St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

OUR INTENT for the PSHE/RHE curriculum at St Joseph's is:

That children have equal opportunities, have an inclusive environment and are able to demonstrate that no form of discrimination is tolerated.That children show respect for those who share the protected characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. Our vision is central to this- We welcome all, care and work hard. In addition these aspects are covered in our PSHE Scheme of Work, in discrete lessons in Year 5 and 6 and throughout their time at St Joseph's. 

Our PSHE curriculum promotes the development of children's personal, social and economic development, as well as their health and wellbeing. It also promotes healthy, respectful relationships, focusing on family and friendships in all contexts, including online. It helps to give children the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy, independent lives and how to manage their academic, personal and social lives in a positive way to become, respectful, active and responsible citizens. We also promote and reflect the British Values of Democracy, Rule of Law, Mutual Respect and Tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs, and Individual Liberty in all that we do.

All PSHE/RHE is in accordance with the Church’s moral teaching. It emphasises the central importance of marriage and the family whilst acknowledging that all pupils have a fundamental right to have their life respected whatever household they come from. It will also prepare children for life in a modern and progressive Britain by ensuring that each child is given equal opportunities in an inclusive environment, where no discrimination exists and that meets the diverse learning needs.

It is implemented at Key Stage 1, with the children learning about themselves as developing individuals and as members of their communities, building on their own experiences and on the early learning goals for personal, social and emotional development. They learn the basic rules and skills for keeping themselves healthy and safe both in the ‘real world’ and on line, and for behaving well. They have opportunities to show they can take some responsibility for themselves and their environment. They begin to learn about their own and other people’s feelings and become aware of the views, needs and rights of other children and older people. As members of a class and school community, they learn social skills such as how to share, take turns, play, help others, resolve simple arguments and resist bullying. They begin to take an active part in the life of their school and its neighbourhood.

Within the RHE curriculum, children learn about the roles different people play in our lives such as friends and relatives, they identify the people who love and care for them and what they do to help them feel cared for.  They begin to explore different types of families including those that may be different to their own and identify common features of family life. In line with the DofE Keeping children safe in education 2023, where educators have a duty to ‘safeguard and promote the welfare of children’ the children are given strategies and guidance on when it is important to tell someone (such as their teacher) if something about their family or what is happening in their lives, makes them unhappy or worried. They discuss how people make friends and what makes a good friendship, about how to recognise when they or someone else feels lonely and what to do. They learn simple strategies to resolve arguments between friends positively and how to ask for help if a friendship is making them feel unhappy. They also begin to develop an understanding of online relationships and how to stay safe whilst interacting with others online. They begin to learn about their own and other people’s feelings and become aware of the views, needs and rights of other children and older people.

At Key Stage 2, children learn about themselves as growing and changing individuals with their own experiences and ideas, and as members of their communities in the belief that they are unique and made in the image and likeness of God therefore they should show respect to all and know that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity.

They develop their understanding and skills for keeping themselves healthy and safe both in the ‘real world’ and on line, and for demonstrating positive behaviours and attitudes. They become more mature, independent and self-confident. They learn about the wider world and the interdependence of communities within it. They develop their sense of social justice and moral responsibility and begin to understand that their own choices and behaviour can affect local, national or global issues and political and social institutions. They learn how to take part more fully in school and community activities. They learn how to make more confident and informed choices about their health and environment; to take more responsibility, individually and as a group, for their own learning; and to resist bullying. As they become more mature, independent and self-confident, and begin to develop into young adults, they learn strategies to help them to deal with the changes, both physical and emotional, that they will experience during puberty.  In year 6, the children learn how to manage the transition to secondary school with the support and encouragement from St Joseph’s staff.

Within the RHE curriculum, children will be able to recognise that there are different types of relationships (e.g. friendships, family relationships, online relationships). They learn that a feature of positive family life is caring relationships; about the different ways in which people care for one another. They are able to recognise and respect that there are different types of family structure (including single parents, step-parents, blended families, foster parents, LGBTQ+ families); that families of all types can give family members love, security and stability. They learn to recognise other shared characteristics of healthy family life, including commitment, care, spending time together; being there for each other in times of difficulty and how to recognise if family relationships are making them feel unhappy or unsafe, and how to seek help or advice (including domestic violence). They discuss the importance of friendships; strategies for building positive friendships; how positive friendships support wellbeing, what constitutes a positive healthy friendship (e.g. mutual respect, trust, truthfulness, loyalty, kindness, generosity, sharing interests and experiences, support with problems and difficulties); that the same principles apply to online friendships as to face-to-face relationships and to recognise what it means to ‘know someone online’ and how this differs from knowing someone face-to-face. They learn the importance of seeking support if feeling lonely or excluded.  They learn strategies for recognising and managing peer influence and a desire for peer approval in friendships, recognise the effect of online actions on others and how friendships can change over time.  They also learn how to manage disputes and reconcile differences positively and safely. They deepen their understanding of the impact of bullying, including offline and online and learn strategies to respond to hurtful behaviour experienced or witnessed, offline and online (including teasing, name-calling, bullying, trolling, harassment, sexual harassment, sexual violence, sexualised language, the deliberate excluding of others and domestic violence); how to report concerns and get support, and the consequences of hurtful behaviour.

Please see HERE for the Curriculum Overview.

Please see HERE for the Aspects of Relationship Education that we teach.

Enrichment Activities:

Anti-bullying / Safeguarding week

Topics covered include:

• Relationships and Friendships
• Safety in school and out of school
• On-line Safety /Cyber bullying/Sexting (Year 6)
• Dealing with emotions
• People and their work
• Keeping healthy
• Anti-bullying
• Road Safety – Stay Bright Stay Seen (Hampshire CC road safety campaign)
• Clever Never Goes (supersedes Stranger Danger)
• Fire Safety
• Water Safety
• Electrical Safety
• Basic First Aid Knowledge

    Keeping Healthy

Extra-Curricular clubs

Sports Day

Whole School Events

• Mental Health Awareness Day
• Diversity and Inclusion Day
• Fairtrade Fortnight
• Book Week
• Science Discovery Days
• Residentials (year 3,4 and 6)
• Year 5 Sleepover
• Year 3-6 choir visits to Care homes to sing Carols at Christmas
• Year 3-6 choir and dance club attend Pantomime
• Each year, the children also have the opportunity to choose House Captains and our School Committee
• The children can also ‘apply’ to be School Librarians (Year 6) and Sports Leaders (years 5 and 6)
• Children can volunteer to be part of the Eco-Committee
• Family Fast days (CAFOD)
• Curriculum enrichment in all subjects
• Fundraising Events.