PSHE at Our Lady Star of the Sea

Lessons in PSHE enable our children to acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to manage their lives now and in the future. We develop the qualities and attributes that pupils need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society as a whole. We develop a whole school ethos, environment and curriculum which enables our pupils to recognise personal qualities, build upon their achievements and do their best to manage their health and wellbeing.

We enable pupils to develop the language, strategies, skills and confidence required to behave according to their moral values in new situations. We also realise the importance for pupils of developing their own viewpoints by reflecting on different issues, viewpoints, dilemmas, situations and case studies.

Pupils are taught to understand that while different people may hold different views about what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, all people living in England are subject to its law. We promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

Through this approach, we are able to prepare the children for the opportunities and responsibilities of adult life.

As a Catholic School, we base our teaching on the true Christian values of the Gospels. Our mission statement informs and guides the delivery of the PSHE curriculum.

Aims:

• To foster a positive self-image.
• To promote the acquisition of a healthy lifestyle
• To provide accurate information about health matters including alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse and to promote awareness of effects and risk
• To encourage assertive behaviour as opposed to aggressive behaviour
• To create a safe learning environment which encourages pupils to actively promote respect and tolerance for people of different faiths and beliefs
• To increase awareness of personal safety
• To prepare pupils to take a full role in society
• To understand that actions have consequences for oneself and others
• To promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of all pupils

Currently, we use the following programmes to support of teaching of PSHE:

Social Justice:

This year (2021-2022) we are creating our own Social Justice curriculum based on Catholic teachings. Through high quality, carefully selected story books, the children explore the seven themes across the school year. Catholic Social Teaching (CST) is a set of writings rooted in scripture on ethical values put forward by the Church. It is not just a body of teaching but a call to action. It is widely regarded as a moral compass for practical action. CST offers a way to articulate our thoughts about what matters and the reasons for our actions in response to injustice.

Equality Act

Teaching children to respect and accept difference and diversity using the Equality Act 2010 (British Law) as a solid foundation:

• Taking a proactive approach to bullying
• Reducing potential for radicalisation
• Preparing children for life in Modern Britain
• Teaching “British Values”

The resource aims to bring children and parents on board from the start so that children leave primary school happy and excited about living in a community full of difference and diversity.

Growth Mindset:

The notion of a growth mindset (Dweck, 2000) has become an accessible concept to describe the way learners need to feel about themselves and their abilities in order to be successful learners. Research over many years has highlighted that we all differ as learners, being mostly fixed or mostly growth, and differing in different situations.

The Growth Mindset lessons at Our Lady’s are designed to provide children with opportunities to learn about and discuss the key characteristics of a growth mindset and effective learning. These include:

• learning from mistakes

• failure

• resilience

• perseverance

• challenge

• effort

• self-efficacy.

As these concepts are revisited throughout the school, it deepens the children’s understanding and enables them to become confident, independent learners.

My Personal Best

My Personal Best Primary supports primary teachers to plan and teach life skills and character through PE. Structured around the themes of Thinking Me, Social Me and Healthy Me, My PB supports primary teachers to deliver teaching and learning opportunities linked to personal outcomes through PE.

Through My PB Primary, children aged 4-11 will:

• develop and apply life skills that will help them flourish in PE, school and wider life

• improve health, wellbeing and personal skills

• grow an understanding of working with others (social skills)

• create opportunities, overcome challenges and make choices (thinking skills)

• increase their potential achievement and readiness for life.

Life to the Full

Life to the Full is a fully resourced Scheme of Work in Relationships and Health Education (RHE) for Catholic Primary Schools which embraces and fulfils the new statutory curriculum.

Taught with a spiral approach to learning in which pupils will revisit the same topics at an age-appropriate stage through their school life, the programme includes teaching about personal health, physical and emotional well-being, strong emotions, private parts of the body, personal relationships, family structures, trusted adults, growing bodies, puberty, periods, life cycles, the dangers of social media, where babies come from, an understanding of the Common Good and living in the wider world.

The entire teaching is underpinned with a Christian faith understanding that our deepest identity is as a child of God – created, chosen and loved by God. The programme is fully inclusive of all pupils and their families.