Personal, Social & Health Education (PSHE)

Subject Leader – Miss Emery 

At Whitkirk Primary School we are ambitious, resilient, healthy and understanding citizens.

Our Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) curriculum has been designed to support all pupils to embrace changes, question and contribute to our ever-changing society, build big dreams for the future and build the confidence needed to stand up for their own rights and beliefs.  At Whitkirk, we work hard to instil resilience, determination, patience and understanding to give children the strategies to call up on when facing challenges.  

The skills taught through our PSHE programme underpin our school values and so we aim for opportunities to be embedded throughout our school day, including assemblies, class discussions and social time.

Pupil safeguarding and the promotion of fundamental British Values are core to our spiral PSHE curriculum. Great importance is placed on opportunities in our curriculum for children to learn about safeguarding in all its forms. PSHE is taught explicitly throughout the school year (3 to 4 sessions are covered throughout a half term). Our broad curriculum following the scheme ‘You, Me PSHE’, provides Whitkirk with a clear and progressive PSHE curriculum. ‘MindMate’ sessions, covered twice termly, ensure mental health and wellbeing are an emphasis in our teaching and daily life at Whitkirk and provides teachers with the resources and skills in order to deliver high quality, challenging content. 

Outside agency support such as NSPCC Speak Out, Stay Safe and Red Cross Black Lives Matter, are linked throughout all PSHE strands, assemblies throughout the year and national focus weeks such as ‘Anti Bullying Week’, provide opportunities to experience life in all its diversity, to acquire knowledge, understanding and skills that significantly impact on personal development, behaviour and welfare and equip every child with the knowledge and skills required for personal safeguarding. Our PSHE curriculum covers all areas of safeguarding through the strands of; physical health and wellbeing, identify, society and equality, mental health and emotional wellbeing, keeping safe and managing risk, drug, alcohol and tobacco education, career, financial capability and economic wellbeing.  We are sensitive in our teaching and inform families of our coverage through our family guides and Class Dojo. The effectiveness of this is evidenced through pupil voice, photographs, class and group discussion and self-reflection evident in class floor books.