Design/Intent of the curriculum (or what we’re moving towards and why)

Curriculum Rationale

At Thameside, we believe that personal, social, citizenship and health education links to and supports academic learning. We feel that social and emotional skills enable children to have a positive sense of themselves, develop good relationships, have respect for others and have a positive disposition to learning.  Through our PSCHE curriculum, we aim to raise aspirations and improve the life chances of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils. Our curriculum takes into consideration our geographical location and modern day technologies that influence the lives of young people in today’s society. We are very proud of our inclusive nature and feel passionately that children at Thameside are taught how to value themselves, their families, other relationships and the environment in which they live. We teach children at Thameside to value all types of families and believe in acceptance without exception. 

At Thameside, we:

• Ensure that our PSCHE curriculum teaches children the skills and knowledge they need to keep safe from abuse and other harmful behaviours - on and offline.
• Support children to see themselves as a valuable individual by developing their confidence, resilience, independence and strength of character.
• Ensure children have an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships
• Celebrate diversity and teach children about protected characteristics.
• Teach children to know how to eat healthily, maintain an active lifestyle and keep physically and mentally healthy.
• Enable pupils to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to manage many of the critical opportunities, challenges and responsibilities they will face as they grow up and in adulthood.
• Provide pupils with a ‘toolkit’ of practical self-care skills and activities that will enable them to learn how to reduce stress, find focus and increase confidence

At Thameside, we have focused on

Curriculum map

Key Curriculum Resources

                Guided reading books                                  PSCHE library

Thameside     PSCHE  Planning

Planning sample

Progression of knowledge and skills?

PSCHE progression document

How are Thameside children further supported to develop their PSCHE skills?

• In the EYFS and beyond, we use play to develop Thameside children’s personal and social skills. Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, to think about problems, and relate to others.” (EYFS Framework)
• Children are exposed to books with a variety of PSCHE themes and contexts e.g. PSCHE lessons or whole school and class assemblies
• Roles of responsibility e.g. Values ambassadors, Prefects
• Therapeutic approach to behaviour
• Whole school assemblies are linked to the theme of the term
• School and Eco council
• Aspiration afternoon
• Year 6 buddy system for children in EYFS
• A focus on mental health self-care at the start of Monday assemblies
• Peer mediators and Active Leaders at lunchtimes
• Physical and mental first aid station at lunchtimes
• Positive play for Key Stage 1 and 2
• Exposure to the scrap store at lunchtimes provides opportunities for children to develop their personal and social skills through learning to share, playing with children in other year groups
• Enrichment activities to support wellbeing e.g. school led Insideout Days, Mindfulness, Stormbreak
• Insideout Days at Checkendon equestrian centre
• ELSA, social skills interventions led by school ELSA
• Drawng & Talking and Play Therapy opportunities for referred children
• Interventions led by TAs e.g. Circle of Friends
• Events such as Show Racism the Red Card and Anti-bullying Week

How is reading used to develop PSCHE knowledge and understanding?

PSHCE library available for teachers to choose texts that they can use in lessons or class assemblies

Shared reading books - e.g. Heart and the Bottle, Rabbits, Triangle

Class texts e.g. Boy in the Tower & Windrush Chidl in Year 6 explore SMSC themes

Books available in calm areas that follow a theme to enable children to practice self-regulation skills

How are all learners supported to make progress?

Progress: knowing more, remembering more and being able to do more.

Quality first teaching, including:

Opportunities for peer coaching with ‘talk partner’

AFL strategies e.g talk partners

Interventions

Social skills

ELSA

Circle of Friends

Positive Play Key Stage 1 & 2

Sensory Circuits

Drawing & Talking therapy

Play therapy

Behaviour plans