PSHE

PSHE is delivered through the Jigsaw scheme, which provides a comprehensive and progressive framework from the Early Years to Year 6. The same six themes are revisited each year, with content increasing in complexity and maturity so that pupils build upon previous learning rather than encountering important concepts in isolation.

Lessons are structured to create a safe, respectful and supportive environment in which pupils can discuss ideas, reflect on experiences and explore different perspectives. Teachers establish clear expectations for discussion so that pupils understand the importance of listening carefully, respecting confidentiality within appropriate safeguarding boundaries and responding to others with sensitivity and Kindness.

Jigsaw's mindful approach supports pupils in developing self-awareness, emotional regulation and the ability to focus and reflect. Strategies such as Calm Me time, circle discussions and reflective activities provide pupils with opportunities to pause, recognise their emotions and develop strategies that can be applied beyond individual PSHE lessons.

Teaching follows Ascot Road's wider pedagogical principles of Revisit and Review, Teach, Practice and Apply, adapted appropriately for the nature of PSHE. Teachers revisit previous concepts and vocabulary, explicitly teach new knowledge and ideas, provide structured opportunities for discussion and reflection, and encourage pupils to apply their understanding to realistic situations and decisions.

Lessons involve a range of age-appropriate approaches, including discussion, stories, scenarios, role play, reflection, collaborative activities and problem-solving. These approaches allow pupils to explore complex social and emotional concepts in a safe context and consider how they might respond to situations they could encounter in everyday life.

Questioning is used carefully to deepen pupils' thinking rather than encourage disclosure of private experiences. Pupils are supported to discuss hypothetical situations and general principles, and teachers remain alert to safeguarding concerns that may emerge through lessons. Any disclosure is managed in accordance with the school's safeguarding procedures.

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is delivered through appropriate elements of the Jigsaw curriculum, particularly the Relationships and Changing Me units. Content is taught sensitively, accurately and in an age-appropriate way, enabling pupils to understand relationships, personal boundaries, growth and change while developing the vocabulary and confidence to ask appropriate questions.

PSHE extends beyond discrete lessons and is reinforced through the wider life of the school. Assemblies, behaviour expectations, enrichment opportunities, leadership roles, interactions between adults and pupils and everyday classroom experiences provide opportunities for children to practise the values and behaviours taught within the curriculum.

Our school values provide a consistent language across PSHE and wider school life. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on how Respect, Honesty, Kindness, Responsibility and Fairness can guide decisions and relationships. This consistency supports pupils in transferring their learning from PSHE lessons into their everyday interactions.

In the Early Years, the foundations of PSHE are developed primarily through Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED) and are supported by the six Jigsaw themes. Children learn to identify and communicate feelings, form relationships, share and cooperate with others, manage conflict, recognise similarities and differences and understand simple rights and responsibilities.

Communication and Language is particularly important within Early Years PSHE. Through stories, circle time, discussion, play and interaction, children develop the vocabulary required to express feelings, communicate needs and listen to the perspectives of others. Understanding the World further supports children's understanding of families, communities, similarities, differences and their place within the wider world.

Adult-led Jigsaw sessions explicitly introduce new vocabulary, ideas, stories and strategies, while continuous provision gives children opportunities to practise social and emotional skills through their everyday play. Through sharing, negotiating, role play, resolving disagreements and working collaboratively, children learn to apply the principles of Respect, Kindness, Responsibility and Fairness in meaningful contexts.

Assessment within PSHE is primarily formative. Teachers use questioning, discussion, observation and pupil reflection to understand pupils' developing knowledge and attitudes. The emphasis is not on producing extensive written outcomes but on whether pupils understand key concepts, can articulate their thinking and increasingly apply their learning to appropriate situations.

Subject leadership supports effective implementation through curriculum monitoring, pupil voice, staff discussion and review of provision. This allows leaders to evaluate whether the curriculum is being delivered consistently, sensitively and effectively and whether pupils are developing the knowledge and personal attributes required over time.

The impact of our PSHE curriculum is reflected in pupils who increasingly understand themselves, manage their emotions, build healthy relationships and make safe and responsible choices. Pupils develop the confidence to express their ideas, recognise when they need help and identify trusted adults or appropriate sources of support.

Pupils demonstrate increasing emotional literacy. They are able to identify and describe emotions, understand that emotions can affect behaviour and use appropriate strategies to manage difficult feelings. As they progress through the school, they become increasingly reflective about their responses and recognise that they have choices about how they behave.

Pupils develop positive relationship skills. They understand the characteristics of healthy friendships and relationships, including trust, communication, respect, boundaries and consent at an age-appropriate level. They are increasingly able to resolve disagreements constructively, recognise unhealthy behaviour and know how to seek help when necessary.

Pupils understand how to make informed choices relating to their physical and mental wellbeing. They recognise the importance of healthy routines and know that wellbeing can be influenced by a range of factors. They are equipped with age-appropriate strategies for managing challenge, change and uncertainty.

Our values become increasingly evident in pupils' behaviour and decision-making. Pupils show Respect for others, use Honesty in their communication, demonstrate Kindness and empathy, take Responsibility for their choices and understand that Fairness involves valuing the rights and needs of others.

