PSHE Policy including Relationship, Sex Education

PSHE-Policy-May-2021 Download

Lord Blyton Primary School
PSHE Policy including Relationship, Sex Education
January 2021

Rationale and Ethos

At Lord Blyton, personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is an embedded part of our broad and balanced curriculum. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development is at the heart of our school ethos. This policy reflects Lord Blyton’s overarching aims and objectives in supporting our children to become healthy and responsible members of society, as well as preparing them for life and work in modern Britain (See Appendix 1 for our wider PSHE curriculum offer).
Relationships Education is complemented through our PSHE One Life Scheme of Work (see Appendix 2). Relationships Education is defined as ‘fundamental building blocks and characteristics of positive relationships, with particular reference to friendships, family relationships, and relationships with other children and with adults’

Roles and Responsibilities

The Education Act and Inspections Act 2006 place a requirement on schools to promote pupils’ wellbeing (as identified in the Children’s Act 2004) as well as their academic achievement. We are committed to promoting the health and wellbeing of pupils, and of the whole school community, and fully recognise the important cyclical relationship between wellbeing and learning.

Legislation (Statutory Regulations and Guidance)

Current regulations and guidance from the Department for Education under the Children and Social Work Act 2017 state that from September 2020, all schools must deliver Relationships Education (in primary schools) and Relationships and Sex Education RSE (in secondary schools). It is compulsory for all schools to teach Health Education. The parental right to withdraw pupils from RSE (but not Relationships or Health Education) remains in primary and secondary education, for aspects of sex education which are not part of the Science curriculum.
At Lord Blyton, we promote the needs and interests of all pupils, irrespective of age, gender, gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, disability or learning need. We believe it is important to ensure that the PSHE curriculum meets the need of every pupil under the Equality Act of 2010.
Teaching will take into account the age, ability, SEND, readiness, and cultural backgrounds of all children to ensure that all can fully access PSHE provision delivered to them through a spiral curriculum that will be delivered age appropriately.

Curriculum design

Our PSHE programme is an integral part of our whole school PSHE education provision and is designed to meet the unique needs of pupils, not only through the One Life spiral Scheme of Work, but through our wider curriculum offer (Appendix 1). For full subject contents of the One Life Scheme of Work please see appendix 3.
Each class is timetabled to one hour a week of PSHE delivery by a member of staff allowing for Lord Blyton being ready when PSHE delivery becomes statutory by September 2020
At Lord Blyton, our PSHE programme of learning and wider curriculum will enable children to meet the End of Key Stage Statements as set out in the Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education Guidance 2019 (Appendix 4).

Planning

Our PSHE education using One Life is allocated on the timetable for one lesson each week. The One Life Scheme of Work includes:
• Substance Misuse
• Tobacco
• Risk Taking /Safety
• Diversity
• Emotional Health
• Coping Strategies
• Healthy Eating
• Healthy relationships/bullying
• Puberty/Growing up
• Financial Education
• British Values
• Democracy
• Citizenship
• Physical Activity
• E-Safety
• Careers
Due to our ever expanding wider provision of PSHE, along with our broad and balanced curriculum, there are overlaps with other subjects, for example Computing (E-safety), Science (recycling), PE (leading healthy active lives). Therefore, flexibility in the timetable needs to be accounted for as objectives for PSHE education will be met outside of the allocated timetable slot.
Flexibility in the timetable is also important to allow us to respond to local/national/global events that may occur and allow us to responds to any such event in an age appropriate way.

Monitoring, reporting and assessment

Monitoring of PSHE is carried out by the Headteacher and Deputy Head through learning walks, lesson observations, pupil discussions and evidence of work in floor books.
Assessment has been produced though consultation with the Local Authority for Key Skills throughout the year, as well as termly foundation checks in line with all other foundation assessment.

Teaching Responsibility and Staff Training

PSHE has a designated Co-ordinator and Link Governor that will regularly monitor the subject and attend CPD form the Local Authority. The PSHE Co-ordinator will ensure there is appropriate and regular INSET for all teaching staff and HLTAs
When using external speakers to deliver aspects of our PSHE and RSE programme we will ensure that the School Visitor’s Policy is adhered to.
For any sensitive subjects within RSE that are planned to be delivered, parents will be informed prior to the lesson.

Parental engagement

All of our parents have access to an online resource developed by Chrissy Hardy who works for South Tyneside council in the role of Public Health Practitioner; she has also assembled the One Life scheme of work.
This resource is available on our online platforms and acts as an interim to 1 to 1 parental discussions, should they have any concerns or worries about the material being taught; furthermore it advises that as PSHE is part of the curriculum they cannot opt out of topics that are now statutory to the curriculum.

Safe and Effective Practice

Throughout our One Life Scheme of Work, each term will start with a class charter/ground rules that will be displayed on every class noticeboard. The class charter aims to create the correct environment for sensitive topics and makes sure One Life feels different to other academic subjects. The class charter/ground rules will be referred back to at the start of every lesson.
If a teacher is posed with a question from children in regards to RSE, the teacher will answer this question as factually as possible drawing on their knowledge from the curriculum. Teachers and HLTA’s have had training from the Local Authority on how to answer difficult or sensitive questions.

Safeguarding

At Lord Blyton we understand that by nature certain subjects may carry an increased risk of pupil disclosure, in cases where there is a safeguarding risk, school safeguarding policy in relation to Keeping Children Safe in Education 2020 will be followed. In all other cases; concerns will be recorded on CPOMS and pupils will be supported by the Child and Family Manager, Deputy Head or Head Teacher. All external contributors will be informed of our safeguarding policy prior to working with the children.
Along with Local Authority training for Teachers and HLTAs on answering sensitive and difficult questions; if the question raises potential safeguarding concerns, staff should respond in a way that will allow them time to seek advice from the Inclusion Manager, Deputy Head or Head Teacher by replying with for instance: ‘That is a really interesting question and I need time to think because I want to give you a proper answer.’

Engaging stakeholders

This policy has been produced through engagement with the Local Authority, Governors, Teaching Staff and Children as well as guidance from the PSHE Association.
We will communicate with parents and carers through Lord Blyton’s school website, Facebook Page as well as letters to parents and discussions during parent meetings.

Outside visitors are used to enhance the curriculum of SMSC overall. Visitors are required to follow the ethos of this policy in line with our visitors policy.

PSHE Policy review date

This policy will be reviewed in January 2022 by the PSHE Coordinator and Headteacher. This will ensure that the policy continues to meet the needs of pupils, staff and parents and that it is in line with current Department for Education advice and guidance.

Appendices

Appendix 1
Wider PSHE wider curriculum offer

Appendix 2
One Life Scheme of Work Guidance

Appendix 3
One Life Scheme of Work subject contents

Appendix 4
End of Key Stage Statements

Lord Blyton Primary School