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PSHE

“And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us, but what stands before us.

We close the divide because we know, to put our futures first, we must first put our differences aside.

We lay down our arms so we reach out our arms to one another.

We seek harm to none and harmony for all."

Extract from “The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman (America’s Youth Poet Laureate)

Curriculum Intent

Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) is taught to enable pupils to become healthy, independent and responsible members of society. At Meadlands we follow a whole school approach delivered by the PATHS® Social and Emotional Learning Programme which empowers pupils to make positive life choices. Additionally, pupils are provided with the knowledge, understanding, attitudes, values and skills they need to reach their full potential, and this is done through lessons which are suited to the needs of each class. Pupils are encouraged to play a positive role in contributing to the life of the school and the wider community. In doing so they learn to recognise their own worth, work well with others and become increasingly responsible for their own learning. They are taught how society is organised and governed and experience the process of democracy in school through the school Junior Leadership Team. Furthermore, we teach them about rights and responsibilities and they learn to appreciate what it means to be a positive member of a multicultural society.

Curriculum Implementation

The PATHS® curriculum follows a systematic developmental procedure for enhancing social competence, self-control, emotional awareness and interpersonal problem solving skills. All teachers and support staff have been trained in PATHS® and pupils from Nursery to Year 6 receive weekly lessons. The programme is also integrated into the wider ethos of the school.

The aims of the PSHE/PATHS® curriculum at Meadlands include:

Emotional understanding
Self-control
Social problem solving
Peer relations and self esteem

PATHS® is taught weekly, in every year group and in line with the structure and lesson sequence set out in the PATHS® class manuals. Each class is provided with a range of age appropriate resources to support the curriculum and the teaching of each lesson. In addition, a range of teaching and learning styles are used with emphasis placed on active learning, involving the pupils in discussions, investigations and problem solving activities. Pupils are encouraged to take part in a range of practical activities which promote citizenship. During the year, all pupils are given opportunities to be involved in charity fundraising, emphasising the importance of helping others who are less fortunate. Visiting speakers, such as health workers, police, fire fighters, NSPCC, are invited into the school to talk about their role in creating a positive and supportive local community.

You can see copies of our PSHE and SMSC policies on the Policy Section of the website here.

Our Yearly Overview:

Planning

Early Years and Year 1	Friendships/ Relationships Joining in with play Having more than one friend Supporting and respecting each other Learning to give compliments Learning to share Understanding other people’s feelings Introducing children to solving age appropriate peer problems Feelings To define basic feelings including happy, sad, angry, scared, excited and calm Learning that all feelings are okay and all people experience feelings Teaching children understand common situations that cause people to feel happy/ sad etc. Learning to recognise facial expressions associated with different feelings Encouraging children to discuss and share their feelings Self-Regulation To establish a system for increasing self-control, and regulating emotional responses.
Year 2	Friendships/ Relationships Introducing the concept of friendship To discuss how to make new friends To discuss finding solutions to make up with a friend To help children to learn about other people’s perspectives To introduce manners Introduce the concept of playing fairly Feelings To show that things can happen to make your feelings change Discuss the difference between feelings and behaviours Learning about experiencing different feelings at the same time Discuss further the basic feelings introduced in EY/Y1 Introduce more complex feelings including lonely, shy, frustrated. To understand how people feel based on facial expressions, body language and non-verbal cues. To share emotional experiences in context, including in social situations To think about when it is appropriate to communicate feelings Provide practice in relaxation Self-Regulation Discuss how to calm down and control anger To explore the idea of self-control Introduce ways to gain self-control Introduce the concept that we have the power to change how we feel
Year 3	Friendships/ Relationships Continue to develop skills in making friends Continue to discuss any friendship issues that arise Discuss teasing, bullying and problem solving in these situations Explore ways to make up with friends Discuss and evaluate different social situations Importance of non-verbal communication in conflict situations To discuss how we can persevere when we are faced with conflicts/ problems Review manners from Y2 Foster tolerance Explore further the importance of complimenting Playing fairly including being a ‘good winner’ and a ‘good loser’ Feelings Review feelings learned in Y2 in context Build children’s emotional literacy and discuss intensity of different feelings Discuss further the difference between behaviour and feelings Develop a problem solving method to resolve uncomfortable feelings Discuss the idea that our feelings can have an effect on others Identify the physical signs of worry Practice role-play and observing emotional cues Introduce the idea of hiding feelings Encourage children to discuss personal examples of feelings Discuss what children can do if they are being bullied Self-Regulation Continue to practice calming down and problem solving strategies learnt in Y2 Discuss things we can do when feeling sad/ lonely Listen and respond to social stories to explore methods of self-regulation
Year 4	Friendship/ Relationships Explore peer relationships including peer pressure and taking responsibility for your own behaviour Discuss the concept of ‘best friend’ Introduce the ideas of co-operation, role taking and problem solving in a group Discuss gossip and rumours and how these can affect friendships Discuss how to play fairly Introduce the concept that all friends can have problems in relationships To practice making up in friendships Promote effective conflict resolution Emphasise that we are all different and discuss unique differences Discuss fair and equal treatment of others Mental Well-Being Increase self-esteem Re-introduce the idea that not everyone feels the same at the same time Continue to discuss a wide range of complex feelings Demonstrate that our thoughts can affect how we feel Increase the use of emotion labels Increase children’s skills in communicating about emotional states Increase ability to recognise the difference between different people’s feelings Self-Regulation To review concepts for calming down Continue to practice using problem solving skills in a wide range of contexts
Year 5	Friendships/ Relationships Practice and re-enforce conversational and friendship making skills, including obstacles to this To role-play how to enter groups Explore ways to deal with teasing Discuss the concept of forgiveness Teach direct ways to handle conflict To discuss the concept of unique potential To discuss the feelings children have about ‘feeling different’ Introduce the concept of discrimination To teach self-respect and respect for others To understand the importance of honouring other people’s important events, including ‘authority figures’ Discuss the concepts of stereotypes To explore social pressure To discuss peer pressure in more depth To discuss what children can do if they are being bullied Mental Well-Being To increase children’s vocabulary for different emotional states To give children a means to improve their well-being by sharing their feelings Self-Regulation To explore the use of conflict resolution in real life situations
Year 6	Friendships/ Relationships Discuss peer pressure further, and the importance of making your own decisions, including strategies to resist peer pressure Explore self-identity Explore factors that can escalate conflict including voice and body language Understand how to de-escalate a conflict Learn a specific procedure to resolve a conflict Role-play resolving conflict situations Explore and celebrate cultural differences and diversity Discuss the meaning of respect and disrespect, including respecting one’s self To identify examples of respect in the community including consequences of disrespectful behaviour Mental Well-Being Review recognising and verbalising feelings Introduce the concept of stress Discuss worries and concerns related to change Discuss who can provide advice and help solve problems Self-Regulation Review the concepts of calming down and using problem solving skills