Reignhead Primary School

RSHE

Subject Overview – RSHE

Intent:

Through the teaching of RSHE we can develop children’s understanding of self, how they are linked to a variety of communities and the impact they can have upon themselves and others; understanding the importance of treating ourselves and others with kindness, consideration and respect. RSHE provides children with knowledge that enables them to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships and to build their self-efficacy. We want our children to be confident and successful, increasing their capacity to learn and to prepare them for the challenges of the modern world; everyone faces difficult situations in their lives. We consider how to develop resilience, to know how and when to ask for help, and to know where to access support. 

We want our children to be informed and have a curiosity about life and the changes they will encounter. We want them to be open-minded and make balanced, informed decisions, to question appropriately and respectfully and to have the confidence in themselves and their self-worth to follow their own path. Ultimately, RSHE can help our young people to be happy, healthy and safe, now and in the future. 

Sex education is part of our RHSE curriculum. This is so that pupils have the opportunity to receive information at an age appropriate level, about the physical and emotional changes they will encounter; what sex is; and what consent means before starting secondary school. 

Following our RSHE curriculum, we aim to:

Key Concepts:

Concept 1 - Emotional regulation

• Children will know why it is important to learn about ourselves, others and the world in which we live. They will learn about the range of emotions we might experience and consider the reasons why. 
• Through discussion and stories, we will look at the different ways people may react and how this impacts on themselves and others. 
• We look at positive ways to manage our emotions and recognise when we are not happy and how to seek help.
• It is important to understand what a caring, supportive and positive friendship looks and feels like and what an unhealthy friendship looks and feels like and how to deal with friendship issues in a respectful and safe way.

Concept 2 - Rights and responsibilities 

• Children need to know they have many rights however these come with many responsibilities which are linked to all aspects of life.
• Children need to understand the importance of respecting others, even when they’re different from them physically, in character or personality or background, or make different choices, preferences or beliefs. 
• They need to understand what is a stereotype and how they can be unfair, negative or destructive. This links to understanding what bullying is, either in person or on-line and the impact this can have on all parties involved including by-standing and how to get help.
• Children need to recognise what makes a happy and healthy relationship and how to deal with the ‘ups and downs’ in a respectful and considerate way.
• On-line behaviour is included here – thinking about what and how information and data is shared on line

Concept 3 - Keeping safe

• Children need to recognise who to trust and who not to trust, judge when a relationship makes them unhappy and how to manage conflict by seeking help or advice when needed. This includes the importance of permission seeking and giving in relationships with friends, peers and adults.
• They will need to understand what sorts of boundaries are appropriate in friendships with peers and others, including online, these include emotional and physical. 
• Children must know that they can work through difficulties but resorting to violence is never right.
• Children need to know how to be safe, in the world and online, knowing how to recognise and report feelings of being unsafe or feeling bad about any relationship they are in.
• On-line: children need to know what possible dangers there are and how to report them.

Concept 4 - Managing the highs and lows of life 

• Children need to have an understanding of themselves, their attributes, how to manage their fluctuating emotions and how to lead a healthy life: mentally, emotionally, socially and physically throughout their changing lives. 
• It includes an understanding of the importance of friendships and family life, stable and loving relationships, respect, love and care and to know how to build, maintain and evolve healthy relationships within a variety of contexts. 
• Children need an understanding of the importance of self- respect and how this links to their own happiness. 
• They need to know how to ask for advice or help for themselves or others, and where to get this advice from. 

Concept 5 - Being part of a community 

• Children need an understanding about how others’ families sometimes look different to their own, showing respect for differences and know that others’ families are also characterised by love and care. 

• Diversity in culture and beliefs is to be tolerated (or better) in line with British values. They need to be respectful of others, and to appreciate what it means to be a positive member of a diverse and multicultural society as they grow into a young adult.

• Children need an understanding of how they belong to different communities starting with their class, then their school, the area they live, their home city and to be part of the United Kingdom; and to know how to play a positive role in contributing in school life and their community.

Implementation:

In the foundation stage, RSHE is delivered through the PSED element of the EYFS curriculum, where continuous provision is used to explore relevant and developmentally appropriate skills and knowledge. In addition, pupils participate in many ‘circle time’ activities to develop their social skills, supporting them to express their feelings and opinions through discussions with adults and their peers.

In Key Stage 1 and 2, RSHE is taught discretely but it is embedded in other subjects within the wider curriculum where diversity, respect and inclusion are celebrated and taught. The discrete sessions are implemented in lessons every week; the Sheffield Learn RSHE document is used to support this. There are half-termly plans that cover each aspect of the subject. Some are repeated yearly: online safety, wellness, physical health, due to their importance and the need to be constant and relevant. Many sessions will be completed through discussion, and may be captured through other mechanisms such as drama, drawings, cartoons, for example. 

To develop positive and healthy habits, and to foster good citizen qualities, classes have a system of DOJOs or rewards for positive behaviour and these points are awarded to the individual and their school team (Diamonds, Rubies, Emeralds and Sapphires). The school teams collect points over a half-term through attendance and DOJO points; the team that wins over the course of a half-term is rewarded with an afternoon session of a movie. The school also has the ‘Golden Rules’ which promote thoughtful and positive behaviour. There is also ‘BEST’ which signposts the children to the type of learners they should try and attain to be. In addition, positive behaviour is celebrated weekly in an assembly presenting certificates for ‘Star of the Week’.  

Impact:

RSHE is taught often by reading stories, watching videos, playing games, practical activities, using images or thinking about incidents that have happened in school and then a discussion takes place. A lot of work is captured through oral work but we also use drama, for example freeze framing and thought bubbles; asking and answering questions, drawings, flow charts and appropriate diagrams etc. A lot of learning maybe photographed or recorded through captions. Pupil outcomes are captured in a variety of ways to measure our impact. 

Regular monitoring of RSHE coverage will take place by the curriculum leader, discussions will take place with teachers and importantly the use of pupil voice will ascertain the children’s understanding and interest in the subjects covered. Positive behaviours will be encouraged through our school ethos and daily teachings; a sense of community will be instilled within the class room and the whole school. Many aspects of behaviours and skills such as patience and turn-taking, listening and debating, accepting differences will be developed through the use of games in Circle Times, and children will be able to discuss how they are feeling and consider strategies to cope with events that may cause upset or stress in productive healthy ways through the work we cover using the Zones of Regulation.

To view/ download the Curriculum Cycle for RSHE, please click here.