PSHE & RSE

Intent

PSHE and RSE education at Sandilands Primary School is intended to enable our children to become independent, confident, healthy and responsible members of our diverse society. We provide a broad, balanced and carefully sequenced curriculum which is tailored to meet the needs of our pupils, families and local community. At the heart of our approach is a commitment to respect, inclusion and understanding of the universal rights of the child, alongside the Sandilands values of Respect, Perseverance, Collaboration and Respect. We aim to develop a strong sense of self-worth, emotional awareness and an understanding of the needs and feelings of others. Through PSHE and RSE we support the whole child, promoting their moral, cultural, mental, physical and spiritual development.

We focus on building essential life skills such as emotional regulation, communication, resilience, empathy, decision-making and healthy relationship skills. These skills help pupils to manage challenges, form positive relationships and make safe, informed choices both now and in the future.

We aim to develop children’s understanding of their health and wellbeing, including physical and mental health, online safety and personal safety. We equip pupils with the knowledge and understanding they need to manage physical and emotional changes, including puberty, in an age-appropriate and sensitive way.

Our curriculum reflects current public health priorities, safeguarding guidance and the evolving needs of children in a digital world. It is regularly reviewed and updated to ensure it remains relevant. Curriculum coverage is shared with stakeholders through curriculum overviews and knowledge organisers.

Implementation

We follow a PSHE and RSE programme based on Manchester Healthy Schools, the PSHE Association guidance and the Department for Education’s statutory RSHE and Health Education guidance. Resources are used flexibly and adapted where necessary to ensure they are fully appropriate to the needs of our pupils.

PSHE is taught as a weekly lesson, with opportunities for reinforcement through cross-curricular links and whole-school experiences. Our curriculum is organised into six progressive themes across the year:

Autumn 1: My Connections
Autumn 2: My Safety and Choices
Spring 1: Health and Wellbeing
Spring 2: Online Wellbeing and Awareness
Summer 1: Growing Up and Staying Well
Summer 2: My Future, Our World

Across Key Stage 1, Lower Key Stage 2 and Upper Key Stage 2, learning builds progressively across core areas including relationships, safety, health, online wellbeing, puberty, citizenship and economic understanding.

In EYFS, PSHE is taught through Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED) and is fully embedded within the EYFS framework. In Nursery and Reception, children develop skills in self-regulation, managing self and building relationships through structured adult-led learning and continuous provision. Learning is evidenced through observations, Tapestry and floorbooks.

A key focus across the school is emotional regulation using the Zones of Regulation, supporting children to identify, understand and manage their feelings effectively. This approach is embedded across all year groups and revisited throughout the year to support emotional literacy and self-control.

PSHE and RSE also link closely to other curriculum areas including Science, Computing, PE, RE and assemblies. Learning is reinforced through whole-school events, enrichment opportunities, visitors, leadership roles and playground initiatives.

Key Skills Development

Our PSHE and RSE curriculum is designed to develop essential life skills which underpin learning and future success. These include:

Emotional awareness
Self-regulation and coping strategies
Self-worth and positive identity
Resilience and help-seeking
Communication and listening skills
Empathy, respect and perspective-taking
Healthy relationships and social awareness
Assertiveness and boundary-setting
Consent and personal autonomy
Decision-making and problem-solving
Critical thinking and awareness of influence
Risk awareness and personal safety
Values, ethics and responsible choices

These skills are developed progressively and revisited across all year groups to ensure depth of understanding and long-term impact.

Impact

The impact of PSHE and RSE at Sandilands is to prepare children for life beyond primary school by equipping them with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to thrive in a diverse and changing world.

Children are supported to become confident, respectful and responsible individuals who understand how to maintain healthy relationships, stay safe and make informed choices.

Assessment is ongoing and largely formative, based on teacher observation, discussion, pupil voice and practical application of skills. At the end of units, pupils complete age-appropriate assessment tasks such as quizzes, reflections, drawings or scenario-based activities to demonstrate understanding and progression.

Learning is recorded in PSHE floorbooks, which follow pupils through the school and show progression over time. EYFS evidence is recorded through observations and learning journeys.

Pupil voice is an important part of evaluating impact, and the PSHE and RSE lead gathers feedback from children about their learning, understanding and attitudes.

Through PSHE and RSE, children at Sandilands will: