Curriculum - PSHE/RSE

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This subject has a vital role in the development of children's emotional and behavioural well-being.

At Woodlands Infant and Nursery School, our PSHE/RSE curriculum seeks to ensure that all pupils flourish through challenge, support and a broad and balanced curriculum rooted in shared values and consistently high standards. We aim to ensure that all of our children leave Woodlands feeling confident in themselves, are able to keep themselves safe and are able to thrive in an ever changing, complex world.

At Woodlands we use a programme called Jigsaw, this is a comprehensive programme for PSHE including statutory Relationships and Health Education, in a spiral, progressive and fully planned scheme of work, giving children relevant learning experiences to help them navigate their world and to develop positive relationships with themselves and others.

With strong emphasis on emotional literacy, building resilience and nurturing mental and physical health, the Jigsaw Programme equips us to deliver engaging and relevant PSHE within a whole-school approach. Jigsaw lessons also include mindfulness allowing children to advance their emotional awareness, concentration and focus.

PSHE is taught from Nursery to Year 2 covering a range of themes such as Being Me, Celebrating Differences, Dreams and Goals, Healthy Me, Relationships and Changing Me. Throughout the year we also plan in specific days such as Fabulous Friday and Mindful Monday to focus on children’s emotional health and wellbeing. Also our school values; Collaboration, Respect, Aspiration, Creativity, Resilience and Nurture are at the heart and rooted within our PSHE/RSE curriculum and practice which support and promote positive mental health.

Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) is a planned programme of learning opportunities and experiences that help young people grow and develop. RSE education can be described as 'learning to live life well' and deals with real life social and economic issues affecting children & young people, their families and communities.

RSE education is important because:

• it makes a major contribution to the health and achievement of children and young people
• it contributes to the welfare and safety of children and young people
• it helps to increase children's independence and ultimately enables them to take responsibility for themselves
• it prepares them for their future role as parents, employees and leaders

We teach RSE because pupils benefit from learning how to lead healthy lifestyles, manage their feelings, build positive relationships and become financially capable. RSE is taught all the way through the school, from Foundation to Year 2. A topic is taught each term ranging from New Beginnings to Changes. Many of the lessons are more discussion-based and it is a chance for children to talk about issues and explore ways of dealing with their feelings and emotions.

We ensure that the children experience the process of democracy in school through Class and School Councils. We teach them about rights and responsibilities. They learn to appreciate what it means to be a positive member of a diverse multicultural society.

Specific areas within the RSE curriculum such as internet safety and Sex and Relationships Education (RSE) are taught discreetly at an age and stage appropriate level in Key Stage One.

PSHE/RSE impact

By the end of Year 2, we aspire that pupils will begin to develop a deeper understanding of themselves and others. Our PSHE/RSE curriculum promotes the physical, spiritual and health education of the children, preparing them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.

Relationships & Sex Education

An important part of the Jigsaw PSHE programme is delivered through the 'Relationships' and 'Changing Me' puzzle pieces which are covered in the summer term. 

There are four main aims of teaching RSE:

• To enable children to understand and respect their bodies
• To help children develop positive and healthy relationships appropriate to their age and development
• To support children to have positive self-esteem and body image
• To empower them to be safe and safeguarded.

Each year group will be taught appropriate to their age and developmental stage. At no point will a child be taught something that is inappropriate; and if a question from a child arises and the teacher feels it would be inappropriate to answer, (for example, because of its mature or explicit nature), this information with be shared with you by your child’s class teacher. The question will not be answered to the child or class if it is outside the remit of that year group’s programme.

Below is a summary of RSE coverage within the Jigsaw scheme for each year group: 
• Foundation Stage - Growing up: how we have changed since we were babies
• Year 1 - Boys’ and girls’ bodies; naming body parts
• Year 2 - Boys’ and girls’ bodies; body parts and respecting privacy (which parts of the body are private and why this is)