Intent
At Swanton Morley Primary School we believe Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is an important and necessary part of all pupils’ education. In our ever-changing world, we aim to equip children with the skills needed as they grow and into adulthood. We want them to question and understand what makes them special and unique as well as understand their importance as part of society and the role they could play.
At Swanton Morley, we follow PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies) a social-emotional learning curriculum which helps children to improve their friendships, help them make good decisions and improve their behaviour, as well as helping children achieve overall academic success.
PATHS teaches children to;
- Have the ability to think and problem solve for themselves
- Understand themselves and others
- Use emotional literacy and awareness of feelings
- Improve their self-esteem
- Increase their ability to learn more effectively in the classroom
Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is delivered using the Educator Solutions scheme of work provided by Norfolk County Council.
Implementation
The PATHS Programme develops children’s social and emotional skills, it is taught by class teachers as part of the school day. Starting in Reception, children begin to develop their self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship and responsible decision-making skills. Children learn how to manage and express their feelings and identify the feelings of others. They develop an understanding of how their behaviour affects others, and they are taught strategies to build and maintain healthy relationships and friendships. As they move further up the school, they learn how to effectively problem solve.
Every child gets a chance to be PATHS Pupil of the Day throughout the year. The pupil is chosen at random and will be given roles throughout the day which will support the teacher. They will be identified by a badge so that the rest of the school community is aware that they are the pupil of the day and they will have privileges throughout the day which vary from class to class. At the end of the session the Pupil of the Day will receive their compliments from their peers and an adult in the class, these will be written on a compliment letter and shared with parents.
PATHS is a fundamental part of our PSHE curriculum but it does not cover some of the elements of the statutory Relationship, Sex and Education (RSE) and Health education curriculum that is now compulsory for all schools.
The RSE curriculum is delivered using the Educator Solutions programme of study. Teachers deliver content sensitively and with an awareness of the needs of their pupils. Parents are informed of the aims and content of the RSE curriculum through letters and workshops prior to it being taught in classes, giving parents an opportunity to ask questions and clarify curriculum content.
Impact
Pupils are assessed throughout lessons through class discussions and individual reflections. The PATHS programme is woven throughout the school day, giving teachers multiple opportunity to assess, discuss and challenge pupils to improve their personal, social and emotional skills. Pupils are assessed every term using a point in time assessment. Any pupils identified as requiring additional support with any part of the PSHE curriculum are offered a variety of different strategies such as, Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSA), Nurture groups, Time to Talk, lunch-time clubs and individual strategies within classroom to support emotional regulation.