Religious Education & PSHE

PSHE and RSHE Curriculum Statement

West Vale Academy follows the PSHE Kapow spiral curriculum that also complies with the statutory teaching of RSHE (Relationship, Sex, Health Education) set out by the Department for Education in 2019. The PSHE program we use at West Vale offers us a comprehensive, carefully thought-through Scheme of Work which brings consistency and progression to our children’s learning in this vital curriculum area. We believe that at West Vale, teaching of PSHE, is one of a whole school approach, which is accessible and relevant to all and that enables all children to succeed within today’s ever-changing society.

Children at West Vale, will develop a deep understanding of key concepts (families and relationships, health and wellbeing, citizenship, economic wellbeing, safety, changing/developing body and identity) as they move through our PSHE curriculum. Key concepts have been carefully considered and identified as the core knowledge and skills required to successfully progress. Opportunities to revisit and develop these key concepts are planned out carefully within our units of learning, as the children move through the school, to ensure that learning is firmly embedded within their long-term memory. Alongside this, we have a Subject Progression Document where objectives for each year group are progressively mapped out towards clearly defined end points. This ensures our children will be given the required skills and knowledge they need to progress. The progressive objectives will also enable teachers to identify and plug gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills.

In addition to our core PSHE offering, SMSC, British Values and Protected Characteristics are key strands that are embedded throughout the our PSHE curriculum and are revisited and reinforced in most lessons and whole school assemblies. To enhance children’s knowledge of the world and individuals, we pride ourselves on holding different personal characteristic weeks within the school calendar, to enable children to become empathetic , mature and responsible citizens.

As a school, we pride ourselves on tackling topics that are relevant to our local area through our PSHE curriculum, this has given the children a sense of belonging and a passion for change within their local community. We address issues that are identified by the annual eHNA survey. This will ensure that issues that affect the mental health and well-being of our children the most are addressed and focused upon in lessons. Whilst ensuring we designate a good amount of time to set PSHE/RSE lessons, we believe that effective PSHE/RSE teaching responds to current and relevant issues or situations which may be affecting our children, and promote discussion and exploration of these issues or situations as they occur, which helps alleviate anxiety and worries in our children, enabling them to learn and flourish better. We believe that by exposing children to a range of global issues and problems, children will build up tolerance and a sense of responsibility of being a global citizen. We work with the local community to ensure children are model citizens by offering a variety of trips and workshops such as working with Barnado’s.

We feel that our PSHE curriculum, with a focus on discussions and debates relating to issues and topics most relevant to them, ensures that our children will be equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to act and respond in a mature manner, when faced with the modern world.

Relationships Sex Health Education (RSHE) at West Vale Academy, seeks to prepare children for the rich, diverse and sometimes difficult lives they will face both in school and in the wider world. Through the roots of our curriculum, personal empowerment and preparation for citizenship, we provide children with the knowledge they need to show respect to all members of our community, whilst also developing a profound sense of self-esteem and self-worth: through this, children will be empowered to recognise a variety of issues, such as unhealthy relationships, online conduct or mental/physical health. This will enable them to seek appropriate support and safeguard themselves from any difficulties they may face.

At West Vale Academy, we deliver our RSHE lessons through Kapow Primary to give children the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to effectively navigate the complexities of life in the 21st Century. The curriculum covers key areas which covers the Relationships and Health Education statutory guidance (as set out by the Department for Education), including the non-statutory sex education. The scheme also promotes the four fundamental British values which reflect life in modern Britain: Democracy; Rule of Law; Respect & Tolerance and Individual Liberty. We also encourage a responsive curriculum, giving teachers the autonomy to recognise the needs of their class/local area issues and planning supplementary lessons to give children the knowledge that will help them with their lives.

Children at West Vale, will develop a deep understanding of key concepts (families and relationships, health and wellbeing, citizenship, economic wellbeing, safety, changing/developing body and identity) as they move through our PSHE and RSHE curriculum. Within these key concepts, children will be given both substantive and disciplinary knowledge and commit learning to long-term memory by revisiting key areas of interest in a progressive manner, for example in our yearly relationship topic, Year 2 look at, “Do jobs create stereotypes?” (Year 2), and this progresses into year 6 where they answer the big question, “How can stereotyping lead to discrimination?”

Throughout these units, children will not only learn how these areas apply to their own lives, but will also gain understanding of how these relate to a diverse range of people, through direct links to the 9 Protected Characteristics (Equality Act 2010), and the British Values. From their studies, children will reap the fruits of our curriculum, becoming: independent; understanding; collaborative; articulate; critical thinker; confident; valuable citizen; resilient; empathetic. Pupils will develop autonomy over their own lives, whilst developing their understanding of where and how they can seek support when needed.