PSHE

PSHE Curriculum Intent

At Castle Hill Primary School, we believe that PSHE underpins our whole curriculum as it is vital in supporting a child’s holistic wellbeing. We strongly believe that in order to build successful learners, we need happy, healthy and well supported children. Children who feel unsupported, distracted or have a negative sense of wellbeing simply can not achieve to the best of their abilities in all other areas of the Curriculum,

 Our aim here at Castle Hill is to provide a PSHE Curriculum which allows children to acquire the knowledge, vocabulary and understanding that they need to enable them to successfully access the wider curriculum and prepares them to become global citizens now and in their future roles within the global community. We aim to build well-balanced individuals who show an awareness of others and their own personal responsible independence. When children leave us at year 6 we want them to have the tools that they need to continue on without us as motivated learners and active citizens, showing a sense of integrity, resilience and understanding of the world in which they live.

In order to really nurture the children’s sense of what it means to be part of a community, we have recently invested in building a PSHE curriculum which brings us all closer together as a school; adopting the JIGSAW programme of study which sees all year groups focussing on the same area of study at the same time. We promote unity by leading whole school launch assemblies at the beginning of each Unit of work and celebrate our achievements together as a school by focussing on weekly goals and producing whole school end of topic displays. Children learn about how they belong to many types of community from their family community, to their class community, to the school community, the community of Tonge Moor, Bolton and the wider world. Within this teaching and learning, children are supported in their ability to become understanding and accepting of others differences.

By following the Jigsaw programme of Study, we ensure that our curriculum in inclusive so that we can support children in developing the knowledge, vocabulary and confidence to be able to communicate any difficult topics which they may have previously been reluctant to address or explore. It also provides children with a safe space each lesson by following our Jigsaw Charter, ensuring that children have the knowledge, vocabulary and above all security and confidence to disclose any Safeguarding Issues in a safe and trusted space.

The Jigsaw programme of study is steeped in focussing on mindfulness as the key element in supporting deeper understanding. Topics are carefully mapped to ensure that they build on knowledge skills and vocabulary learned in previous years and taught in a timely manner to meet the children’s specific needs as they grow. This sequencing and use of age-appropriate materials ensures that children can continuously deepen their understanding and commit key knowledge to their long-term memories. British Values underpin each Unit of Study and are nurtured throughout.

To ensure that our teaching and learning successfully reflects the current environment and climate in which our children live, the school’s local context and global issues are considered each year to ensure that children have the support they need to grow and thrive in our ever changing world.

Key campaigns are also explored throughout the year, every year, such as Cycling Proficiency, Internet Safety Day or Children in Need.