Orrell Holgate Academy

Learning For Life

PSHE for Life

Intent

At Orrell Holgate Academy we aim for our children to develop the knowledge, skills, and attributes they need to manage their lives, now and in the future. To develop their understanding of what it means to stay healthy and safe, while preparing them to make the most of life and work. By tailoring our curriculum to the needs of the children we teach, we aim to support all children to achieve their academic potential and equip them with the necessary skills to overcome potential barriers, maintain positive mental attitudes which in turn will lead them to fulfil their potential both academically and socially in the wider world. Our aim is for the children we teach to become ambitious, lifelong learners leading them to experience happy, safe, and fulfilled lives.

Implementation

All members of the school community have responsibility for supporting children in achieving the school’s aim to develop the whole child for a happy, safe, and fulfilled future. Throughout the PSHE curriculum at Orrell Holgate, the children will study all three core themes of the Programme of Study (Relationships; Living in the Wider World; Health and Wellbeing) over the school year, with three topics per term. This approach allows different year groups to work on msimilar themes at the same time, in which topics are built upon prior knowledge taught in previous years as pupils progress through school, with a view to providing a smooth transition to secondary mschool. The focus at Holgate is on teaching the fundamental building blocks and characteristics of positive relationships, with reference to friendships, family relationships, and relationships with other children and adults. Teachers are clear that mental well-being is a normal part of daily life, in the same way as physical health. Pupils are given the language and knowledge to understand the normal range of emotions that everyone experiences. We encourage pupils to articulate how they are feeling, develop the language to talk about their bodies, health and emotions and judge whether what they are feeling and how they are behaving is appropriate and proportionate for the situations
that they experience. Identified objectives from the PSHE curriculum for each year group, will be delivered by the class mteacher who is best placed to understand the needs of the children they teach - ensuring they do not mexpress personal views or beliefs when delivering the programme. Often the objectives are taught mwithin the context of the Learning for Life Curriculum. When appropriate, and where a particular mneed has arisen, some aspects of the PSHE curriculum are delivered in smaller groups by the class teaching assistant liaising with the SENCO to identify and respond to individual needs of pupils with SEND. The school makes every effort to ensure children have positive relationships with, and feel valued by, the adults who teach them and this ensures the PSHE curriculum is delivered effectively. Children who are most vulnerable are identified and will be included on the class provision map which identifies how and when they are being supported.

Impact

The school long term plan introduces new and more challenging learning, while building on what has gone before. It reflects and meets the personal developmental needs of the children. Our scheme of work identifies links across subjects and where learning will be revisited and built upon. Children develop the skills of creativity, perseverance and co-operation to enhance their ability to learn confidently in the whole curriculum. Teachers assess the children’s work in PSHE by making informal judgements as they observe them during lessons. The school has clear expectations of what the pupils will know and understand at the end of each year and key stage, and this is identified in the long-term plan. For older pupils, written work may also be produced and used to inform judgements. This is evidenced by the opinions, knowledge or attitudes children display at the start of areas of work, along with how these develop by the end of the work. As Health Education also appears in many other areas of the curriculum, it may be assessed in accordance with the specific curriculum area, e.g., PE or Science. By the time children leave Holgate, they are ready for the next step of their learning. This enables pupils to embark successfully onto their journey into secondary school, the Key Stage 3 curriculum and beyond as well-rounded individuals and members of society, equipped for the world with no limits to their success.