PSHE at Red Hall
“Somewhere inside all of us is the power to change the world.” ~ Roald Dahl
What is the intent of our PSHE curriculum?
At Red Hall Primary School, Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) enables our children to become healthy, independent and responsible members of a society. It aims to help them understand how they are developing personally and socially, and tackles many of the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. Our children are encouraged to develop their sense of self-worth by playing a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community. We strongly believe this is the foundation of all success – everyone is included and everyone matters. We strive to provide a school setting where emotional health, well-being and happiness is our priority for pupils, staff, parents, carers and the wider community. We support and encourage national fundraising and awareness days and months such as Black History Month, Pride, Comic Relief, NSPCC, Mental Health Week. Inclusivity is taught throughout all the curriculum, not purely PSHE.
How do we implement our PSHE curriculum?
PSHE is taught weekly through a spiral curriculum, which is made up of three topics including: Citizenship and Economic Wellbeing, Relationships Education/ Healthy Lifestyles and Staying Safe. Staff are given medium term planning which incorporates PSHE sessions, Staying Mentally Healthy lessons, First Aid sessions and Educate and Celebrate sessions. We provide our children with opportunities for them to learn about rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be a member of a diverse society. Each class has a SMSC Big Book, which celebrates fundraising, community work and points of reflection. The children enjoy looking back on their journey and memories of their personal development. As a school, we place high importance and value mental health and children have the opportunity to participate in regular mindfulness sessions.
What is the impact of our PSHE curriculum?
Children at Red Hall understand what it means to be a valuable member of our close-knit community and thrive within it. We create warm, trusting relationships and partnerships built on mutual respect. The children become well-rounded individuals who have the ability to be kind and compassionate to those around them. They understand the differences of those around them and accept everyone around them.
What experiences will the children receive in PSHE?
Children partake in weekly British Values assemblies and want every child to understand the basic British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance for those of different faiths and beliefs. Red Hall is a close-knit community with generations of families living here, therefore recognising different faiths and beliefs is something we hold in high regard. This makes sure that our children understand the importance of respect and leave school fully prepared for life in modern Britain. Children in Year 5 and 6 have a careers fair to raise expectations and self-esteem regarding jobs. This opens children’s minds to careers that they may not have been aware of and expands their life goals. In addition, we host many assemblies in school from outside providers such as: the NSPCC and Show Racism the Red Card. All year groups access ‘Educate & Celebrate’ books to teach LGBT+ issues and equal opportunities at an age appropriate level. Visitors such as emergency services and the school nurse complement our PSHE curriculum to offer additional learning. We also regularly fundraise for local, national and international charities. This gives the children an appreciation for what they have and what is in the world outside.
By the end of their time at Red Hall, what will all our children have taken from PSHE?
Our school ethos and inclusion of safeguarding, within our curriculum is vital as first and foremost, we want our children to be safe and happy so that they can excel in all aspects of school life. Our PSHE curriculum provides them with a chance to reflect and learn about these crucial elements. Our children and staff value well-being, mental health and good citizenship. Through our curriculum, we believe that we prepare children for the next stage in their education as well as preparing them, during this vital stage of their life, for the adult world. We help children develop skills for life. These include resilience, independence, self-expression, self-confidence and self-belief, all which will result in our Red Hall pupils becoming the thinkers and doers of the future.
Key Information for Parents & Carers:
Healthy Lifestyle Survey
We take part in a local programme along with other local primary schools. For over 10 years, schools in Darlington have completed a Healthy Lifestyle Survey with their students and for the last 5 years a survey for Year 5 and 6 in primary schools has been delivered.
The anonymous survey gives us the opportunity to collect information on how the children and young people are being healthy and leading healthy lifestyles, it will also ask pupils about how they perceive other children and young people their age locally to be behaving in relation to health. For example, the survey will ask, “Do you eat fruit every day?” “How many children in Darlington do you think smoke?”
The information gathered from the survey helps us to provide a curriculum that meets the needs of the pupils within our school, giving them information on smoking, energy drinks, relationships, physical activity and eating habits, bullying, emotional wellbeing and internet safety. Our staff will receive relevant training, resources and support that will enable us to support our pupils to develop their knowledge, skills and explore their attitudes about relevant health issues, allowing them to make informed choices, stay safe and ask for help if they need it.
Key Websites:
Click download to view our PSHE vision for Red Hall.
