PSHE AND CITIZENSHIP
Curriculum statement
PSHE gives children knowledge, understanding, and skills and helps them explore and develop attitudes and values to live healthy, safe, fulfilled and responsible lives. It helps them manage feelings, learn about how to be healthy and safe and understand about relationships. It covers physical health, emotional health and wellbeing, drug education (including medicines, alcohol, tobacco, volatile substances and illegal drugs), sex and relationship education, citizenship, antibullying, safety (including online safety and anti-bullying), personal finance education, careers and the environment.
Citizenship education provides 'knowledge, skills and understanding' to 'play a full and active part in society' (National Curriculum 2014).
The citizenship curriculum helps children explore and develop attitudes and values to become informed, active and responsible citizens. It also develop political literacy and explore social and moral issues, distinguish right from wrong and to make a positive contribution to their local, national and global communities.
It covers rights and respect for rights, democracy, pupil participation in school life, the rule of law, respecting difference and local and global communities and how to prevent prejudice and discrimination.
Citizenship is a natural place for many of the current requirements around SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development), British Values, Safeguarding and the Prevent Duty.
Our Aims and Objectives
Why teach PSHE and citizenship?
We believe that our work on PSHE and Citizenship contributes to our school being a healthy school by enabling children to:
- make choices to live healthy lives.
- stay safe.
- develop self-esteem and confidence.
- make a positive contribution.
- respect one another.
- make and maintain positive relationships.
Our PSHE and Citizenship curriculum enables us to fulfil our statutory duties to:
- provide a broad and balanced curriculum.
- promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school, and of society.
- promote the values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance described by the DfE as fundamental British Values.
- prepare pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.
- promote pupil wellbeing and community cohesion.
- safeguard pupils.
- meet the Public Sector Equality Duty to eliminate discrimination and advance equality.
Legislation and Guidance
This policy reflects the requirements of the National Curriculum programmes of study, which all maintained schools in England must teach.
Policy development
When developing the policy we took account of:
- Camden’s example policy (November 2018).
- Ofsted Inspection framework with particular reference to safeguarding and the judgement on personal development, behaviour and welfare (Ofsted September 2016).
- PSHE Association Programme of Study 2017.
- Providing fundamental British values as part of SMSC in schools, (DfE November 2014).
- PSHE Education; a review of impact of effective practice, (DfE, March 2015).
- Keeping Children Safe in Education September 2018.
The curriculum map on this page outlines the learning across years 1 to 6 for personal, social and health education and citizenship.
Our PSHE and citizenship policy outlines the school's approach to teaching these areas.
Relationships Education forms part of our PSHE curriculum. Click here to find out more about our policy on teaching about relationships.
Where it is taught
PSHE and Citizenship is taught through a range of planned opportunities across the curriculum, a weekly lesson and/or a weekly circle time.
This is supported and enhanced through opportunities throughout the school that are a valuable contribution which support children’s personal and social development e.g. Black History Month, Disability Awareness Week.
PSHE and citizenship is also covered by other subjects
- Science and PE-healthy lifestyles
- Drama and literacy- using stories to consider issues related to relationships and health, as well as discussions about topical issues
- RE includes many aspects related to relationships, families and different faiths and beliefs
- Maths-financial capability
- Geography-citizenship work about different communities and looking after the environment
- ICT-online and using databases to collate information about different opinions
- Cooking and nutrition – diet for a healthy lifestyle
How it is taught
All class teachers teach PSHE and Citizenship and where relevant, outside visitors support and enhance the curriculum, such as parents/carers, school nurses, police, fire service, health professionals and theatre in education
All visitors are expected to work within the framework of this PSHE and Citizenship policy and the Camden protocol for involving outside visitors. We make the PSHE and Citizenship policy available to visitors and ask them to consider the following questions in preparation:
- What will they offer that the teachers cannot?
- How can the visitor’s sessions be integrated into the PSHE and Citizenship programme, rather than a one off?
- What role will teachers play in the classroom?
- How will the sessions be evaluated?
Teaching methods
Teachers have the same high expectations of pupils learning in PSHE and citizenship as they would in any other subject and in addition we ensure that:
- When starting a new topic we find out children’s prior knowledge to help plan the teaching.
- Pupils have opportunities to express their views and listen to others and respect different beliefs and views, to research and evaluate information and make informed decisions.
