PSHE and RSE

At Half Acres Primary Academy, we are committed to the holistic development of our pupils, placing a strong focus on our pupils personal development and welfare.

PSHE

Aim

At Half Acres Primary Academy, we are aware of the way that PSHE supports many of the principles of safeguarding and links closely to schools Safeguarding, SMSC and British Values Policies. We are all aware of the important role the PSHE curriculum has in supporting school to implement the 9 protected characteristics of The Equality Act 2010.

At Half Acres Primary Academy we aim to help the children to:

Have an understanding of their core values and how these impact the decisions they make;
Develop confidence and responsibilities and make the most of their abilities, through recognising their own worth;
Develop self-confidence and self-esteem;
Work collaboratively with others;
Prepare to play an active role as citizens in a diverse society;
Develop a healthy, safe lifestyle with the ability to make informed decisions;
To recognise the importance of their own mental health and well-being;
Develop good relationships and respect the differences between members of the school and the wider community;
Make a positive contribution to the life of the school.

PSHE is an important part of school assemblies were children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural curiosity is stimulated, challenged and nurtured.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

We know that everyone experiences life challenges that can make us vulnerable and at times, anyone may need additional emotional support. We take the view that positive mental health is everybody’s business and that we all have a role to play.

The Department for Education (DfE) recognises that: “In order to help their children succeed; schools have a role to play in supporting them to be resilient and mentally healthy”. We aim to make our school a place for children and young people to experience a nurturing and supportive environment that has the potential to develop self-esteem and give positive experiences for overcoming adversity and building resilience.

We offer different levels of support:

Universal Support – This is delivered through our overall ethos and our wider curriculum using our Values Based Curriculum, Learning Powers, PSHE and Picture News to meet the needs of all our pupils.

Additional support – We offer bespoke workshops for groups of children who may have short term needs and those who may have been made vulnerable by life experiences.

Targeted support – Our pastoral team work closely with children and their families to offer a personalised approach to support wellbeing.

To find out more about mental health and well-being at Half Acres, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)

Our Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) curriculum is based upon the fundamental understanding of positive relationships, changes in the human body and reproduction. RSE supports pupils in acquiring age-appropriate knowledge and supports children and young people with the essential skills for building positive, enjoyable, respectful and non-exploitative relationships and staying safe both on and offline. Some aspects of the RSE curriculum including lifecycles are taught in science, and others are taught as part of personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE).

Aims of the RSE curriculum at Half Acres Primary Academy:

To foster a positive notion of lifelong learning about physical, moral and emotional development, including how to look after physical and mental health.
To support the development of self-respect and empathy for ourselves and others.
To promote the development of skills and understanding in managing conflict in our relationships.
To learn how to keep our own bodies safe and to avoid any form of exploitation.

Parental Information

Parental Rights to Withdraw:

Parents have do not have the right to withdraw their children from the ‘relationships’ education curriculum, however parents do have the right to withdraw their children from sex education, with the exception of any statutory science curriculum content. Those parents/carers wishing to exercise the right to withdraw their child from part or all of the sex education aspect of the curriculum are invited in to see the teacher and/or RSE Co-ordinator who will explore any concerns and discuss any impact that withdrawal may have on the child.

Once a child has been withdrawn they cannot take part in the sex education aspect of the programme until the request for withdrawal has been removed. It is then the responsibility of the parents/carers to deliver the content of the RSE to their child as they see fit.

Curriculum