about their body, relationships and feelings is vital for children to stay safe and seek help if they feel at risk or are being harmed.

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is important to help and support children through their physical, emotional and moral development. It helps children grow up able to enjoy the positive benefits of loving, rewarding and responsible relationships.

It makes sure they are informed and comfortable with their bodies; that they understand the changes during puberty; that they are healthy and are physically and emotionally safe.

How is RSE taught at Bidston Village C.E. Primary School?

RSE teaching at Bidston is set in the context of clear values, most importantly the value of loving and stable relationships (including marriage). It teaches children to develop values, attitudes, personal and social skills, and increase their knowledge and understanding to make informed decisions and choices when they are adults. RSE teaching at Bidston recognises and acknowledges the diversity of people, faiths, cultural backgrounds, family structures and relationships. It promotes awareness and understanding of the wide range of practices and beliefs relating to sex and relationships within our society without promoting any particular practice or belief as right or wrong.

What will be taught in RSE and how will it be taught?

The training and guidance given to teachers ensures that the personal beliefs and attitudes of teachers will not influence their teaching of RSE. The teachers have a clear plan of what they are teaching through the Jigsaw PHSE scheme of work and resources they have been given fit with the school’s policy. The teachers will use biological language to name and describe body parts and the children will be expected to do the same. Clear ground rules are set so that children understand that personal comments or questions, from teachers or children, are not an appropriate part of the lesson. Children will be encouraged to ask appropriate questions and teachers have clear guidance on how to handle children’s questions accurately whilst also being sensitive to the range of knowledge, beliefs and attitudes in the class:

1. Questions which are about the objective and content of the lesson and are generally age appropriate will be answered for the whole class.

2. Questions which ask for more detail than the whole class needs or which are not about the lesson focus will be answered later, one to one and away from the other children.

3. Questions which require a great deal of detail or are much more advanced than the lesson focus will be referred back to you as parent/carer so that you can judge how much and what you want your child to know at this stage.

A snapshot of the planned lesson content for each year group is attached for your information and so you can see how the lessons progress as the children get older. A range of cartoons, diagrams, books, stories and videos will be used at an age-appropriate level.

The role of Parents and Carers in teaching children about Sex and Relationships

Parents and carers are the key people in educating their children about relationships and sex. Often, children want their parents/carers to be the first people who talk to them about relationships and sex. Parents and carers have a unique emotional relationship with their child and knowledge of their maturity and they can respond to their questions about more spontaneously as they arise. The teaching offered by school should complement and support the teaching you provide at home. The NSPCC has good advice and resources to

keep your child informed and safe, such as The Pants Rule.

Statutory guidance from the government in primary education from

September 2020:

• Parents will not be able to withdraw their children from any aspect of

• Relationships Education or Health Education (which includes learning about the changing adolescent body and puberty).

• Parents will be able to withdraw their children from any aspects of Sex Education other than those which are part of the science curriculum. (Note that sex education will not be statutory in primary schools, however the new statutory guidance makes clear that schools should still provide a programme of age appropriate sex education)

• Head teachers in primary schools must grant requests to withdraw a pupil from sex education, other than where it is part of the science curriculum, after a discussion with the parent / carer.

• Where pupils are withdrawn from sex education, school will document the process and will ensure that the pupil receives appropriate, purposeful education during the period of withdrawal.

Teaching PSHE through Jigsaw will prepare children for life, helping them really know and value who they truly are and understand how they relate to other people in this ever-changing world. Children develop the skills to express their own views without fear of judgement by others. They are supported in making their own decisions about their choices in life. 

Sensitive issues and their language are taught in a sensitive and age-appropriate manner, enabling pupils to be well informed and aware of how to make safe choices and healthy relationships. Influences such as peers, media and the internet and its contents are discussed, and children are allowed and encouraged to form their own moral standpoint about the dangers of being compelled to behave in any way by outside influences. Children are taught how to be assertive and resist such pressures, enhancing their resilience and ability to stay safe and get help if needed.

The safe ethos of the classroom will ensure that every child has the right and chance to speak and be heard. The open-ended and discursive nature of the lessons ensures that those children with SEND will be access the materials and outcomes.

At Bidston Village, we use myHappymind to help create a positive mental wellbeing culture in which children build resilience, self-esteem, and character. My Happy Mind uses the latest research, science, and technology to help children develop lifelong habits and learn to thrive. Click the button below for further information.

Link to myHappymind