Personal, Social and Health Education and Citizenship

At Mousehold Infant and Nursery School we believe that the personal, social and health education the children experience at our school forms the foundation for all other aspects of school life and the curriculum.

Introduction

The school provides a wide range of learning opportunities to enable the children to take responsibility, find out about their own needs and the needs of others, work and collaborate together, and reflect upon their experiences both within and beyond school and nursery.

This policy links closely with the school’s Behaviour, Sex and Relationship, Special Educational Needs, Equal Opportunities, Racial Equality and Health and Safety policies, reflecting many of the same values and beliefs.

Our school and nursery has been awarded the National Healthy School Standard.

Our Beliefs

This Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) and citizenship policy is founded on the following agreed beliefs:

• All pupils are entitled to equal regard, just as they are entitled to equality of opportunity in learning;
• Education is about the development of the whole person. By this we mean that opportunities for pupils to develop positive values and attitudes are as important as the development of skills and the acquisition of factual knowledge;
• Education should be the means of achieving greater independence without impairing the rights of others. Relationships in which everyone may feel self-respect and show respect for others are vital to the quality of our lives;
• In the best educational practice, learning takes place responsibly and co-operatively in a variety of ways and contexts;
• Education is concerned with people’s past, present and future lives.

Policy Aims

Drawing on our beliefs we have agreed the following policy aims:

• Maintain a supportive, safe and caring school ethos, encouraging mutual respect and trust between everyone within the school;
• Help each individual child develop a growing understanding of self as a personality, establish worthwhile and fulfilling relationships, and learn how to make the most of their abilities;
• Foster positive attitudes, self-confidence and a sense of achievement in all those learning and teaching in the school and nursery;
• Help the children develop a healthy, safe lifestyle;
• Approach learning co-operatively and collaboratively, encouraging people to reflect upon what has taken place, develop independence and take on responsibility;
• Ensure our approach to PSHE and citizenship of both pupils and staff underpins every aspect of school life and is integrated across the curriculum;
• Foster positive self-esteem and a caring attitude towards others, which will hopefully extend beyond school into the family and wider society;
• Develop within both pupils and staff a sensitivity towards and understanding of the feelings and needs of others, and a respect for the differences between people.

What We Teach

We teach the children aspects of PSHE and Citizenship, including Sustainable Development, under the four main categories described in the National Curriculum 2000 as follows:

Developing Confidence and Responsibility and Making the Most of Their Abilities

We teach them to:

• recognise what they like and dislike, what is fair and unfair, and what is right and wrong;
• share their opinions on things that matter to them and explain their views,;
• recognise, name and deal with their feelings in a positive way;
• think about themselves, learn from their experiences and recognise what they are good at;
• set simple goals.

Preparing to Play an Active Role as Citizens

We teach them:

• to take part in discussions with one other person, groups and the whole class;
• to take part in simple discussions about topical issues;
• to recognise choices they can make, and recognise the difference between right and wrong;
• to agree and follow rules for their group and classroom, and understand how rules help them;
• to realise that people and other living things have needs, and that they have responsibilities to meet them;
• that they belong to various groups and communities, such as family and school;
• what improves and harms their local, natural and built environments and about some of the ways people look after them;
• to contribute to the life of the class and school;
• to realise that money comes from different sources and can be used for different purposes.

Developing a Healthy and Safe Lifestyle

We teach them:

• how to make simple choices that improve their health and well-being;
• to maintain personal hygiene;
• how some diseases spread and can be controlled;
• about the process of growing from young to old and how people’s needs change;
• the names of the main parts of the body;
• that all household products, including medicines, can be harmful if not used properly;
• rules for ways of keeping safe, including basic road safety and about people who can help them to stay safe.

Developing Good Relationships and Respecting the Differences Between People

We teach them:

• to recognise how their behaviour affects others;
• to listen to other people, and play and work co-operatively;
• to identify and respect the differences and similarities between people;
• that family and friends should care for each other;
• that there are different types of teasing and bullying, that bullying is wrong, and how to deal with bullying and get help when necessary.

Both the school’s Behaviour Policy and Bullying Policy are available online.

How do we do this?

Strategies used to support children, parents/carers and staff include:

• providing learning and teaching opportunities that encourage children to work and co-operate together;
• encouraging children to talk about and learn from incidents of insensitive and uncaring behaviour with staff and/or peers. To consider and discuss alternative and more appropriate responses or ways of resolving conflicts and value the time given to this;
• providing a nurture type group at playtimes to support children who may be feeling vulnerable and need extra adult time and understanding, or time to reflect on their behaviour;
• providing opportunities for pupils to hear and discuss stories which have moral, social, personal, humanistic and cultural implications. Opportunities to discuss, negotiate and agree the school rules, and to learn about and discuss bullying and what they can do about it;
• supporting and spending time with individual children who are experiencing extreme emotions or need time to talk with/be with a sympathetic adult;
• developing, negotiating , discussing and agreeing classroom rules and appropriate and acceptable behaviour;
• providing active learning and teaching situations, which encourage children to collaborate, take responsibility and become increasingly independent learners;
• working and interacting with the children and each other, aim to “model” attitudes, values and behaviour that demonstrate respect, caring and sensitivity towards the needs and feelings of others;
• running regular Parent Support Group sessions, in collaboration with our SST;
• being particularly sensitive towards pupils with Special Educational Needs, enabling them to learn and grow alongside their peers with as much additional adult support as appropriate. Staff work closely together, in partnership with parents and other professionals to identify and support children with Special Educational Needs;
• challenging all children, including talented and gifted, to realise their full potential.