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PSHE and RSE Curriculum Statement

As a Church of England School, our Christian values of Respect, Compassion, Resilience, Hope, Integrity and Humility are at the heart of everything that we do. The school’s commitment to promoting the personal and social development, health and mental wellbeing of our pupils is also reflected in our statement of aims. This underpins the Christian ethos of Chesterton CE Primary School and is reflected in our policies and in the breadth of the curriculum – including the teaching of Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education (PSHE) and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE).

RSE involves learning about the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing up, relationships, sexuality and sexual health, healthy lifestyles, diversity and personal identity. It supports the wider work of the school in helping to foster pupils’ wellbeing through developing their resilience and character.

To embrace the challenges of creating the foundation for a happy and successful adult life, pupils need knowledge that will enable them to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships and to build their self-efficacy. Children can also put this knowledge into practice as they develop the capacity to make sound decisions when facing risks, challenges and complex contexts.

PSHE & RSE support the wider work of the school in helping children to develop resilience, to know how and when to ask for help; and to know where to access support. High quality, evidence-based and age-appropriate teaching of these subjects can help prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.

Whilst we use RSE to inform children about sex and relationship issues, we do this with regard to matters of morality and individual responsibility, and in a way that allows children to ask and explore moral questions. It is taught sensitively and inclusively, with respect to the backgrounds and beliefs of our pupils and parents. Relationship & Sex Education upholds Christian values regarding marriage and relationships, while being mindful of the circumstances of our pupils and the variety of expressions of family life in our culture. Pupils are given the opportunity to explore their own attitudes, values and beliefs and to develop an individual moral code that will guide their actions, within the understanding of the right of others to frame and hold their own views with an expectation of respect.

Today’s children and young people are growing up in an increasingly complex world and living their lives seamlessly on and offline. This presents many positive and exciting opportunities, but also challenges and risks. In this environment, children and young people need to know how to be safe and healthy, and how to manage their academic, personal and social lives in a positive way.

With this in mind, the new Relationships Education, RSE, and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019 have made Relationships Education compulsory in all primary schools; sex education is not compulsory. The DfE recommends that primary schools should have a sex education programme tailored to the age and the physical and emotional maturity of its pupils. It should ensure that all children are prepared for the changes that adolescence brings and – drawing on knowledge of the human life cycle set out in the National Curriculum for Science - how a baby is conceived and born, puberty and main external body parts.

At Chesterton CE Primary, Governors see sex education as an important aspect of the school curriculum for our older pupils and ensure that it has due regard to moral considerations and the importance of family life.

Set within the school’s Christian ethos, RSE has long been part of our curriculum provision for Personal, Social & Emotional Education (PSHE) with Sex Education being taught in Years 5 and 6. The focus of RSE at Chesterton CE Primary is on teaching the fundamental building blocks and characteristics of positive relationships, with particular reference to friendships, family relationships, and relationships with other children and with adults. We want children to form a strong, early understanding of the features of relationships that are likely to lead to happiness and security; and to recognise any less-positive relationships when they encounter them. This starts with pupils being taught about what a relationship is, what 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 are 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 school.

As a school we believe the role of parents in the development of their children’s understanding about relationships is vital. Parents are the first teachers of their children and have the most significant influence in enabling their children to grow and mature and to form healthy relationships. We believe that RSE should be complementary and supportive to the role of parents.

How will this be implemented?
To ensure this happens within Chesterton School, we deliver a comprehensive and effective PSHRE Education curriculum through ‘Coram Life Education’ programmes of study which teach key knowledge in three main strands:

• Health and Well Being
• Relationships
• Living in the Wider World

The SCARF programme (which stands for Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience and Friendship) provides a whole-school approach to building these essential foundations.

Our Christian values form the theme of our whole school Collective Worship time and are delivered alongside the Coram Life Educations programmes of study. Our termly school value is displayed in each classroom and referred to in teaching and daily school life.

The statutory framework for the Early Years states that Personal, Social and Emotional development is one of the prime areas of development and is ‘particularly crucial for igniting children’s curiosity and enthusiasm for learning, and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive’.

It is defined as ‘helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities’.

In the National Curriculum, during key stage 1 and 2, academy schools must have due care to meet the statutory requirements from 2020 to teach relationships education.

At Chesterton School we believe that pupils should learn:

• How to grow and develop effective relationships with others.
• To understand how to keep themselves safe from harm.
• To be able to identify and manage risk.
• To be able to keep themselves physically and emotionally healthy.
• To have an understanding and appreciation of the world of work and education outside of their school.

This will be achieved through overarching teaching of knowledge with which they will be equipped to manage challenges in their lives.

Curriculum Progression: PSHE

Early Years Progression: PSED