At Clifton, we want our children to grow into confident, healthy, respectful and responsible individuals who understand themselves, their relationships with others and the world around them.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) gives children the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to look after their physical and mental health, develop positive relationships, stay safe, make informed choices and prepare for life beyond primary school.

From Nursery to Year 6, children develop these skills through planned PSHE learning as well as through the wider life of our school.

Our PSHE Curriculum

From Reception to Year 6, we use the Kapow Primary RSE & PSHE curriculum, which provides a carefully sequenced programme of learning. Our curriculum reflects the statutory requirements for Relationships Education and Health Education, while also providing opportunities for children to develop wider personal, social, economic and citizenship skills.

The curriculum covers key areas including:

• My Healthy Self – physical health, mental wellbeing, healthy lifestyles and understanding our emotions.
• Connecting with Others – friendships, families, positive relationships, respect, kindness and recognising healthy and unhealthy behaviours.
• The Online World – using technology safely and responsibly and understanding how our online choices can affect ourselves and others.
• Staying Safe – recognising risks, knowing how to seek help and developing strategies to keep ourselves and others safe.
• Health Protection – understanding how to look after our health and protect ourselves from illness and harm.
• Growing Up – understanding our bodies, growing and changing and developing age-appropriate knowledge about puberty and personal care.
• Citizenship – understanding our responsibilities, communities, rights, money and our role in the wider world.

Children revisit important ideas throughout their time at Clifton, with learning becoming increasingly detailed and age-appropriate as they grow.

Developing Life Skills

PSHE is about helping children develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need for everyday life.

Children learn to recognise and manage their emotions, communicate effectively, develop positive relationships, make responsible decisions and understand different perspectives. They are encouraged to think critically, ask questions and understand how their choices can affect themselves and others.

Relationships Education helps children learn how to form and maintain positive relationships, treat others with kindness and respect, recognise boundaries and identify situations where they or others may need help or support. It also includes learning about staying safe, including in online environments.

Health Education supports children to develop an understanding of physical health, mental wellbeing, healthy lifestyles, personal safety and growing and changing.

Learning About the Wider World

We use Picture News to help children explore current events and issues affecting people and communities locally, nationally and around the world.

Through age-appropriate stories, images and discussion, children are encouraged to ask questions, listen to different viewpoints, share their ideas and think carefully about the world around them.

Picture News supports our work in PSHE and citizenship, helping children to develop empathy, respect, critical thinking and an understanding of their responsibilities as members of different communities.

These discussions also provide opportunities for children to connect their learning to our school values of Belonging, Collaboration, Joy, Kindness and Equity.

PSHE in Early Years

In Nursery and Reception, children develop the foundations of PSHE through the Personal, Social and Emotional Development area of the EYFS curriculum and through everyday experiences.

Children learn to understand and express their feelings, develop relationships, become increasingly independent, manage themselves and understand how their actions affect others.

Through play, stories, discussion, routines and practical experiences, children begin to develop an understanding of healthy choices, personal safety, friendships, families and belonging.

Supporting Every Child

We want every child to feel safe, valued, listened to and respected. Our PSHE curriculum is inclusive and age-appropriate, recognising that children develop at different rates and may have different experiences and needs.

PSHE is reinforced throughout school life through assemblies, class discussions, relationships with adults and peers, responsibilities, online safety, wider school activities and real-life situations.

We also recognise the importance of working in partnership with parents. Our Relationships Education and PSHE/RSE policies are available to parents, and we aim to be open about the content and resources used in this area of the curriculum. The DfE guidance places particular emphasis on transparency with parents and making curriculum materials available.

Our aim is that, by the time children leave Clifton, they have developed the knowledge, confidence and skills to look after their physical and mental health, build positive relationships, stay safe, make informed choices and contribute positively to their families, school and wider community.