Curriculum Intent

At St Thomas’s Centre we value PSHE as a way to support learners’ development as human beings, to enable them to understand and respect who they are, to empower them with a voice and to equip them for life and learning.

Through PSHE we will teach our pupils how to recognise their own worth, work well with others and become increasingly responsible for their own learning. Our curriculum will provide opportunities for children to reflect on their experiences and understand how they are developing personally and socially, tackling many of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. 

PSHE is taught across the Primary provision on a weekly basis using the Jigsaw PSHE scheme of work. The topics covered each school year are:

Autumn 1 - Being Me in My World

Autumn 2 - Celebrating Difference

Spring 1 - Dreams and Goals

Spring 2 - Healthy Me

Summer 1 - Relationships

Summer 2 - Changing Me

Our PSHE curriculum equips children with relevant and meaningful content, which is supported through a strong emphasis on emotional literacy, building resilience and nurturing mental and physical health. The Jigsaw scheme incorporates the DfE Statutory outcomes for 'Relationship & Health Education' which is further broken down in to outcomes that cover 'Relationship Education' and 'Physical Health and Well-Being'. 

With an ever-changing society, we are able to provide our children with a strong understanding of the diverse world around them and support them in playing a positive role in contributing to the school and the wider community.

PSHE education has an impact on both academic and non-academic outcomes for pupils, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. PSHE education also makes a significant contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development, their behaviour and safety, and to their emotional well-being. PSHE education contributes to personal development by helping pupils to build their confidence, resilience and self-esteem, and to identify and manage risk, make informed choices and understand what influences their decisions. It enables them to recognise, accept and shape their identities, to understand and accommodate difference and change, to manage emotions and to communicate constructively in a variety of settings. Developing an understanding of themselves, empathy and the ability to work with others will help pupils to form and maintain good relationships, develop the essential skills for future employability and better enjoy and manage their lives.

Key Stage 1 overview

During Key Stage 1, PSHE education offers both explicit and implicit learning opportunities and experiences which reflect pupils’ increasing independence and physical and social awareness, as they move through the primary phase.

Key Stage 2 overview

During Key Stage 2, PSHE education offers both explicit and implicit learning opportunities and experiences which reflect pupils’ increasing independence and physical and social awareness, as they move through the primary phase. It builds on the skills that pupils started to acquire during Key Stage 1 to develop effective relationships, assume greater personal responsibility and manage personal safety, including online.

PSHE education helps pupils to manage the physical and emotional changes at puberty, introduces them to a wider world and enables them to make an active contribution to their communities.