Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) Including Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE)
At St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) plays an important role in supporting the holistic development of every child. It helps pupils develop the knowledge, skills and values they need to live healthy, safe and fulfilling lives. Our PSHE curriculum enables children to understand how to manage their academic, personal and social lives in a positive way. It teaches the key building blocks of healthy, respectful relationships, focusing on family, friendships and interactions in a range of contexts, including online environments. Rooted in our Catholic mission, PSHE supports the spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, moral and social development of our pupils. Through this learning, children grow in virtue, wisdom and confidence, developing an understanding of relationships within the context of a Christian vision for life.
Intent
At St Joseph’s, the intent of our PSHE curriculum is to support pupils in becoming confident, respectful and responsible individuals who are prepared for life in a diverse and ever-changing world.
Through PSHE, pupils learn:
- how to stay safe and healthy
- how to build positive and respectful relationships
- how to show respect for others and value diversity
- how to develop self-confidence and resilience
- how to make thoughtful and responsible choices
Our Catholic ethos underpins all learning. We believe that every person is made in the image and likeness of God, and therefore deserves dignity, respect and compassion. Our curriculum helps children understand and appreciate the diversity of families, cultures and communities, encouraging them to develop empathy, kindness and respect for others.
Implementation
PSHE is taught through planned lessons, cross-curricular learning and wider experiences across school life. The statutory Relationships Education curriculum focuses on the key building blocks of healthy relationships, including:
- Families and people who care for me
- Caring friendships
- Respectful relationships
- Online relationships
- Being safe
These topics are taught within the context of family life, recognising that families come in many forms. Our school promotes equality of opportunity, inclusion and respect for diversity, ensuring that every child and their family feel valued within our community. Relationships and Sex Education is delivered both discretely and through the wider PSHE curriculum, with links to other subjects such as Religious Education, Science and Physical Education. All teaching is carefully planned so that content is appropriate for the age, experience and maturity of pupils. Our PSHE curriculum is supported through the SCARF programme, which provides a structured and progressive scheme of learning from Reception to Year 6. This programme integrates statutory RSHE requirements alongside equality education, including the No Outsiders programme, helping children understand and respect diversity in society. In addition, we use the “A Journey in Love” programme, recommended by the Archdiocese of Liverpool, to support the teaching of Relationships and Sex Education within a Christian context. Parents and carers are recognised as the first educators of their children, and our programme aims to support and complement their role in guiding children as they grow and develop.
Relationships and Sex Education - A Journey in Love
“A Journey in Love” is rooted in the belief that we are created in the image and likeness of God, and that relationships, gender and sexuality are gifts from God.
The programme helps children understand the importance of love, respect and responsibility within relationships and supports them in developing a healthy understanding of themselves and others.
The themes explored in each year group include:
- Reception: God loves each of us in our uniqueness
- Year 1: We meet God’s love in our family
- Year 2: We meet God’s love in the community
- Year 3: How we live in love
- Year 4: God loves us in our differences
- Year 5: God loves me in my changing and development
- Year 6: The wonder of God’s love in creating new life
Each year, we hold information sessions for parents and carers of Year 5 and Year 6 pupils to discuss the programme and its content. Parents have the right to withdraw their child from the non-statutory aspects of Relationships and Sex Education, although this does not apply to statutory Science lessons.
Impact
The impact of our PSHE curriculum is seen in pupils who are:
- confident, resilient and independent
- able to form positive relationships
- respectful of others and appreciative of diversity
- aware of how to care for their physical and mental wellbeing
- responsible and active members of their community
Through our Catholic approach to PSHE, pupils develop a strong understanding of the dignity of every human person. They grow in important virtues such as kindness, honesty, integrity and generosity. Our aim is that children leave St Joseph’s as happy, compassionate and responsible young people, prepared for the next stage of their education and ready to contribute positively to a diverse society.
“Love is the light – and in the end, the only light – that can always illuminate a world grown dim and give us the courage needed to keep living and working.” — Deus Caritas Est, 39