Art

Computing

DT

English

French	Geography	History
Maths	Music	PE
PSHE	RE	Science

Intent

At Lethbridge, we want every pupil to grow into a confident, healthy, safe and respectful young person who is ready to learn and ready for life. PSHE (personal, social, health and economic education) sits at the heart of our curriculum. It is not an add-on: it is how we help pupils to understand themselves, care for others and keep themselves safe.

Our PSHE curriculum starts with feelings. From the moment children join us in Reception, they learn to recognise, name and talk about their emotions, and this emotional literacy grows year by year. Pupils learn to manage their feelings, build resilience and make informed choices that support their own and others’ wellbeing.

Every unit is built around at least one of three key strands: relationships, health and wellbeing, and living in the wider world. These strands act as anchors. Pupils meet them again and again as they move through the school, so their understanding deepens as they mature, from making friends in Reception to managing the more complex relationships and choices of adolescence.

PSHE at Lethbridge is lived as well as taught. Pupils practise what they learn on our OPAL playground, in our weekly phase assemblies, through pupil leadership and on residential visits, and adults model respect and kindness in every interaction. We work in partnership with families, recognising that parents and carers are children’s first and most important educators in relationships and health.

By the end of every unit, pupils should be able to talk confidently about what they have learned and how it applies to their own lives. By the time they leave us, they should have firm foundations of emotional literacy, healthy habits and respectful relationships, and know how to keep themselves safe and where to get help. Our motto, Firm Foundations, Bright Futures, sums up this ambition.

Our curriculum is built on the Jigsaw PSHE 3–11 scheme, which covers all statutory Relationships Education and Health Education, and is adapted to reflect our pupils, our school and our community.

Our curriculum across the year

PSHE is taught in every year group, from Reception to Year 6, through six units (‘Puzzles’), each lasting about half a term. The whole school studies the same Puzzle at the same time, so themes can be shared in assemblies and around the school. Each year the content is revisited with increasing depth. In Reception, the Puzzles are taught alongside topics such as ‘Marvellous Me!’ as part of Personal, Social and Emotional Development. Each Puzzle carries at least one key strand.

Term	Puzzle (Jigsaw unit)	Key strand	Key content	Lethbridge links
Autumn 1	Being Me in My World	Living in the wider world, relationships	Identity; my place in the class and school; rights and responsibilities; democracy	Each class agrees its Learning Charter; class representatives are elected; ‘Marvellous Me!’ in Reception
Autumn 2	Celebrating Difference	Relationships	Respecting diversity; challenging stereotypes; addressing bullying; empathy	Anti-Bullying Week;
Spring 1	Dreams and Goals	Living in the wider world	Goals and aspirations; perseverance and resilience; working together; money and the world of work	Achievements celebrated in phase assemblies; Eco Warriors’ projects; money units in maths
Spring 2	Healthy Me	Health and wellbeing	Physical and emotional health; food, sleep, exercise and hygiene; drugs and medicines; keeping safe, online and offline	OPAL outdoor play; oral health and road safety in Reception; our mobile phone-free school
Summer 1	Relationships	Relationships	Families; friendships; resolving conflict; recognising unhealthy relationships; loss and bereavement	Trusted adults and the school office as a safe place; friendship skills on the playground
Summer 2	Changing Me	Health and wellbeing, relationships	Growing up; coping with change; body image; puberty; human reproduction (Years 5 and 6)	Transition to the next class and to secondary school; parents’ information letter at the start of the summer term

Relationships Education and Health Education are statutory for every primary pupil, and there is no right of withdrawal. We also teach age-appropriate sex education in Years 5 and 6, in the Jigsaw lessons ‘Conception’ (Year 5) and ‘Babies: Conception to Birth’ (Year 6). Parents and carers may ask for their child to be withdrawn from these lessons, and are invited to talk to their child’s class teacher first. Our PSHE Policy sets out the details.

PSHE at Lethbridge

Our school and community give pupils real opportunities to practise what they learn in PSHE.

• Assemblies. Values assemblies and assemblies from the NSPCC explore PSHE themes. In our weekly Tuesday phase assemblies, pupils share achievements from in and out of school, and we celebrate kindness, perseverance and courage alongside academic success.
  
  
• OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning). Adventurous outdoor play, from our popular mud kitchen to activities that build confidence, independence, teamwork and risk awareness, gives pupils the wellbeing benefits of time outdoors. Staff have completed OPAL risk-benefit training.
  
