As children grow older, it is important that they have an ongoing opportunity to develop an understanding of the key attributes and skills that are needed to keep safe and healthy in everyday life. The PSHCE curriculum at Bedale High School is carefully designed with the sole intention of giving students a clear outline of how to manage their lives effectively – both now and in the future. We aim to provide students with a clear focus on developing specific skills such as resilience, self- esteem, working as a team and managing risk.
The national curriculum framework states that all schools should make provision for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE education) and statutory relationships and sex education and health education (RSHE)[1] (for further information, refer to our “Relationships and Sex Education Policy” here)
The school’s PSHCE curriculum intends to provide students with:
- Accurate, balanced and relevant knowledge of the topics covered in the PSHCE curriculum that also provides opportunities to turn that knowledge into personal understanding
- Opportunities to explore, clarify and if necessary challenge, students’ own and others’ values, attitudes, beliefs, rights and responsibilities
- The skills, language and strategies students need in order to live healthy, safe, fulfilling, responsible and balanced lives
- Opportunities to develop our core values of courage, commitment and compassion
PSHCE will also make a major contribution to:
- Students’ mental / emotional health and wellbeing
- The provision of Relationship and Sex Education and Health Education (RSHE)
- Careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG)[2]
- Citizenship education[3]
- The promotion of British Values through SMSC[4]
- The promotion of SMSC
- The aims of the National Curriculum:
- successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve
- confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives
- responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society
- promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of students at the school
- prepares students for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life
Provision (Key Stages 3 and 4)
The taught core PSHCE curriculum is based upon the Jigsaw 11-16 scheme of work and is divided into five topics, which are covered simultaneously by every group:
- Being Me in My World
- Celebrating Difference
- Dreams and Goals
- Healthy Me
- Relationships
- Changing Me
Each topic has a Big Question (a ‘Key Learning Question’), encouraging a philosophical approach as well as providing a focus to be reflected upon as the topic progresses, another way to assess learning progress and become aware of how opinions may be changing with added learning.
Jigsaw’s spiral curriculum covers:
- All the outcomes in the DfE statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education guidance (England 2019)
- All the outcomes in the PSHE Association Programmes of Study (2020)
- All set within an inclusive, comprehensive and holistic whole-school PSHE/HWB Programme across regions
Mapping grids showing where and how these outcomes are built in are built into each Puzzle and available from the Community Area on their website, including a snapshot summary of the content of each Puzzle.
Further to this, Jigsaw has a strong safeguarding thread running throughout and a clear focus on positive mental health and respect for self. The mindfulness practice is a key aspect of this.
- Discrete curriculum time for PSHE: 1 x 60-minute lesson a week (Y7-10) or weekly Tutor Time session (Y11)
- Discrete curriculum time for Citizenship: 1 x 20-minute lesson a week (Y7-11) as part of the Tutor Time programme.
- Weekly assemblies
- Extra-curricular opportunities
- Teaching of PSHCE through and in other subjects/curriculum areas, for example in Science and Computer Studies
- Involvement in the life of the school and the wider community, for example through the Student Leadership Programme
Whilst the taught weekly PSHCE sessions are the main vehicle for covering the ‘core’ aspects of the curriculum, the other types of provision offer flexibility with regards to addressing and tackling emerging and pertinent topics, for example in response to the Growing Up In North Yorkshire survey, Student Wellbeing Survey and/or the Revealing Reality survey.
PSHCE Lessons
All teachers are encouraged to develop a range of flexible, active learning methods which allow students to explore issues through school and the wider community. Effective teaching and learning approaches used at Bedale High School include:
- Establishment of a ‘class charter’ (ground rules) that is shared before every PSHE session to help create and maintain a safe learning environment
- High order questioning skills within the framework of ‘Three-Story Intellect’
- Developing and demonstrating the school’s core values
- Signposting to share further information websites and/or support services
- ‘Finishing Facts’ to ensure students leave with key learning, usually including reflection on the Big Question of that topic
- Reflection, review and evaluation at the end of every topic
The approach throughout PSHE lessons starts from the assumption that young people want to know this information and are keen to have the opportunity to explore it and their own thoughts and feelings about it in a safe environment.
Student engagement is expected, and PSHCE lessons take an inclusive and mature approach to the subject. We do not skirt around the issues young people need to know about in order to keep themselves safe and make well-informed choices. Some issues could be considered sensitive, so teachers need to know their students as well as possible and be vigilant to signs of anyone needing pastoral support should any of the lessons be particularly pertinent or raw for anyone. The use of half-termly PSHE planning meetings and staff PD days and online tutorials (via the Jigsaw website) provide staff with the necessary CPD to allow them to deliver the PSHCE curriculum effectively.
Marking, Feedback and Assessment
In PSHCE there are two broad areas for assessment:
- Students’ knowledge and understanding, for example, information on health, understanding of procedures including health and safety.
- How well students can apply their knowledge and understanding in developing skills and attitudes, for example, through participating in discussions, group tasks and activities, resolving conflict, making decisions and promoting positive relationships
Starting where students currently are at is vital, therefore PSHCE lessons include activities that present opportunities to gauge starting points; also, planning also incorporates phases that encourage self-reflection towards the end of each lesson.
Baseline, ongoing and summative assessment opportunities are afforded in every PSHCE topic. At the end of each topic, students complete a summative assessment, and the form tutor marks the assessment using Jigsaw summative attainment descriptors, and provides feedback on this task (as detailed in the PSHCE Marking and Feedback policy).
There are regular Reporting Points (RPs) throughout the year, where the form tutor reports on:
- Summative attainment – to track progress form Year 7-11 (a holistic judgement, based upon end of topic summative assessment and formative teacher assessment that has taken place during lessons)
- Attitude to Learning
Specific Aspects of PSHE Delivery
Inclusion
PSHE is provided in a sensitive and non-judgemental way that enables all young people, staff and the wider school community to feel valued and included in effective policy and practices. In order to achieve this, we have included as wide a cross section of the school community as possible in the consultation leading to the agreement of the RSHE policy and we have tried to incorporate the specific needs of particular groups in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, ability and special educational needs in this process.
Answering Difficult Questions
Sometimes an individual student will ask an explicit or difficult question in the classroom. Questions do not have to be answered directly and can be addressed later.
Teaching Sensitive and Controversial Issues
Sensitive and controversial issues are certain to arise in learning from real-life experience. Teachers will be prepared to handle personal issues arising from the work, to deal sensitively with, and to follow up appropriately, disclosures made in a group or individual setting. Issues that we address that are likely to be sensitive and controversial because they have a political, social or personal impact or deal with values and beliefs include: family lifestyles and values, physical and medical issues, financial issues, bullying and bereavement. Teachers will take all reasonable, practical steps to ensure that, where political or controversial issues are brought to students’ attention, they are offered a balanced presentation or opposing views. Teachers will adopt strategies which seek to avoid bias on their part and will teach students how to recognise bias and evaluate evidence. Teachers will seek to establish a classroom climate in which all students are free from any fear of expressing reasonable points of view that contradict those held either by their class teachers or their peers.
Confidentiality
School staff cannot promise absolute confidentiality if approached by a student for help. Staff must make this clear to students. Safeguarding procedures must be followed when any disclosures are made.
[1] Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
[2] Careers guidance and access for education and training providers – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
[3] National curriculum in England: citizenship programmes of study – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
[4] Promoting fundamental British values through SMSC – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Supporting Documents
MBV and SMSC Integrated Approach
Sex Education in Jigsaw 11-16 and the right to withdraw students (Oct 2023)