At Crumpsall Lane Primary School, we aim to develop successful learners who have the qualities and attributes they need to manage their lives, fulfil their academic potential and to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society, both now and in the future. Although PSHE is not statutory, our curriculum develops knowledge and skills which enables our children to access the wider curriculum and positively fulfil their roles within society. Our Curriculum focusses on seven core concepts. These concepts are progressive throughout Key Stages 1 and 2, which ensures that children are able to build knowledge over time, within the taught concepts, and connect prior learning to new learning.
Drug, alcohol and tobacco education: Our curriculum enables children to assess risks around drug education and understand that our actions have consequences. In Key Stage 1, children learn about substances which are safe to enter the body and about medicines. One key theme is how different substances and medicines can make them feel. They are taught that medicines can also come in different forms. In Key Stage 2, the children learn the definition of a drug and that drugs can be harmful to people. There is an exploration of drugs which can be common in everyday life and the children can debate why people might choose to use them and how they can stop taking them. The children learn about the risks associated with smoking drugs (this includes shisha and cannabis) and the negative effects this can have in relation to health, money, relationships and the law. They are also introduced to strategies to enable them to resist pressure from others. In Year 6, the children continue to explore different types of legal drugs and the negative impact they can have on people`s lives but are also introduced to other illegal drugs and also criminality related to such drugs. The children will also learn about Asthma and the drugs available to help and manage this medical condition. Our curriculum will lay the essential foundations for the teaching of more explicit drug education in secondary schools.
Keeping safe and managing risk: Within this area of the curriculum, children learn how to keep safe, understand acceptable and unacceptable behaviour and bullying. It also explores online safety (including radicalisation). In Key Stage 1, there is a focus on staying safe inside and outside of the home and who is there to keep them safe. By the time they reach Key Stage 2, we want all children to identify what is safe and unsafe in a variety of situations; some of which include on the roads and in the sun. In Key Stage 2, there is an in depth exploration of bullying: types, effects and how it can be prevented. The children also learn about domestic abuse and the fact that no one should experience violence. They are also given advice as to where to seek help if they are ever in such a situation. There is a unit which relates to the problems which can occur when someone goes missing from home. In Year 6, the children learn about potential risks which may arise while they are out in the local area; recognising and responding to peer pressure and the consequences of anti-social behaviour. Due to our school`s locality, we believe it beneficial to subject our children to explicit teaching in relation to gangs and gang relate behaviour.
Mental health and emotional wellbeing: We know that the emotional well-being of children is just as important as their physical health. Positive mental health allows our children to develop the resilience to cope with whatever life throws at them and the ability to grow into well-rounded, healthy adults. With our curriculum, we aim to promote pupils’ wellbeing by developing healthy coping strategies, by developing pupils’ understanding of their own and others’ emotions, and by providing an opportunity to talk openly about these issues (which helps to break down associated stigma). Additionally, our PSHE lessons can be a vehicle for providing pupils who do develop difficulties with strategies to access the support they need, as well as helping pupils to recognise and support friends who are facing challenges. Some of the units explored are: dealing with feelings, strengths and challenges and healthy minds. While the content of lessons will be determined by the specific needs of the group , there will always be an emphasis on enabling pupils of any age to promote and maintain their own emotional wellbeing as well as develop the skills, knowledge, understanding, language and confidence to seek help, as needed, for themselves or others.
Physical health and wellbeing: Physical health and mental wellbeing are interlinked, and it is important that pupils understand that good physical health contributes to good mental wellbeing, and vice versa. Pupils are taught about the benefits and importance of daily exercise, good nutrition and sufficient sleep, and we give pupils the language and knowledge to understand the normal range of emotions that everyone experiences. Across Key Stage 1 and 2, our curriculum allows children to learn all about healthy diets (including oral hygiene) and their ability to make the right choices in relation to the food and drink they consume.
Careers, financial capability and economic wellbeing: It is important to recognise the value of economic wellbeing for young people’s lives, both now and in the future. Career-related learning is a curriculum driver for us and our PSHE curriculum supports this, by enabling children to learn about money and how it can be obtained and the choices they may have in the future in relation. They will learn the different ways in which people can pay for things and manageability. Our pupils will be able to ask simple questions about needs and wants and how to spend and save their money. In Year 6, we ensure that children explore enterprise and the different careers that people can have and why they are chosen. Identity, society and equality: Initially, the children learn about themselves and others: qualities, roles, responsibilities and the importance of cooperation. Differences are explored further in Key Stage 2 and various social groups are explored and celebrated alongside the teaching of belonging and community. This can recognise some of the different groups or communities they belong to and their role within them which allows them to value and appreciate the diverse communities which exist and how they connect. Children are introduced to democracy and learn about Britain as a democratic society and the laws we follow. Stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice are explored and in Year 6 the pupils learn about human rights. Topics which are covered include migration, the Rights of the Child, the UN and homelessness. Relationship and sex education: This is taught through our `Growing and Changing` curriculum across both key stages. In Key stage 1, there is a strong focus on friendships and the qualities needed to be a good friend. Pupils learn to understand and respect the differences and similarities between people. They also learn about the biological differences between male and female animals and their role in the life cycle. In Key Stage 2, pupils gain knowledge in relation to the way we grow and change throughout the human lifecycle and explore the physical and emotional changes associated with puberty.