What is PHSE?

Our FHC PHSE curriculum

Fieldhead Carr has a clear vision for PHSE. We believe that PHSE is a key way in which we can ensure that pupils are receiving a wide and varied curriculum that is relevant to the lives they live today and prepares them for the future

Our Primary commitment is to support children in developing a secure sense of self, empathy and understanding of those around us and the ability to reason and critically evaluate information they encounter. Staff and other adults act as role models for pupils and PSHE permeates the ethos of the school.

Through our PHSE curriculum we aim to:

  • develop learners’ self-esteem and a sense of personal responsibility,
  • promote self-respect, respect for others and celebrate diversity,
  • equip learners to live safe, healthy lives,
  • prepare learners for the choices and opportunities for lifelong learning,
  • empower learners to participate in their schools and communities as active responsible citizens locally, nationally and globally,
  • foster positive attitudes and behaviour towards the principles of sustainable development and global citizenship,
  • prepare learners for the challenges, choices and responsibilities of work and adult life.

Our curriculums designed to take into account that some of our children have pre-existing issues with:

  • Self esteem
  • Resilience
  • Community awareness
  • Narrow social experiences
  • Children with trauma in their history
  • Empathy
  • Effective communication
  • Confidence self-awareness
  • Lack formative experiences

What is Crew?

PHSE is delivered daily during class CREW sessions. They give children the chance to develop key skills:

  • Respect for others
  • Active listening
  • Public speaking with confidence
  • The ability to critically evaluate what they hear
  • Empathy
  • Ability to form and articulate an opinion
  • Knowledge of the diversity of the world they live
  • The ability to compare and contrast experiences to their own lives

Their focus daily is:

  • Development of social understanding
  • Development of sense of self
  • Reflection

What children say about it:

Esmae, Year 1 “I like seeing my friends in the circle”

Ethan, Year 1 “I like it when I can tell everyone my feelings”

Sophia, Year 1 “We get to tell something to everyone about school or home”

Lexie, Year 5 “I like it because we can listen to other people’s views”

Maizie, Year 5 “I like it, we can share our own opinions with our class mates”

Bella, Year 5 “It makes me think about things I wouldn’t usually think about”

Daniel, Year 5 “It starts my brain working in the morning”

Finn, Year 5 “It tells me about other people and what they like, and how they think”

Mia, Year 5 “It helps me understand and know people more”

What teachers say about it:

“In Foundation Stage we love time to talk. CREW sessions have given confidence to children to share their thoughts, feelings, opinions and experiences. Children learn to listen to one another and understand differences between themselves and others. Sharing this special time everyday has allowed children to form closer bonds with their peers and teachers. We love CREW!” – Mrs Corcoran, Foundation Stage

“CREW really gives our children the time and space to share their thoughts in a safe environment where they feel respected and where their ideas and valued. The questions are thought provoking and the children enjoy relating to each other and seeing their contributions come together in their class CREW book. I’m always really proud of their amazing responses!” Miss Hutchinson, Year 1 Class Teacher

“I have loved teaching my class PSHE through Crew this year. I have noticed such an increase in their confidence since we first started our sessions and I know that will continue to grow. They surprise me everyday with how emotionally intelligent they can be and it is great to hear them expressing their thoughts and opinions about a range of topics. I think Crew sessions are such an exciting part of our curriculum and I am looking forward to seeing more of the benefits this can have for our pupils!” Miss Newbound, Year 3 Class Teacher

“I absolutely love our class lessons, key stage and whole school CREW sessions, in which we teach our PHSE. During these sessions, I have seen children’s confidence blossom and self-esteem bloom. Every child has surprised me with how well they’re able to express their thoughts and feelings about different topics that we have covered. A way in which crew can be used within the classroom, is to teach and explore issues that are arising from school breaks and lunchtimes, national lockdowns and personal situations. We are able to create a personalised sessions that explores these situations so that children feel more confident and comfortable in dealing with these situations. I look forward to seeing what the rest of CREW brings to our classroom across the year!” Miss Griffiths, Year 3/4 Class Teacher

“CREW has benefitted my class as it enables us to talk openly and honestly about issues that arise when they arise, and it gives the pupils a voice and chance to discuss their opinions. It also allows us to cover subjects that could affect the children or be personal to them in a way where it is discussed willingly and where we can share our own experiences of similar situations.” Miss Green, Year 5 Class Teacher