- Through PSHE teachers promote the values of the school and will challenge opinions or behaviours that are prejudicial or discriminatory or are contrary to fundamental British values
- We set ground rules, particularly when teaching sensitive topics such as RE, to ensure that pupils discuss topics with respect and listen to the views of others, as well as ensuring that pupils and staff do not disclose personal information
- We use a wide range of active teaching methods so that pupils are fully engaged in learning, which include providing challenging tasks appropriate to pupils’ needs, questioning, and opportunities to reflect on their learning, setting independent learning tasks, encouraging collaborative working and facilitating discussions. We use activities such as debating, drama, role-play, quizzes, web-based activities and stories
- We use a variety of high quality imaginative resources in our programme. Staff view resources before they are used to ensure that their content is appropriate, relevant and up-to-date, they reflect the diversity of the school and local community, promote positive images and avoid stereotypes eg disabled, non-stereotypical gender roles, different families including same sex parents, ethnic, religious and cultural background
- We set ground rules, particularly when teaching sensitive topics such as SRE, to ensure that pupils discuss topics with respect and listen to the views of others, as well as ensuring that pupils and staff do not disclose personal information
- Through appropriate planning, involvement of support staff, resourcing and grouping and we meet the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs
- In Key Stage 2 classes we have an anonymous question box for pupils to raise questions that they may not feel comfortable about raising in class
- We will always seek to answer children’s’ questions, taking account of their age and maturity and the appropriateness of the question.
Safeguarding and child protection
Teachers cannot promise pupils complete confidentiality. Teachers are clear to pupils what can and can’t be kept confidential. If a pupil was to talk to staff about a personal situation, and staff were concerned that they were at risk they will follow the school’s child protection procedures.
Assessing pupils’ progress
We recognise the importance of effective assessment of learning in PSHE and citizenship and use it to inform planning and consolidate or accelerate learning where appropriate. Assessment can also be used to identify vulnerable pupils who may benefit from additional support such as building self-esteem or one to one support. In PSHE and Citizenship we assess
Monitoring and evaluation
Monitoring
We monitor PSHE and citizenship through subject reviews, self-evaluation and improvement planning to provide an accurate perspective on how PSHE and citizenship is being delivered and can be further improved.
The PSHE Co-ordinator or senior manager with responsibility for monitoring, is responsible for the overall monitoring of the quality of PSHE and Citizenship which includes:
- Looking at a sample of pupils’ work
- Looking at curriculum plans/weekly/mid term and termly plans
- Teachers making regular comments on the scheme of work/lesson plans
- Feedback from PSHE and Citizenship co-ordinator, class teachers and pupils about what has been covered
- Discussions at staff meetings
- Discussions at governor curriculum meetings
- Learning walks
Evaluation
We plan opportunities to regularly evaluate PSHE and citizenship.
- Key Stage 2 pupils complete an annual ‘Satisfaction Survey’, which covers aspects of PSHE and Citizenship
Opportunities to promote PSHE and Citizenship throughout the school
In addition to the taught programme, there are a number of activities that promote our aims and outcomes for PSHE and citizenship throughout the whole school. We develop pupils’ -
- Confidence, responsibility and making the most of their abilities through positive rewards systems, target setting and class responsibilities
- Role as active citizens through school council, playground friends, community projects, buddy systems, peer mentoring, developing class rules/charters, charity work and consultation on school improvement plan and policies, mock elections, debates, pupil questionnaires
- Healthy and safer lifestyles through the promotion of Walk to School week, Mini Health Champions, Race2Health, lunch time clubs, playground games
- Good relationships and respect for differences between people by celebrating different families, cultures and communities. Following the Golden Model behaviour system.
- Promote mental health and well-being through the Zones of Regulation.
Training and support for staff
Our aim is that teachers are confident to teach all aspects of PSHE, including SRE and other sensitive issues, and we ensure staff access high quality professional development annually on PSHE and Citizenship to keep them updated on relevant issues and to ensure they are confident to teach the full breadth of the curriculum. We participate in training and projects run by the LA and other organisations. New members of staff receive induction training on the teaching of PSHE and Citizenship. Our PSHE Coordinator/Subject Lead attends Camden wide PSHE training and networks.
Working with parents/carers
Our school sees the personal and social development of pupils as something that is achieved in partnership with parents and carers. We value and extend opportunities for parents and carers to be involved in PSHE and Citizenship through consultation and where appropriate specific input to the curriculum.
We also offer resources and information for parents and carers to support their children in aspects of PSHE and citizenship eg online safety, drug education, healthy eating and organise meeting for parents on SRE and workshops on online safety.