Personal, Social, and Health Education (PSHE) is central to giving pupils the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy, independent lives and to become informed, active and responsible British citizens. PSHE enables students to understand and respect our common humanity: its diversity and its differences so that they can go on to form, the effective, fulfilling relationships that are an essential part of life and learning. Safeguarding is a key element of PSHE as pupils learn about their own identity, risks, decision-making and how to keep themselves safe. PSHE helps pupils to learn to recognise their own value, work well with others and become increasingly responsible for their own learning. They can reflect on their experiences and understand how they are developing personally and socially, tackling many of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. PSHE doesn’t just exist within the curriculum. The wide range of activities and experiences that schools offer beyond the curriculum in which pupils contribute to their school life and community, are a key part of PSHE. For truly effective PSHE, the whole school ethos will support the curriculum and principles.

In Early Years, children begin to develop prerequisite skills for PSHE by accessing the prime areas of Communication and Language, PSED and Physical Development.  The children also access the specific area – Understanding the World to develop these skills.  Children will learn to hold conversations when engaged in back and forth exchanges and express their ideas and feelings using full sentences.  Children will show an understanding of their own feelings and those of others and begin to regulate their behaviour accordingly.  Children will set and work towards simple goals, being able to wait for what they want and control their immediate impulses when appropriate.  Children will learn to give focussed attention to what the teacher says, responding appropriately even when engaged in an activity. They will be able to follow instructions involving several ideas or actions.  Children will be confident to try new activities and show independence, they will be able to explain the reasons for rules and know right from wrong. Children will build relationships and work and play cooperatively and take turns with others.  Positive attachments to adults and friendships with peers will form and children will show sensitivity to their own and others’ needs. Children will be able to negotiate space and obstacles safely, with consideration for themselves and others.  Children will be able to talk about the lives of people around them and their roles in society.

This is implemented through:

Circle times

Continuous provision (all areas)

Story time

Routines such as lining up

Playing games

Teddy Bear Adventures (transitional object)

Buddy system