SMSC and PSHE

Our PSHE (Jigsaw) Curriculum
Intent

At Wadebridge Primary Academy, The National Curriculum is delivered through the use of the ‘Jigsaw’ published scheme of work primarily, with other resources being used as needed. Although teaching the entire scope of PSHE is not a statutory requirement for Primary Schools in England, the subject makes a vital contribution to areas where schools do have a duty. For example, the Education Act (2002) requires that we provide our children with a broad and balanced curriculum that “meets the needs of all pupils”.

We know that Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education (SMSC) must be promoted (and is an Ofsted focus) and that we have a duty of care to keep our pupils safe. “High quality, evidence-based and age-appropriate teaching of these subjects can help prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life. They can also enable schools to promote the spiritual, moral, social, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils, at school and in society.”

Department for Education (DfE)
The Department for Education (DfE) has stated: “Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is an important and necessary part of all pupils’ education. All schools should teach PSHE, drawing on good practice, and this expectation is outlined in the introduction to the proposed new national curriculum.”

The PSHE Association states that: “PSHE education gives pupils the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy and safe and to prepare them for life and work in modern Britain…. When taught well, PSHE education helps pupils to achieve their academic potential, and leave school equipped with skills they will need throughout later life.” Therefore, it is clear that well-delivered PSHE programmes have an impact on both academic and non-academic outcomes for pupils, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.

Here at WPA we know how important it is to prepare children for life, helping them really know and value who they are and understand how they relate to other people in this ever-changing world. Therefore, we have chosen to deliver the curriculum through Jigsaw, which is an effective scheme of work that gives children learning experiences to help them navigate their world and to develop positive relationships with themselves and others. It perfectly connects the pieces of Personal, Social and Health Education, emotional literacy, social skills and spiritual development.

Implementation

PSHE in Early Years
In the early years, PSED is one of our prime areas of learning and development and it is interwoven into everything we do. It acts like an invisible thread which runs across all of our curriculum and it underpins the Characteristics of Effective Learning. PSED is implemented through taught sessions (such as circle times), to aid our transition of settling into school. Our PSED curriculum is cohort and individual specific. To support children’s individual next steps in PSED, staff scaffold, model and promote the skills of Self Regulation, Managing Self and Build Relationships at all times. This could be through whole class discussions, 1:1 targeted support and small group activities. However, due to the holistic nature of PSED, most aspects are developed and embedded throughout our learning environments, teaching sessions and our everyday interactions with the children. These are a mixture of planned opportunities to develop PSED skills or ‘in the moment’ as development points present themselves.

Years 1 – 6
We deliver the PSHE curriculum through Jigsaw which consists of six half-term units of work (Puzzles), each containing six lessons (Pieces) covering each academic year.

-Term 1: Being Me in My World
-Term 2: Celebrating Difference (including anti-bullying)
-Term 3: Dreams and Goals
-Term 4: Healthy Me
-Term 5: Relationships
-Term 6: Changing Me (including Sex Education) Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, however, the overview has been slightly altered to ensure that we have done everything we can to mitigate the effect of the pandemic on our pupils in this academic year (2020-2021).

In Autumn 1, teachers taught the Covid Recovery Lessons. This has meant that we will not have the scope to cover all 6 of the above puzzles in depth this year. ‘Staying Healthy’ is a theme that is covered extensively throughout the year through the whole school SMSC theme, so we made the decision as a school to miss out the ‘Healthy Me’ unit of work that would normally have been taught in Spring 2. With this in mind, however, teachers will ensure that the objectives for this unit are covered and explored through our Topic work and whole school assemblies.

Planning will be supported by the use of the Jigsaw Programme. The subject leader has provided a ‘template’ PowerPoint presentation for teachers to use as a basis for their lessons, using the Jigsaw plans to populate them appropriately. This year, each pupil will have a book for recording their work and reflections during their PSHE lessons (currently in the back on the RE book). There is not an expectation currently for a piece of recorded work every lesson but the planning will evidence the progress and the depth of coverage. This is reviewed regularly following book scrutinies, however. A pupil questionnaire will be carried out once per year to ascertain pupil attitudes towards PSHE and measure the effectiveness and impact of the Jigsaw programme.

Please see the documents below for a whole school overview.

Impact

Each half term, there is a whole school Jigsaw assembly to launch the new Puzzle. Themes are shared during subsequent class and year group assemblies and staff have been following the Jigsaw scheme of work, giving a consistent and progressive approach across the school. There is a whole school outcome for each Puzzle which ensures that all classes are covering the same Puzzle objectives at the same time and gives a sense of the whole school community working together to achieve something meaningful.

The PSHE Leader has audited resources and they are easily accessible for all staff across the school and stored centrally. Pupil questionnaires will show that all pupils are able to articulate the theme of learning for each half term and how ‘calm me time’ can support them through their school journey; from Reception to Year 6 and through to their secondary school.

Assessment is a major contributor in evidencing the impact and this is tracked to ensure that pupils are building on their skills and knowledge over time. It shows progression and also uniformity between parallel classes ensuring that there are no gaps. Class teachers assess pupil progress against the Key Learning Intentions (KLI) after each Puzzle (unit of work taught over half a term).
The subject leader monitors these KLI and questions any trends in assessment that may arise with individual teachers or the wider staff.

NB: Staff training took place in September to update staff on latest DfE guidance for PSHE 2020 and to launch the implementation of the Jigsaw programme.