Our PSHE Curriculum
(Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education)
Our Curriculum Intent
Our PSHE curriculum is tailored to meet the needs of our children and our community, ensuring it is relevant, meaningful, and impactful. It is designed to provide a strong foundation of knowledge and skills that progresses coherently across year groups, enabling children to build on prior learning and reflect deeply on their personal growth. Mindfulness and meditation are at the heart of our curriculum, equipping children with essential self-care tools to regulate their emotions and take control of their well-being. We place great emphasis on developing responsible, empathetic citizens who understand their individuality and their role in the wider world. The curriculum is enhanced by integrating My Happy Mind and expanding upon the PSHE Association's framework, resulting in a programme that is unique to our school. This bespoke approach ensures children are prepared for the complexities of modern life while fostering their emotional intelligence, resilience, and ability to make informed decisions. Our values are most evident in our celebrations of individuality across the community, such as whole-day events, which acknowledge and celebrate the different challenges children and families face. Every child is valued and children are taught to embrace differences, and to be respectful and to be considerate towards each other, our community, our environment and ourselves.
Our spiral curriculum structure ensures that new learning is consistently built upon prior knowledge. For instance, Reception children explore the basic concept of brain function, while Year 6 children deepen this understanding by learning about the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, and hypothalamus, applying their knowledge to real-life situations. Through the use of Happiness Journals, children are given a personal space to reflect on their learning, develop positive habits, and document essential concepts for future reference. This approach nurtures self-awareness and reinforces the importance of well-being, helping children thrive in school and beyond.
Kindness, empathy and our school values are promoted at all levels throughout our school; we have a centrally-displayed kindness tree, and our active and motivated pupil leaders inspire the other children through their passion, respect and love of our world. Our on-going relationship with professionals in the local community ensures that the children can experience activities that encourage expression in different ways, such as yoga and mindfulness workshops.
In an ever-changing world, we constantly review and adapt our curriculum to encourage ambition for all and provide, ‘A curriculum for life’.
The Purpose Of Our Curriculum
We develop children who…
- Demonstrate respect, empathy, and effective communication, fostering their personal and social development.
- Understand the importance of physical and emotional well-being and practice healthy lifestyles and mindfulness.
- Engage with age-appropriate and inclusive Relationships and Sex Education (RSE).
- Embrace responsible citizenship by exploring different cultures and perspectives.
- Navigate challenges confidently by making informed and safe decisions, including in the digital world.
- Build emotional intelligence and resilience, adapting to change and tackling life’s challenges effectively.
Our Curriculum Offer - What We Teach In PSHE
We have adapted the PSHE Association's thematic approach and have intertwined myHappymind planning to ensure a bespoke curriculum suited to the needs of our pupils.
The PSHE curriculum is bespoke and is carefully planned and sequenced, which allows children to develop building blocks of knowledge and reflect upon their learning. Each half-term focusses on a specific "learning question" which relates to one or more of the 9 Areas of PSHE education.
Education that prepares for life today and tomorrow. What we teach in the classroom will help our pupils foster lifelong aspirations, goals and values. With this in mind, PSHE education isn’t just another school subject. It’s a chance to give every child and young person an equal opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge they need to thrive now and in the future. This includes helping them to deal with critical issues they face every day such as friendships, emotional wellbeing and change. And giving them a solid foundation for whatever challenging opportunities lie ahead, so they can face a world full of uncertainty with hope. From making informed decisions about alcohol to succeeding in their first job, PSHE education helps pupils prepare for all the opportunities, challenges, life decisions and responsibilities they'll face. This in turn achieves a 'virtuous circle', whereby pupils with better health and wellbeing can achieve better academically, and enjoy greater success. PSHE Association, 2023
EYFS
Through Personal, Social, Emotional Development children are supported to build constructive and respectful relationships that allow them to play, learn and develop alongside both adults and their peers. As children make friendships they learn to manage conflict and rivalries with the support of adults. Children are empowered to envisage themselves as valuable individuals who are aware of what makes them unique In the Early Years. They are encouraged to express their feelings and adults carefully model the handling of these feelings and emotions to support children in becoming independent in moderating their own feelings. Children are taught to manage their own physical needs and understand the importance of respecting others' privacy. A large part of the curriculum in the Early Years supports the developing resilience within young children, children are encouraged to persevere to meet their goals and targets. As a part of the learning journey experienced in the Early Years, developing the understanding of rules and routines is an integral part that runs parallel to all.
Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2
In Key Stage 1 and 2, lessons are planned and taught to ensure cross-strand coverage of all of the key PSHE strands, in line with the National Curriculum .
