PSHE and RSHE
Key Curriculum Information
Our policy explains how PSHE, statutory Relationships Education and Health Education are taught at Woodlands and sets out our position on Sex Education as an infant school.
Our PSHE and RSHE Enhancements document shows how the Jigsaw curriculum is strengthened through our school values, safeguarding priorities, nurture approach and wider personal development offer.
Woodlands PSHE and RSHE Enhancement
Our PSHE Curriculum Overview shows the key knowledge and themes taught from Nursery to Year 2 across each of the six Jigsaw units.
Our RSHE Mapping document shows how the Jigsaw curriculum meets the statutory Relationships and Health Education requirements and identifies the year groups, units and lessons in which each required outcome is taught.
PSHE and RSHE at Woodlands
At Woodlands, Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education, known as PSHE, is central to our pupils’ personal development, wellbeing, safety and relationships.
Through PSHE, pupils develop the knowledge, vocabulary, attitudes and skills they need to live safe, healthy, respectful and fulfilling lives. They learn to understand themselves, build positive relationships, manage their feelings, make informed choices and contribute positively to their school and wider community.
Statutory Relationships Education and Health Education are taught through our wider PSHE curriculum.
How we teach PSHE and RSHE
We use Jigsaw PSHE as our core programme. Jigsaw brings together PSHE, emotional literacy, social skills and spiritual development through a carefully planned, whole-school approach.
Learning is organised into six half-termly themes:
- Being Me in My World
- Celebrating Difference
- Dreams and Goals
- Healthy Me
- Relationships
- Changing Me
Key ideas are revisited as pupils move through the school, with learning becoming increasingly detailed and age-appropriate.
Jigsaw is adapted and enhanced to reflect the needs of our pupils, our infant age range and the Woodlands context. Learning is strengthened through our school values, safeguarding curriculum, nurture approach, online safety, body safety, emotional literacy, local safety and wider personal development work.
What pupils learn
Through PSHE and RSHE, pupils learn about:
- feelings, emotions and strategies for managing them
- friendship, kindness, respect and belonging
- different families and the people who care for them
- healthy and unhealthy behaviour in relationships
- personal space, privacy and physical boundaries
- trusted adults and how to ask for help
- bullying and what to do if someone is unkind
- physical health, hygiene, sleep, exercise and healthy choices
- medicines and how they should be used safely
- online safety
- growing, changing and becoming more independent
- correct and age-appropriate vocabulary for parts of the body
- money, responsibility and making informed choices
Learning is taught through designated PSHE lessons, circle time, assemblies, stories, discussion, practical activities and the wider life of the school.
Relationships and Health Education
Relationships Education and Health Education are statutory for all primary-aged pupils.
Relationships Education helps pupils understand positive friendships and family relationships, kindness, respect, privacy, personal boundaries, trusted adults and how to seek help.
Health Education supports pupils to understand their physical health, mental wellbeing, feelings, hygiene, healthy choices, safety and how their bodies grow and change.
There is no parental right to withdraw pupils from statutory Relationships Education, Health Education or National Curriculum Science.
Sex Education at Woodlands
Sex Education is not compulsory in primary schools. At Woodlands Infant School, we do not teach Sex Education beyond the statutory Science and Health Education curriculum.
Pupils learn age-appropriate content such as naming parts of the body, understanding that humans grow and change and learning about reproduction in some plants and animals.
We use correct vocabulary for body parts, including private body parts, where this forms part of the planned curriculum. This supports pupils’ body awareness, personal safety and safeguarding.
Body Parts Cards used in lessons
Parents and carers are informed before planned sensitive content is taught.
Keeping pupils safe
PSHE and RSHE play an important role in safeguarding. Pupils learn:
- that their body belongs to them
- that some parts of the body are private
- that they can say no to unwanted physical contact
- that worrying secrets should be shared
- how to recognise safe and unsafe feelings
- how to identify trusted adults
- how to speak up and ask for help
We use the NSPCC PANTS rule to reinforce these messages sensitively and in an age-appropriate way.
Working with parents and carers
We recognise that parents and carers are children’s first educators and value an open partnership with families.
We will:
- share information about the PSHE and RSHE curriculum
- inform families before planned sensitive content is taught
- provide opportunities to ask questions or raise concerns
- respond sensitively and respectfully
- make teaching materials available to view on request
Parents and carers who would like to view the Jigsaw Relationships or Changing Me materials in more detail should contact the school office. The revised statutory guidance requires schools to publish their policy and to engage parents when developing or reviewing it.
