PSHE and RSE Subject Leader: Miss V Leal
Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) is a necessary part of all pupils’ education to help them to stay healthy, safe, and prepared for life. Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) enables young people to learn about healthy relationships, their mental well-being and their understanding of their bodies.
Intent
At Whitehill Primary School, our PSHE Curriculum is designed to support the development of the whole child, enabling pupils to become independent, responsible, healthy, and confident members of society. We aim to equip children with the knowledge, skills, and understanding to manage their physical and emotional wellbeing, make safe and informed decisions, develop effective relationships, and contribute positively to their communities and the wider world. The curriculum builds on Early Years PSED learning, supporting increasing independence, social awareness, and understanding of personal safety, including online. Through PSHE, children develop the ability to tackle moral, social, and cultural issues, understand diversity, and respect differences, preparing them for life in a changing world.
Implementation
Whitehill follows the JIGSAW PSHE Programme, providing a structured and progressive approach to teaching PSHE across all year groups. Pupils engage in weekly discreet lessons as well as cross-curricular opportunities that link PSHE to other subjects such as Computing (E-safety), Science (recycling), and PE (healthy lifestyles). Learning activities include discussions, debates, and practical experiences that foster knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values.
The curriculum is enhanced through wider school initiatives, including events such as Anti-Bullying Week, Black History Month, International Women’s Day, Language Day, and Children’s Mental Health Week, ensuring that pupils apply PSHE in authentic contexts. JIGSAW provides opportunities for children to reflect on their experiences, understand personal and social development, and engage in the school and local community, fostering teamwork, responsibility, and a sense of self-worth.
The programme is tailored to meet the needs of all pupils in Whitehill’s diverse community, ensuring that lessons are inclusive, accessible, and build progressively from Early Years through Key Stages 1 and 2.
Impact
The impact of our PSHE curriculum at Whitehill Primary School is measured by how effectively pupils develop the knowledge, skills, and understanding to make safe, informed, and responsible decisions about their health, relationships, and wellbeing. Children demonstrate increasing independence, resilience, and self-confidence as they progress through the school. They are able to manage physical and emotional changes, develop positive relationships, and engage respectfully within their communities.
Assessment in PSHE is ongoing and used to inform planning, lesson activities, and differentiation. Pupils also carry out self-assessments, helping them to understand and monitor their own progress. Monitoring takes place throughout all year groups using a variety of strategies, including lesson observations, book looks, staff questionnaires, and pupil interviews. Summative assessment is completed at the end of terms 1, 3, and 5 to evaluate skills development, identify areas for further support, and measure the effectiveness of teaching and learning.
As a result of this structured approach, pupils are able to apply their learning in real-life contexts, develop a strong sense of social responsibility, and leave primary school with the confidence, knowledge, and skills to navigate the next stage of their education and life successfully.
PSHE and RSE in Each Stage
In the early years, children begin to build foundational personal, social and emotional skills. They learn to recognise and talk about basic feelings and emotions, develop early skills in forming relationships, and begin to understand rules, routines, and the concept of being part of a community. Through play, stories, circle time and simple discussion, children start to explore ideas of kindness, sharing, fairness and personal safety, and begin to understand how they belong to a family, class and local community.
They develop early self‑awareness, empathy and social skills that form the basis for relationships, emotional wellbeing and personal responsibility as they progress through school.
In KS1, PSHE helps pupils begin to understand themselves and others more clearly, and to build positive relationships. Through weekly lessons and cross‑curricular work, children learn about health and well‑being, including basic hygiene, healthy habits, and personal safety. They start to explore emotions more deeply, learn to recognise differences and diversity among people, and begin to understand values such as respect, fairness, honesty and kindness.
In relationships education, pupils learn how to treat others with respect, how to recognise caring behaviours, and the basics of friendship and cooperation. They are introduced to early ideas of rights, responsibilities, and belonging to a class or school community. Through discussion and activities, children build self‑worth, confidence, and a sense of responsibility, supporting their emotional and social development.
Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3 & 4)
During Lower KS2, PSHE broadens to cover deeper aspects of health and wellbeing, relationships, and living in the wider world. Pupils learn more about physical and emotional changes as they grow up, personal safety (including online safety), and how to manage their feelings and relationships. They explore social and moral issues, building empathy, respect, and understanding for diversity and difference.
Children also begin to understand their responsibilities as members of a wider community and society. They learn about rights and responsibilities, belonging, cooperation, and how their choices can impact others. Through class discussions, group work, and practical activities, pupils develop problem‑solving skills, decision‑making, and a sense of personal responsibility.
Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 & 6)
In Upper KS2, PSHE helps pupils prepare for the transition to secondary school and for growing independence. They explore more complex issues around health and wellbeing — including physical health, emotional wellbeing, mental health awareness, puberty, relationships, and online safety. Pupils develop the knowledge and skills to make informed, responsible decisions about their health and behaviour.
They deepen their understanding of society and global issues, including respect for diversity, social responsibility, empathy and cultural awareness. PSHE also supports pupils in making sense of social and moral challenges, reflecting on values, forming their own beliefs, and understanding consequences. Through discussion, self-reflection and practical scenarios, they build confidence, resilience and a strong sense of identity and responsibility.
By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils are equipped with the knowledge, vocabulary, and skills to manage their health, relationships and social responsibilities as they move forward into adolescence, secondary education and beyond.
PSHE and RSE Progression
Inclusion & Equal Opportunities
The needs of each young person and our wider community is key for inclusion and equal opportunities. Using a range of national and local data such as: Public Health England, the NHS we will create a bespoke curriculum to meet every child’s needs and ensure inclusion for every pupil. By creating a safe space for discussion and debate, we offer great learning opportunities for all children to access. Our teaching is culturally responsive and inclusive for all. We use picture books to explore a range of issues within PSHE as it is vital for children to see themselves represented within stories – stories with diverse main characters and families helps to support pupils’ feelings on inclusion. All manner of factors are examined to ensure that lessons are accessible to all students; classroom organisation, teaching materials, differentiation and support if available. Teacher assessment is used to make sure that there is sufficient challenge and support where needed.
Enrichment & Beyond the Classroom
Children will have enhanced knowledge and understanding through our quality links with our multicultural community. Through real life experience, our carefully selected external visitors will promote the teaching of different aspects of our PSHE Curriculum.
Parents will have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from some or all of sex education delivered as part of statutory RSE. Also, parents will be involved in identifying the needs of our children through surveys and discussion with class teachers. This will identify what needs to be addressed with our children and within our PSHE Curriculum.
PSHE and RSE Extra Resources
Further PSHE and RSE Help