  
• Pupil leadership. Class representatives and our Eco Warriors lead real projects on transport, the school grounds and waste, working with other Blue Kite Academy Trust schools. Our Anti-Bullying team works with the PSHE lead to promote fair play on the playground.
  
  
• Residential visits. Residentials in Years 4 and 6 develop independence, resilience and teamwork in new settings.
  
  
• Community and citizenship. Our Harvest festival and collections help pupils think about others, and history topics such as Lord Shaftesbury’s work to improve the lives of Victorian children help them understand children’s rights.
  
  
• A safe, focused school. Pupils know their trusted adults and that the school office is a safe place to go for help. Our mobile phone-free school supports focus and wellbeing and reduces the risk of online harm during the school day.
  
  
• Autistic and OK. This term we are taking part in the Autistic and OK: Primary Schools pilot programme, which supports autistic pupils’ wellbeing and helps us to build an even more understanding and inclusive school.
  
  
• Money and the world of work. Pupils learn about money, aspirations and careers through the Dreams and Goals Puzzle and money units in maths, so they understand spending, saving and the many futures open to them.

How we teach PSHE

Our teaching is active and participative, and builds a safe, trusting space in every classroom.

• Weekly lessons. PSHE is taught for one hour each week by class teachers, who know their pupils best.
  
  
• Calm Me and Connect Us. Every lesson begins with ‘Calm Me’ time, a short mindfulness activity that helps pupils regulate their emotions and be ready for open, thoughtful discussion. ‘Connect Us’ activities build belonging and strengthen relationships within the class.
  
  
• A safe space to talk. Each class agrees a Jigsaw Learning Charter at the start of the year. It sets out how we listen and speak to each other, and explains how confidentiality works and when an adult must share a worry to keep a child safe.
  
  
• Active learning. Pupils learn through discussion, role play, problem-solving and creative activities, developing practical skills as well as knowledge.
  
  
• Key strands. Relationships, health and wellbeing, and living in the wider world recur across the Puzzles, so pupils connect new learning with what they already know.
  
  
• Emotional literacy. Pupils build an extensive vocabulary for feelings, which staff reinforce throughout the school day, supported by feelings vocabulary and visual prompts in every classroom.
  
  
• Oracy. Pupils listen, explain their views clearly and consider other perspectives, building the skills that also shine in events such as our whole-school poetry slam.
  
  
• Working with families. Termly letters tell parents and carers what is being taught, with ideas for supporting learning at home. Families are welcome to view teaching materials in school.
  
  
• Cross-curricular links. PSHE connects with science (the human body, health and life cycles), computing (online safety), PE (physical health, teamwork and resilience), RE (values, beliefs and respect) and English (stories that explore relationships, difference and resilience).

Inclusion

Our PSHE curriculum is an entitlement for every pupil, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, who may be more vulnerable to bullying and exploitation.

• Families of every kind are represented positively, and no pupil is made to feel different because of their home circumstances.
  
  
• Teachers adapt how content is taught, not what is taught, using visuals, simplified language, pre-taught vocabulary, social stories and personalised resources. The SENCo works closely with the PSHE lead.
  
  
• Some pupils with SEND may be taught certain content in a different way or at a different time, to make sure they understand it and stay safe.
  
  
• Pupils can show what they know in different ways, such as through talk, drama, drawing and role play, as well as in writing.
  
  
• Pupils who need extra support with their wellbeing can access ELSA sessions, nurture groups and pastoral check-ins.

Assessment and impact

We measure impact by what pupils know, understand and can do, and by how they treat themselves and others.

• During lessons: teachers observe discussions, role play and group work, question pupils and check understanding, and adjust teaching straight away.
  
  
• End of Puzzle: Jigsaw assessment activities and pupils’ own reflections show what they have learned and how they can apply it. Progress is shared with parents and carers in written reports.
  
  
• Pupil voice: the PSHE lead talks with pupils, including our pupil leadership groups, about what they remember and how they use their learning.
  
  
• Subject leadership: the PSHE lead looks at pupils’ work, visits lessons, reviews behaviour, wellbeing and safeguarding information, gathers feedback from staff and families, and uses what they find to refine the curriculum and support staff.

By the end of Year 6, pupils will have a wide vocabulary for feelings and a range of strategies to look after their mental and physical health. They will form kind, respectful relationships, resolve disagreements fairly, celebrate difference and challenge unkindness. They will recognise when something is unsafe, online or offline, and know how and where to get help. They will move on to secondary school as confident, resilient and caring young people.