PSHE strengthens pupils' sense of belonging. Pupils recognise that they are valued members of Ascot Road and understand their role in helping others feel safe, included and respected. They develop an awareness that belonging carries both rights and responsibilities and that their actions contribute to the culture of the school.

By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils have a secure foundation in relationships, health, wellbeing, safety and personal development. They understand that growing up brings physical, emotional and social change and are better equipped to approach transition to secondary school with confidence and appropriate knowledge.

Pupils are also increasingly prepared for life in modern Britain. They value diversity, recognise the importance of equality and inclusion and understand that people may have different experiences, identities, beliefs and family structures. They can disagree respectfully and recognise that differences should never justify discrimination or unkindness.

Impact is evaluated through pupil voice, classroom discussion, teacher observation, behaviour and relationships across school, safeguarding awareness and pupils' ability to apply their knowledge to realistic situations. Together, these provide evidence of whether pupils are becoming increasingly confident, responsible and reflective individuals.

At Ascot Road Primary School, PSHE is inclusive by design. Every pupil is entitled to develop the knowledge, understanding and personal skills required to keep themselves safe, build positive relationships and participate fully in school and wider society. This is particularly important for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, who may require concepts to be taught more explicitly or revisited more frequently.

Teachers anticipate potential barriers to participation and make appropriate adaptations while maintaining the intended learning. These may include visual supports, symbols, social stories, simplified or clarified language, structured choices, concrete examples, explicit modelling and additional processing time.

Abstract concepts such as emotions, relationships, personal boundaries and social expectations may require explicit teaching. Teachers break these ideas into manageable components, use clear examples and scenarios and provide repeated opportunities for pupils to rehearse how they could respond in different situations.

Key vocabulary is explicitly taught and, where appropriate, pre-taught. Pupils may use visual emotion scales, communication aids or other appropriate resources to support them in identifying feelings, expressing needs and communicating understanding.

Teachers are sensitive to the fact that some PSHE content may be particularly relevant or potentially challenging for individual pupils. Adaptations are therefore based on pupils' developmental and communication needs while ensuring that essential safeguarding knowledge, including personal safety, boundaries and how to seek help, remains accessible to every child.

Practical rehearsal can be particularly valuable. Role play, visual scenarios, repeated routines and modelling allow pupils to practise recognising safe and unsafe situations, communicating boundaries, resolving conflict and seeking support. This helps pupils transfer learning from lessons into real-life contexts.

Adults support pupils carefully without speaking for them or creating unnecessary dependence. Pupils are encouraged to develop as much independence as possible in communicating feelings, making choices and applying strategies.

Pupils who demonstrate secure understanding are challenged through deeper reflection, consideration of increasingly complex scenarios and exploration of different perspectives. Within PSHE, greater depth is demonstrated through maturity of thought, empathy and application rather than simply completing additional written work.

Our value of Fairness is particularly important within inclusive PSHE provision. Pupils learn that fairness does not always mean treating everybody identically; individuals may need different forms of support in order to participate, communicate and succeed. This understanding helps create a community in which difference is accepted and every pupil has a genuine sense of belonging.

PSHE plays a central role in helping pupils understand, respect and celebrate the diversity of the community in which they live. Through the Jigsaw curriculum and the wider life of Ascot Road, pupils encounter a range of identities, families, cultures, beliefs, experiences and perspectives and learn that diversity is a normal and valuable part of society.

The Celebrating Difference theme provides explicit opportunities for pupils to recognise similarities and differences between people, challenge stereotypes and develop an understanding of inclusion and equality. However, diversity is not confined to one unit; it is woven across PSHE and school life so that pupils encounter it naturally and consistently.

Pupils learn that families can be structured in different ways and that loving, supportive families may look different from their own. Teaching is age-appropriate and grounded in the principle that all pupils and families should be treated with Respect and Kindness.

Pupils are encouraged to develop a secure understanding of their own identity while remaining open and respectful towards the identities and experiences of others. They learn that belonging does not require everyone to be the same and that a strong community is one in which difference is recognised, valued and protected.

Our value of Fairness is developed through teaching about equality, inclusion and discrimination. Pupils learn that treating people fairly means recognising their rights, challenging exclusion and understanding that different people may sometimes require different support or adjustments in order to participate equally.

Honesty enables pupils to communicate their own views appropriately while recognising that their opinions may differ from those of others. Teachers support pupils to distinguish between respectfully expressing a view and using language or behaviour that undermines another person's dignity or right to belong.

Responsibility is developed as pupils consider the role they play in creating an inclusive community. They learn that everyone has a responsibility to challenge unkindness, seek help when someone may be unsafe and make choices that contribute positively to the wellbeing of others.

Through discussion of relationships, identity, community, health and wider society, pupils develop empathy and learn to consider experiences beyond their own. Teaching is sensitive and avoids presenting any culture, identity, family or community through stereotypes or simplified assumptions.

Ultimately, PSHE helps pupils understand that belonging is both something they experience and something they help create for others. We want every child to leave Ascot Road recognising their own value, respecting the dignity and rights of others and understanding how Respect, Honesty, Kindness, Responsibility and Fairness contribute to an inclusive and compassionate society.

Click here for PSHE overview.