“It has given our pupils the opportunity to develop their knowledge, skills and attributes needed to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society. It has helped them when making responsible decisions during their day to day lives. It has given them a voice amongst peers to speak with confidence without feeling their opinion does not matter. It has given them thinking time before a busy day and maybe find out facts about other pupils lives.” Miss Burrows, Year 6 Class teacher

See our crew session in action

PSHE Teaching

We use a wide range of resources to deliver our PHSE curriculum as it is essential that every child sees themselves in the materials we use. We are careful to ensure that resources take into account a diverse range of Race, Ethnicities and Sexual identities. In this way, children understand that individuality is to be respected and valued.

For our children we feel a themed approach helps to make the concepts hang together more effectively and so our delivery is done through the PHSE Association three key themes.

  • Relationships
  • Health and Wellbeing
  • Living in the Wider World

We use the Islington Primary Scheme of work that has been adapted by the Leeds Healthy Schools team and is titled “You, Me, PSHE”.  It provides primary schools with a clear and progressive PSHE curriculum.

As part of the scheme, PSHE has been divided into 7 different strands of learning:

In addition, to ensure that children get the chance to develop effective critical thinking skills and a grasp of developing and maintaining good mental health practices, we also use resources from:

  • Mind mate
  • Philosophy for Children
  • SEAL
  • The PSHE Association
  • The Scary Guy
  • Stone Wall resources
  • Credit Union Lifesavers
  • Enterprise
  • RNLI water safety resourcing

What is Relationships and Sex Education (SRE)?

 “The objective of sex and relationship education is to help and support young people through their physical, emotional and moral development. A successful programme, firmly embedded in PSHE, will help young people learn to respect themselves and others and move with confidence from childhood through adolescence into adulthood.

It is lifelong learning about physical, moral and emotional development. It is about the understanding of the importance of marriage for family life, stable and loving relationships, respect, love and care. It is also about the teaching of sex, sexuality, and sexual health. It is not about the promotion of sexual orientation or sexual activity – this would be inappropriate teaching.”

(DFE, Relationships and Sex Education Guidance 2020)

It has three main elements:

Attitudes and values

  • learning the importance of values and individual conscience and moral considerations
  • learning the value of family life, marriage, and stable and loving relationships for the nurture of children
  • learning the value of respect, love and care
  • exploring, considering and understanding moral dilemmas
  • developing critical thinking as part of decision-making.

Personal and social skills

  • learning to manage emotions and relationships confidently and sensitively
  • developing self-respect and empathy for others
  • learning to make choices based on an understanding of difference and with an absence of prejudice
  • developing an appreciation of the consequences of choices made
  • managing conflict
  • learning how to recognise and avoid exploitation and abuse.

Knowledge and understanding

  • learning and understanding physical development at appropriate stages
  • understanding human sexuality, reproduction, sexual health, emotions and relationships
  • learning about contraception and the range of local and national sexual health advice, contraception and support services
  • learning the reasons for delaying sexual activity, and the benefits to be gained from such delay
  • the avoidance of unplanned pregnancy

Our FHC RSE curriculum

At Fieldhead Carr we believe that RSE should contribute to promoting the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at school and of society and preparing pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.

Therefore SRE is not considered a stand-alone subject covered in upper KS2 but rather a spiral curriculum that extends throughout the life of a child at Fieldhead Carr primary.

Whilst there are non-statutory specific SRE units of work set out in the PHSE scheme of work for years 2,5 and 6, additional learning targets are delivered through the statutory science curriculum for all year groups throughout school.

At Fieldhead Carr we aim to develop all three elements of our Sex and Relationship programme as appropriate to the age and emotional maturity of our pupils. Therefore in some cases parents are provided with points of reference and information so that they can begin the process with their child if they are in advance of their peers or not ready with their peers at the time of education in class.

Parents are invited into the school for consultation before the education takes place so they can form an understanding of what pupils of their child’s age group is learning about.  A parent booklet summarising the approach that the school takes is sent home or handed out at the parent’s consultation meetings along with a communication letter informing parents of the start date of the learning. It is the intention that parents can be prepared for questions asked at home.

Please see our “Relationships and Sex Education Parents Guide”.  This summarises our whole school approach and is available on our website and given to all parents of year 2 & 5 & 6 children.