Hackney New Primary School

Intent

Our goal is that all pupils at HNPS become independent, responsible, and healthy members of society. Our aim is to equip the children at HNPS with the interpersonal skills they need to understand their feelings. We aim to give them the tools they need to be emotionally literate.  These skills help them tackle any moral, social or cultural challenges they may face. We also strive to ensure that all children have the interpersonal skills needed to create meaningful relationships, work successfully and empathise with others. Our pupils leave our care ready for the changes and challenges that come with growing up. Our pupils feel a strong sense of autonomy over their body and the relationships they create with others. We work together with our parent community to ensure that our RSE lessons are respectful of our diverse pupil population.  We aim to challenge our pupils to think critically about their own attitudes, values and beliefs and those of others. Our pupils understand British Values and how they support a healthy and safe society.  Pupils at HNPS recognise the diversity within Hackney and celebrate the benefits that multiculturalism brings to their community. 

Implementation

We implement our PSHE and RSHE curriculum not only through our weekly PSHE lessons and  circle times, they run through all our interactions with the pupils. Staff and pupil relationships are made and nurtured through restorative conversations, family style dining, interactive play times and leadership opportunities for the children. Weekly assemblies focus on PSHE or RSHE skills and our word of the week sparks conversations in classrooms. Our pupils feel they are valued by the staff and know they are important members of our school. 

Relationships, Health and Sex Education (RSHE) is central to HNP’s ethos, supporting children in their development, and underpinning learning in the classroom, school, and in the wider community. We believe a collaborative culture is vital in enabling children to develop personally and emotionally, and as young citizens.

Our curriculum offers a comprehensive program which supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life, as set out in Section 78 of the Education Act 2002.

At HNPS we use Kapow Primary. This scheme of work sees 6 main themes run throughout the curriculum. Each year group follows these themes as they progress through EYFS to Year 6.

 The themes are: 

• Autumn 1: Families and Relationships
• Autumn 2: Citizenship
• Spring 1 : Economic well being 
• Spring 2: Keeping safe in my environment 
• Summer 1: Health and wellbeing
• Summer 2: Safety and the changing bodies        

Aspects of RSHE and PSHE are embedded in learning within the provision of SEND learning to ensure that all children have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. Themes are planned throughout the year that allow for RSHE and PSHE skills and knowledge to be embedded and built upon. Children with high levels of need have a broad curriculum offer, linking into National Curriculum themes, but with scaffolded learning which meets their needs, ensuring they are also making good progress from their initial starting points.        

Impact

RSHE and PSHE at HNPS equips children with the knowledge, understanding, skills and strategies required to live healthy, safe, creative, accomplished, responsible and balanced lives. A critical component of the curriculum provides opportunities for children to reflect on and clarify their own values and attitudes in a respectful manner. It also enables them to explore the variety of values and attitudes they encounter now as children and into their later lives. 

As part of a whole-school approach, RSHE and PSHE education develops the qualities and attributes pupils need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society. Also, it reduces and removes many of the barriers to learning experienced by pupils, significantly improving their capacity to learn and achieve and succeed. It also makes a significant contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development, their behaviour and safety, and to their emotional wellbeing.

Evidence of learning can be found in books and on Tapestry. Unit quizzes and summative assessment help to inform teacher judgement. The behaviour policy at HNPS has the wellbeing of our children at its core and PSHE learning can be seen in action throughout our school. By the time our pupils leave our care they will have developed skills and attributes such as; resilience, teamwork, self-esteem, critical thinking and keeping safe and healthy.