Subject Lead: Mrs Ortega
At Denbigh the aim of PSHE education is to equip all pupils with the knowledge, understanding, skills and strategies required to live healthy, safe, productive, capable, responsible and balanced lives. Our PSHE curriculum is referred to as Life Skills to help support the children’s understanding of PSHE and the skills the subject provides. These life skills are taught through lessons, assemblies, outside visitors as well as integrated into daily routines and expectations of the school. Within lessons, PSHE ( Life skills) is taught as an isolated subject as well as within other subjects, including PE, STEM, RE, Topic work, Literacy and Mathematics to ensure these skills are transferable throughout the curriculum. This well-balanced curriculum promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.
In the Early Years Foundation Stage PSHE is considered a prime area of learning and is known as Personal, Social and Emotional Development. This is taught to the children through both child initiated activities and adult-led teaching sessions, such as through class discussions, carpet time, small group work, circle time and games.
In Key Stage 1 and 2 PSHE explores the importance of physical activity and diet for a healthy lifestyle, drug education, financial education and relationship and sex education (RSE).
The school teaches PSHE alongside other statutory subjects forming integrated teaching. The school also facilitates PSHE themed assemblies as well as regularly fundraising on behalf of charity events and social and economic issues. PSHE is also enhanced through behaviour and rules, nurture groups, school council and the wider school ethos. School council will also play a big part in integrating PSHE into school life
Throughout their time at Denbigh, we encourage pupils to be enterprising and support them in making effective transitions, positive learning and career choices and in achieving economic well being. A critical component of PSHE education is providing opportunities for children and young people to reflect on and clarify their own values and attitudes and explore the complex and sometimes conflicting range of values and attitudes they encounter now and in the future. PSHE education contributes to personal development by helping pupils to build their confidence, resilience and self-esteem, and to identify and manage risk, make informed choices and understand what influences their decisions. It enables pupils to recognise, accept and shape their identities, to understand and accommodate difference and change, to manage emotions and to communicate constructively in a variety of settings. Developing an understanding of themselves, empathy and the ability to work with others will help pupils to form and maintain good relationships, develop the essential skills for future employability and a greater enjoyment in managing their lives.