In Year One the focus is: working well with others; other people are special too; caring for myself (growing and caring for ourself); caring for others, and keeping safe and looking forward.
In Year Two the focus is: who is in charge? Celebrating and recognising differences (process of growing from young to old); my body is important; changing friendships, taking charge and looking forward.
In Year Three the focus is: settling in; focus on feelings; keeping safe in school (valuing differences and keeping safe); in someone else’s shoes and people and their work.
In Year Four the focus is: feeling good; keeping healthy; changes in families; ups and downs in relationships; keeping safe outside of school and looking ahead (growing up).
In Year Five the focus is: who decides? Risks and pressures; we are all different; it’s my body (puberty); being involved in the community and looking at the world.
In Year Six the focus is: Managing conflict; the world of work; taking responsibility for my own safety; changing relationships (puberty, relationships and reproduction); rights, responsibilities and the law; transition and managing change.
Our planning, which links to myHappymind, ensures that key themes are revisted regulaly and children build upon prior learning.
PSHE medium-term plan - EYFS / Year 1/ Year 2/ Year 3/ Year 4/ Year 5 / Year 6
myHappymind. is a NHS backed science-backed programme for schools which is grounded in the latest science and research about what it takes to create positive wellbeing. It’s taught to every single child and there’s a curriculum for every year group from Early Years to Year 6.
Giving today's children the skills to thrive in tomorrow’s world.
Our Curriculum Offer - How We Teach PSHE
Our PSHE curriculum is designed through a spiral, thematic programme which ensures repetition, practise and revision of prior learning. Through this approach, our children are given the opportunity to deepen their essential knowledge, skills, understanding and learning behaviours. Our PSHE offer reflects and meets the personal developmental needs of our children.
High priority is placed on our children’s physical and mental well-being and teaching ensures that children champion our school values and ethos. Our PSHE curriculum offering is delivered through a wide variety of different teaching and learning strategies, with an emphasis on interactive learning such as discussion, outdoor learning, role plays and teamwork with the teacher acting as a facilitator. Children are encouraged to make links to other areas of the curriculum: online safety in computing, health and wellbeing in P.E. and mental health through myHappymind.
We ensure that all pupils, regardless of their starting points, have access to high-quality lessons and we provide opportunities for children to make real decisions about their lives, to take part in activities which stimulate choices and where they can demonstrate their ability to take responsibility for their decisions. Teachers use responsive teaching to adapt learning and provide resources to meet the needs of individual pupils to ensure ambition for all. We provide a safe and supportive learning environment where children can develop the confidence to ask questions, challenge the information they are offered, draw on their own experiences, express their views and opinions and put what they have learned into practise in their own lives.
Ambition for all
What Makes PSHE Special at Grappenhall Heys?
Comprehensive Curriculum: The curriculum is carefully planned and sequenced, allowing students to build knowledge and skills progressively. It incorporates My Happy Mind, expands upon the PSHE Association guidance and is bespoke to the specific needs of our children.
Holistic Development: Emphasis on mental, emotional, physical, and social development through various interactive and enrichment activities like yoga ,mindfulness and happy breathing.
Inclusivity: Tailored support ensures all students, including those with SEND, can access high-quality PSHE lessons.
LifeSkills: Focus on teaching essential life skills, including healthy relationships, digital safety, First Aid, bike safety and emotional intelligence.
Community Engagement: Strong ties with local professionals enhance learning through diverse experiences and activities such as Health Week and Careers Week.
Our Pupil Voice
'I have enjoyed learning about respect for others and how to be a good friend.' Year 3 pupil
'I didn't realise that PSHE links to so many different subjects I learn in school.' Year 6 pupil
'I'm excited to learn more about my brain and how it works.' Year 2 pupil
Click here to learn about our PSHE Pupil Voice
Click here to learn about how we celebrate citizenship at Grappenhall Heys
National Policies
Promoting British Values as Part of SMSC in Schools
RSHE Guidance
Keeping Children Safe in Education
Teaching Online Safety in Schools
How Can You Find Out More?
myHappymind.
Click here for more information on myHappymind
The important role of sleep on your Mental Health
There are lots simple things you can try to improve your sleep, like going to bed at a similar time each evening, and staying off your phone an hour before bed. Getting sleep is really important. Links to sleep webpage
Relaxation
Relax like a cat relaxation exercise - this is a guided relaxation, using the analogy of a cat, to ease any anxiety and create a sense of calm for children. Click here
Emotional check-in
This resource supports children and young people to not only express their feelings but identify why they are feeling in a particular way. Click here
