PSHE
The PSHE Curriculum at The Pines
At the Pines, PSHE education is of the upmost importance in order to develop our pupils, so they are able to have the necessary skills in order to live safely and as independently as possible when they leave The Pines. By teaching pupils to stay safe and healthy, and by building self-esteem, resilience and empathy; our children can tackle barriers to learning, raise their aspirations and improve their general quality of life. The teaching of fundamental British values is also weaved into the full curriculum.
Intent:
At the Pines we aim to provide a well differentiated curriculum that meets the needs of all our pupils. We also aim to provide them with experiences which will help to develop natural curiosity and a love from learning. In addition, we want to be able to provide a curriculum that allows the children to develop their skills to allow them to grow into adulthood, and be as independent as possible. We also aim to provide a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum which helps to ensure that the children acquire the knowledge and skills to fully prepare themselves for the next stages in their education and life. So, as a school we aim to:
- Ensure the pupils know what constitutes to a healthy lifestyle.
- Make the pupils aware of how to stay safe, including online.
- Ensure pupils can make, sustain and know what a healthy relationship is.
- Help pupils develop their resilience, perseverance and self-esteem.
- Give the pupils the life skills they need in adulthood to live as independently as possible.
Implementation:
At The Pines, we recognise planning, teaching and assessing a rich, coherent and inclusive curriculum is essential for quality PSHE learning. The curriculum has been carefully drawn up to ensure all aspects of the National Curriculum are covered at each key stage. Key knowledge and skills are identified for each unit of work to ensure progression across topics and year groups. Prior knowledge is considered to ensure lessons are relevant and take account of the children’s different starting points.
At the Pines we have three different pathways that are differentiated to meet the needs of our pupils (M, M / E and E pathway). In the “M” and “M / E” pathway classes the pupils will follow the Jigsaw scheme of work. With the M pathway following the scheme of work with how Jigsaw have laid it out, with the only exception being the “Changing Me”, where they follow the year group prior planning. This is due to the cognition levels of the children within this pathway. Then in the “M / E” pathway the children will follow the Jigsaw scheme of work 2 years down and then for the “Changing me” section 3 years down, this is due to us taking the needs and level the children are working at closely into consideration.
Children within the E pathway classes the pupils will follow an adapted scheme of work. All classes will follow the same layout, and will all complete the 6 jigsaw pieces at the same time. Within KS4 the E pathway classes will also follow the ASDAN qualification which has been woven into the PSHE curriculum. Plans identify the key knowledge which will be covered during the topic which will be differentiated for the varying ability levels, for children following the E pathway, outcomes will be assessed against the engagement model. Total communication enables all children to deepen understanding and a topic related progressive vocabulary list is used within planning to maximise cross curricular learning. This is further supported by symbols reflecting key words on all PSHE plans. Cross curricular work is an integral part of PSHE. PSHE is transferable to all curriculum areas and promotes spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The local area is fully utilized to achieve the desired outcomes, with extensive opportunities for learning outside the classroom embedded in practice. Assessment of each topic area will allow new teachers to know what prior knowledge and skills may need to be revisited again.
As we know there are other life skills that are vital to developing the whole child that can’t be taught in lesson time, such as toileting. The class teams will track these skills through a separate document. This will be passed on to the new teacher when children are transitioning classes.
Impact:
Our pupils will gain skills in order to live as independently as possible and be part of the community, work with others appropriately, appreciate diversity and to be proud of their achievements and strengths. They will also learn the necessary life skills in order to cope with the day to day life in school, at home and in the wider community. The curriculum will also allow the children to learn to make choice for themselves, become confident individuals and begin to think about what they will do after they leave school. Our pupils will also begin to understand right and wrong, show respect to all faiths/cultures, genders and other differences within society, and know how to keep themselves safe in the outside world including online.