Jigsaw - Adopting a Mindful Approach to Personal, Health and Social Education

Being a Philosopher

At Ludwell Primary School , our children are encouraged to become philosophers, being encouraged to think, discuss and reflect upon how they can become healthier, more independent and more responsible members of society.  We encourage our children to adopt a positive role in contributing to the life of the school and the wider community.

We ensure our state of being a philosopher is actively promoted; we ensure children experience the process of democracy through participation of our Pupil Panel, through their work with the charity committee and via participation as Wellbeing Warriors, a member of our Eco Committee or via our wider ambassador roles .

 Our School Values in PSHE:

We show kindness and compassion by valuing ourselves and others so that we can become healthy and fulfilled individuals with a sense of purpose.

We build resilience through having hope and aspirations and responding to challenges

We show responsibility and unity by having an understanding of what it is to live in a democratic society (through British Values) and how to maintain healthy relationships with one another.

We show responsibility and resourcefulness by being active citizens within our community through making informed decisions and going above and beyond in the way we contribute to others.

Purpose of study
All schools must provide a curriculum that is broadly based, balanced and meets the needs of all pupils. Under section 78 of the Education Act 2002 and the Academies Act 2010, a PSHE curriculum:

• Promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society, and
• Prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.

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, relationship and sex education (RSE) and the importance of physical activity and diet for a healthy lifestyle.

PSHE comprises all that our school undertakes to support and promote the personal and social development and well-being of its learners. In this way we will be developing good citizens for the future and ensuring our pupils have realistically high goals and realize their own worth to the community and the world at large. The school ensures it provides a balanced PSHE provision to meet the specific needs of all learners. Learners are equipped to be more informed, confident and skilled in order to take an active and responsible part in society and enhance learning, motivation and achievement.

 Curriculum Aims

• To provide pupils with the knowledge, understanding, attitudes, values and skills they need in order to reach their potential as individuals and within the community.
• Pupils are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities and experiences across and beyond the curriculum, contributing fully to the life of their school and communities. In doing so they learn to recognise their own worth, work well with others and become increasingly responsible for their own learning. They reflect on their experiences and understand how they are developing personally and socially, tackling many of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up.
• They learn to understand and respect our common humanity; diversity and differences so that they can go on to form the effective, fulfilling relationships that are an essential part of life and learning.

At Ludwell, we choose to deliver Personal, Social, Health Education using Jigsaw, the mindful approach to PSHE. Through implementing the Jigsaw PSHE programme it will support the development and progression of skills, attitudes, values and behaviour, which enable pupils to:

The Department of Education statement about British Values reads: ‘We want to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.’  We use Jigsaw activities to contribute to our teaching of British Values.

 Children are taught about their rights and responsibilities. They learn to appreciate what it means to be a positive member of a diverse and multicultural society.

We want children leaving Ludwell to have:

• understanding of how to follow an agreed charter for PSHE discussions in every lesson: We take turns to speak, we use kind and positive words, we listen to each other, we have the right to pass, we only use names when giving compliments or when being positive and we respect each other’s privacy (confidentiality)
• the knowledge about how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy
• the knowledge about how they change as they get older
• the skills to build and sustain positive relationships with others
• a developed awareness of how they can make a difference
• a reflective approach

How all children are included in PSHE:

* Pre-teaching is used to explain key vocabulary and concepts prior to the lesson

* Partner work is encouraged to develop children's thinking and responses to key enquiry questions.

* Child led discussions or partner work spoken at the child’s level to ensure that key concepts and learning are understood.

* Where possible, practical activities (e.g. role play, debates), images or videos are used to explain key learning to children.

Sex And Relationship Education

The idea of teaching sex and relationships education (SRE) to children as young as those in Key Stage 1 (5 – 7 year olds) may seem inappropriate and alarming to some parents. However, a deeper understanding of SRE can reduce concerns.

Why is this work so important?

• Our ability to make, maintain and perhaps even end healthy, positive and productive relationships is part of what makes us human and is fundamental to a caring and supportive society. Our relationships come in a wide variety of forms: colleagues, family, casual acquaintances, close friendships and eventually, sexual.

• Our children learn by looking at and listening to all the messages they experience. They are constantly trying to make sense of the world around them.

• In our society, children are confronted with sexual images in advertising and stories and messages about celebrity lifestyles and relationships in the media. Pornography is readily available on the internet.

• How many parents have found themselves saying, ‘I can’t believe my child asked/knew/thought that!’

• Using their natural curiosity combined with wonderful ‘child logic’, our young children often put together their own complex ideas about where babies come from. This understanding can be a mixture of correct, almost correct and completely incorrect ideas.

Many children will also enter puberty whilst still at primary school and without suitable preparation from parents at home. This can be a confusing, embarrassing and even distressing time.

So what is the purpose of SRE in primary schools?

• A planned, progressive programme of SRE gradually and appropriately begins to prepare our children for adult life. It teaches the skills they need to fully manage the natural physical and emotional changes that will happen to them as they grow and mature into healthy, confident and responsible adults.

• SRE teaches the skills children need to develop positive healthy relationships. It supports their moral development, helping them to understand themselves
and to respect and care for others.

Parents do have the right to withdraw their children from sex education lessons (but not from sex education that is part of the science curriculum) but few take this option.

But what exactly do children learn?

In reception and Key Stage 1 (4 - 7 years old)

• Children learn about their special people; friends and friendship; learning to recognise and react to different feelings and how to keep safe.

• They explore how we show love and express feelings in our relationships.

They learn how we are all special and what makes us the same, what feelings we all share and what makes us different. They explore how we feel when our special people go away or even die.

• They learn about good and not so good promises and secrets and how to say “No!”, “Don’t”, “I’ll ask” and “I’ll tell”.

• They explore growing and changing in animals, plants and people and understand that growing and changing is a natural part of living.

In year 2 and 3 (6 - 7 years old)

• Children continue to explore growing and changing. Children learn to recognise and name main body parts. This helps children understand the differences
between males and females and how they change as they get older.

• They bring in photographs of themselves as a baby, toddler and child and explore how they have grown and changed and what they can do now that they couldn’t do before.

• They explore the different stages of human development, understanding how some people’s needs and responsibilities stay the same whilst some change as they get older.

During Key Stage 2 (8 -11 years old)

• Children explore emotional changes and how to manage feelings towards themselves, their families and others in a positive way.

• They learn that we all go through physical and emotional changes but the age at which changes happen will depend on their own personal ‘body clock’.

• They learn that although people’s bodies may be ready to have/make babies, they as people are not ready in many other ways (emotionally, financially, and
educationally) for a long time.

• Towards the end of their time in primary school children learn the process of conception and understand the importance of loving, stable relationships.

Revisiting differences in reproductive system between boys and girls, they learn how they change during puberty.

• They learn that being able to talk sensibly and learn about this is an important part of growing up.