PSHE
Intent:
At Wincanton Primary School we have decided to follow the JIGSAW approach to teaching PSHE, which includes everything needed for us to cover the curriculum in line with the following guidance:
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:
JIGSAW 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.
Aims of PSHE at Wincanton Primary School
Jigsaw PSHE will support the development of the skills, attitudes, values and behaviour, which enable pupils to:
The aim of Jigsaw is to be able to meet the needs of all children in today’s world in a developmental and progressive way. There are numerous ways in which teachers are able to enable children to transfer concepts and skills, one of which is through mindfulness techniques. The Jigsaw Approach is underpinned by mindfulness. The meaning of mindfulness in this context is two-fold: teaching information and skills to empower children to learn now and improve their life-chances later; and aiming to help them develop personal awareness. This enables them to observe their own thoughts and feelings, regulate them and make conscious decisions about their learning, behaviour and lives. It helps them to remain focused on the present moment and thrive in it.
Implementation:
The teaching of PSHE at WPS is underpinned by the belief that if attention is paid to supporting children’s personal development in a structured and developmentally appropriate way, this will not only improve their capacity to learn (across the curriculum) but will ultimately improve their life chances. For this reason we use the completely child-focussed Jigsaw scheme. This is reflected in the innovative way that Pieces (lessons) are structured, which also reflects understanding of the learning process.
Within each Piece (lesson) children will:
Jigsaw is a progressive, developmental and comprehensive scheme of work. It is designed as a whole school approach, and every year group studies the same Puzzle at the same time (sequentially ordered from September to July), allowing for whole school themes and to be shared and celebrated by the whole school. Topics are introduced from EYFS and Year 1, and are returned to consistently and developmentally throughout the scheme, in an age- and stage-appropriate way.
Impact:
By using a whole school approach such as Jigsaw, all the children at Wincanton Primary School will, over time, learn skills at different levels around the same area which will see them form stronger, more positive relationships with each other, both socially and with themselves. Their knowledge and skills in mindfulness will have increased and some will be able to relay situations where they may have been able to use these skills in their lives as a tool to overcome issues. The emphasis on emotional literacy which has, before this year, been the domain of our school ELSA practitioner who works with the more vulnerable children at times of need, opened up learning on how to identify and handle the complicated knot of emotions that all children experience as they grow up. A rise in resilience should be evident in the classroom and the playground as children learn the value of perseverance and how to achieve it in a fast-moving modern world. Providing all children with a trusted adult and safe place to learn and talk about mental and physical health will enable our pupils to begin their journey into understanding their thoughts and emotions, which some will not otherwise experience, is a vital part of our PSHE curriculum.
The impact of our PSHE provision will be measured through
The end result of the work around our PSHE curriculum will be that our pupils leave Wincanton Primary School with a confident image of themselves as valued people who are better equipped to manage situations that arise in their lives, both socially and personally. The inclusion of safeguarding and internet safety provides the children with a safe environment in which to learn how to deal with the constant pressures of social media that confront them today. They will move forward into the world as happier, confident young people who do not shy away from issues affecting their lives, but know how best to manage them either themselves, or who to turn to in order to seek help. They will be proud to have learned at Wincanton Primary School.