PSHCE and SMSC at
Sacred Heart
“You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes, you can steer yourself any direction you choose”
Dr Suess
Intent
It is the aim of PSHCE at Sacred Heart to enable children to become healthy, independent and responsible members of society. It is the intention to make PSHCE explicit in our teaching with the aim of helping children understand how they are developing personally and socially and appreciate what it means to be a member of a diverse society. Our children are encouraged to develop their sense of self worth by playing a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community.
We recognise that PSHE and Citizenship are closely related to RE and reflect the teachings of the Catholic Church. Our broader aim is to provide a Faith community in which children can learn to respect themselves and others and take responsibility for their own actions. Fundamental to our school’s values and practice is the principle of sharing the responsibility for the education of children with our parents and governors.
Positive approaches to personal, social and health issues are promoted throughout the curriculum and general life of the school. Children are encouraged to learn and acquire new skills which will enable them to show respect and concern for themselves, others and the environment. They are encouraged to see themselves as valued members of the school faith community, their parish communities and the wider world community.
We believe that all children should have a positive self-image, a sense of identity and a healthy relationship with self, and from that starting point we help children grow healthy relationships with others.
Health education embraces not only physical health but has a strong focus on mental health and emotional literacy. It empowers children to be aware of their own thoughts and feelings and know how to manage and regulate these.
Implementation
Many of the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up are tackled through implementing a strong ethos of inclusion, tolerance and self-empowerment within school and through the teaching of a broad and balanced curriculum. We believe many aspects of PSHCE are taught continually and consistently through staff providing excellent role models and the high expectations staff have of children.
In EYFS PSHCE objectives are covered through implementation of the statutory framework for the early years foundation stage, through staff as role models, carefully chosen stories and through high expectations of the children. In both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, in addition to PSHCE being embedded in the ethos of the school, certain aspects of the PSHCE curriculum are taught through discreet teaching following the Ten Ten Life to the Full Plus’PSHCE scheme of work.
Life to the Full Plus is a fully-resourced RHE / RSE programme, integrated with additional resources to fully cover all additional PSHE / Health and Well-Being criteria. The scheme is intended to be a partnership between home, school and church.
Catholic schools have a fantastic partnership work with parents and their local Church, so this programme is intended to fit in with and support those partnerships.
Parent portal
The Online Parent Portal is a tool that provides parents with information about the Life to the Full Plus programme content that their children will be following in school. They can also access suggestions for further activity and discussion at home linked to the sessions taught in school. All parents are able to access the Online Parent Portal with the following login credentials:
SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural) development opportunities are mapped throughout. All of these pieces of learning are brought together to form a cohesive picture, helping children to know and value who they are and understand how they relate to other people in the world. All classes also match their teaching of SMSC to enrichment activities within their classroom environments and lessons.
Our lessons all follow a carefully planned routine so that children feel comfortable and know what to expect:
British Values
Life to the Full Plus contributes, as a good PSHE programme should, to the British Values agenda very significantly, both through the direct teaching of information and through the experiential learning children will enjoy. The school also subscribes to Picture News and each week, children across all key stages participate in a weekly assembly which links to the British Values. We provides children with opportunities to learn about rights and responsibilities and how they can make a positive contribution to wider society. British Values are instilled through the school’s values and Beatitudes. We give pupils a voice through involvement in decision making, such as books to read in class or more formally through the election of Head Boy and Girl.
PSHCE is also considered an important part of school assemblies and collective worship where children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural curiosity is stimulated, challenged and nurtured.
