Christ Church Church of England Primary School PHRSE

Personal, Health, Relationships and Sex Education (PHRSE) at

Christ Church CE VA Primary School

‘Together, with God’s love, we can achieve anything’

Intent

This curriculum aspect is intended to deliver our School Vision – namely:

‘To be a family where we love one another as Jesus loves us, learning and sharing together, growing in character and giving of our best to achieve greatness – ‘For with God, nothing is impossible’ (Luke1:37). To nurture compassionate, thoughtful and knowledgeable citizens of their community, country and the modern world’.

And to teach our School Values:

Compassion – we are kind.

Hope – we dare to dream.

Respect – we are polite and fair to others.

Integrity – we are truthful to ourselves and others.

Service – here, we put each other first.

Thankfulness – we appreciate all we have.

And also to ensure that we follow DFE guidance:

‘Schools should seek to use PSHE education to build, where appropriate, on the statutory content already outlined in the national curriculum, the basic school curriculum and in statutory guidance on: drug education, financial education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and the importance of physical activity and diet for a healthy lifestyle’.

Personal, health, relationships and Sex education (PHRSE) enables children to become healthy, independent and responsible members of society. We wish to encourage our pupils to play a positive role in contributing to the life of the school, the Church and the wider community. In so doing we help develop their sense of self-worth as children of God. We intend that they understand how society is organised and governed and that they experience the process of democracy. We intend that they will understand their rights and responsibilities, both now and in the future. We want all our children to learn to appreciate what it means to be a positive member of a diverse multicultural society.

The aims of our personal, health, relationships and sex education are to enable the children to:

• know and understand what constitutes a healthy lifestyle;
• be aware of safety issues;
• understand what makes for good relationships with others;
• have respect for others;
• be independent and responsible members of the school community
• be positive and active future members of a democratic society and grasp the principles of citizenship;
• develop self-confidence and self-esteem, and make informed choices regarding personal and social issues;
• develop good relationships with other members of the school and the wider community.

Sex and Relationships education - RSE

Our School’s RSE policy is based on the DfE’s Sex and Relationship Education Guidance (2000). Sex education is part of the personal, social and health education curriculum in our school. We teach within a framework of Christian values and the Christian understanding that sex is a gift of God as part of creation. Whilst we use sex education to inform children about sexual issues, we do this with regard to matters of morality and individual responsibility, and in a way that allows children to ask and explore moral questions. (We have taken account of the guidance ‘Valuing All God’s Children’ provided by the Church of England) Sensitivity and respect should be shown to all children when teaching about personal relationships and sex education and RSE should be taught in a way to ensure that there is no stigmatisation of children based on their home/personal circumstances.

• RSE should be based on inclusive Christian principles and values, emphasising respect, compassion, loving care and forgiveness
• RSE should be taught in the light of the belief in the absolute worth of all people and the unconditional infinite love of God
• RSE should reflect that sex is a gift from God as part of creation: a human longing for an intimate union
• RSE should be sensitive to the circumstances of all children and be mindful of the variety of expressions of family life in our culture, yet it should also uphold the Christian values regarding relationships and marriage
• Issues regarding human sexuality should be addressed sensitively
• The exploration of reproduction and sexual behaviour within the science curriculum should stand alongside the exploration of relationships, values and morals and Christian beliefs.

Whilst pupils are given the opportunity to explore their own attitudes, values and beliefs and to develop an individual moral code that will guide their actions, this is exercised within an understanding of the right of people to hold their own views within a framework of respect for others.

Detail

We use a range of teaching and learning styles. We place an emphasis on active learning by including the children in discussions, investigations and problem-solving activities.  

Children take part in a range of practical activities that promote active citizenship – for example, charity fundraising or planning and leading worship in school. We organise classes in such a way that pupils are able to participate in discussion to resolve conflicts or set agreed classroom rules of behaviour. We offer children the opportunity to hear visiting speakers, such as health workers, police, and representatives from the local church, whom we invite into the school to talk about their role in creating a positive and supportive local community.

We have a PHRSE scheme of work to teach social and emotional aspects of learning. This is used on a two –year rolling cycle to align with our Mixed-age classes.  In some instances, for example for the teaching of the British Justice system and separation of the Executive and the Legislature, PHRSE may be taught as a discrete subject.   Other aspects, such as learning about the benefits of exercise, are taught through Science and P.E.

Much of our work on relationships can be found in our R.E. planning.

Our curriculum is based on three core themes within which there is broad overlap and flexibility.  We tailor our PHRSE teaching to the needs of our children.

          1. Health and Wellbeing

          2. Relationships

          3. Living in the Wider World 

We also develop PHRSE and citizenship through activities and whole-school events. For example, the school council representatives from each class and House Captains meet regularly to discuss school matters. We offer residential visits to Foxhowl, Beeston and JCA in Key Stage 2, where there is a focus on developing pupils’ independence, self-esteem and co-operative skills.

Early Years Foundation Stage

We teach PHRSE and citizenship in reception classes as an integral part of the topic work covered during the year. As the reception class is part of the Early Years Foundation Stage of the National Curriculum, we relate the PHRSE and citizenship aspects of the children’s work to the objectives set out in the Early Learning Goals (ELGs). Our teaching in PHRSE and citizenship matches the aim of developing a child’s personal, emotional and social development as set out in the ELGs. We also support citizenship education in Reception classes when we teach ‘how to develop a child’s knowledge and understanding of the world’.

Implementation: Relationships and Sex Education

Please see the separate RSE policy and curriculum grid outline.

Assessment and recording

Teachers assess the children’s work in PHRSE and citizenship both by making informal and formal judgements.  Informal judgements are made when activities such as circle time, School Council Meetings and the planning of charity events are carried out.  Formal assessments are made where elements such as drugs education are discretely taught, and also where elements of P.H.R S.E. are taught through other subjects such as Science or R.E. 

We report the children’s achievements in PHRSE and citizenship to parents each year.

We do not set formal tests in PHRSE and citizenship.

Addendum – Safety Education according to local needs

Our children’s safety from any form of exploitation including online danger is paramount. Some of our children may have a home environment where parents or carers will not yet be sufficiently aware of these dangers. Warrington is a busy town transport-wise; there are canals, railways and motorways/busy roads surrounding Padgate. So keeping our children safe is our first priority.