PSHEE | Highfield Ely Academy

Overview

PSHEE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) weaves throughout our school day and across all of our Pathways. We have designed our bespoke curriculum using the PSHE Association SEND framework as a starting point. We have also drawn upon quality resources such as the NSPCC, the Cambridgeshire PSHE Service, and 1decision. We aim to provide a broad and balanced PSHEE curriculum that goes beyond the statutory requirements, and prepares our learners for their adult lives.

Our intention is that all pupils leave Highfield Ely Academy with the skills and knowledge that they need to participate safely and meaningfully in the wider world, at a level that is appropriate for their individual needs. For example, we aim to enable pupils in the Green and Yellow pathways to make informed decisions at key points in their lives, and know where to turn for additional support. For learners in the Blue Pathway, we aim to enable pupils to clearly communicate acceptance or rejection.

The two main statutory areas of PSHEE are Health education and Relationship education. Keeping healthy and safe are key needs for all of our pupils and we recognise the importance of developing their understanding of what that means for them. In Health education we teach our students how to care for themselves and others through promoting healthy eating and exercise throughout our day and through different interventions to help mental and physical wellbeing. As part of Relationship education, we support students to develop their social skills as they move through the school. This may include learning how to play and work together, about online safety, or learning how to communicate when they don’t like something. Learners interact with peers and adults all day, every day and we create opportunities for them to socialise in a range of situations; it is important for them to learn how to interact and socialise appropriately for functional purposes as well as for their enjoyment. Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) is also statutory for Key Stages 3 and 4, taking into account the age and Pathway of each student.

PSHEE Across the Pathways

Updated: 07/11/2023 120 KB

PSHEE in the Blue Pathway covers statutory Health Education and Relationships education and is incorporated into learning through our 6 curriculum headings:

My Communication

My Body

My Independence

My Body and Well-Being

My Play and Social Development

My World

We also have a termly focus to ensure that all elements of our PSHEE curriculum are covered. This focus may be on an area such as Positive Interactions, Body Changes, Touch or Emotions. Further detail of topics and how these are sequenced can be found on the PSHEE 5 Year Plan (above).

Opportunities are provided to build relationships through interaction at the level of the learner throughout the school day. This is mostly with staff but also peers, and it is at the centre of all we do. Communication aids, switches, photographs and objects of reference are all used as aids to enhance each interaction or shared activity.

Learners are lead to experience, explore and react to each learning situation, often in a sensory way, using texture, light and sound and we teach health and relationship education using this methodology.

Being in different stimulating areas, groups and activities gives different perspectives for learning early skills and we find the best situation for each learner to enhance this at an individual level.

In the Blue Pathway learning is extremely individualised and Relationship and Sex Education, along with Health Education are taught in a bespoke way for each learner. PSHEE progress is assessed for Blue Pathway learners using the Routes for Learning framework and individual EHCP targets.

My Communication

My Communication in the Blue Pathway includes:

•Learning how to show clear reactions and learning to show acceptance or rejection

•Learning to make choices to show our wants and needs

•Developing communication skills through gesture, signing, vocals, visuals, switches and speech

•Developing the ability to show understanding of words signs and symbols

These skills are essential for pupils to build relationships and maintain their health and wellbeing

My Play and Social Development

My Play encompasses exploration of the environment and of specific activities to engage in. Learning-through-play activities are modelled, as are sharing resources and noticing others alongside them. Skills are developed in accepting interactions with others and initiating and extending interactions with others.

My Independence

My Independence covers skills in making choices to show wants and needs and showing rejection or acceptance of people, places and things to project their autonomy. Skills are developed in being able to explore objects and environments independently as well as accepting help where necessary, and starting to complete tasks independently at their own level. Pupils are supported in learning to regulate their own behaviour and joining in with others on their own.

My Body and Wellbeing

My Body and Wellbeing covers Health education in the Blue Pathway. Students explore how they can move their bodies through a variety of physical activities and test the boundaries of what their bodies can do. They learn to accept movement which is good for their body such as physiotherapy. They develop skills in self-soothing, exploring ways to calm. Learners work towards accepting help in self care and active participation where possible.

My Thinking

Within My Thinking, students learn about online safety through developing understanding of when they can access touchscreen and ipads and the boundaries surrounding this. Skills are developed in joint attention, sequencing and understanding first and next as well as early problem solving skills.

My World

As part of My World, students' skills are developed through activities in different areas of the school and by being out in the community. Skills include developing an awareness of danger and accepting appropriate safety measures. In addition, skills in choice-making are developed in relation to this such as choosing which adult to stay with and communicating people and things that make them feel safe in the environment. Developing the ability to explore while outside is also encouraged.

PSHEE in the Green Pathway is incorporated into our school day by linking learning to the Green Pathway six subject areas:

•My Communication

•My Body

•My Independence

•My Body and Well-Being

•My Play and Social Development

•My World

PSHEE is also taught in discrete sessions in classes where this is appropriate. Learning is planned using the PSHE Association SEND framework to ensure our curriculum is broad and balanced. All elements of the statutory Health Education and Relationships Education (and Sex Education for secondary aged pupils) are included within our own bespoke curriculum, designed to meet the needs of our individual learners.

We have organised our specific PSHEE curriculum with the Green Pathway under topic headings of:

•Healthy Lifestyles

•Self-Care, Support and Safety

•Managing Feelings

•Self-Awareness

•Changing and Growing

•The World I Live In

Further detail of topics and how this is sequenced can be found on the PSHEE 5 Year Plan (above)

We aim to enable our pupils to develop the knowledge and skills they need so that they are able to become autonomous decision-makers, making choices in line with their interests, values and goals. Being able to make these decisions will ultimately make pupils healthier, happier, and safer. We aim for pupils to be able to make decisions that are their own as far as possible.

My Communication

The ‘My Communication’ Green Pathway curriculum strand includes developing speaking and listening skills. These are vital to enable pupils to share their opinions, thoughts and feelings in school and within the wider community.

Communication skills are essential for pupils to be able to share their decision making at relevant points in their lives; whether this is who they want to play with, what they want to eat, how to say no, or sharing their relationship choices.

My Play and Social Development

Relationships education is the key area covered in the My Play strand. This covers how to interact with others and effective ways of playing and working together. Pupils learn to treat each other with respect and kindness, and understand that everyone is different. Pupils learn how to negotiate difficulties within friendships, and develop their understanding of kind/unkind behaviours. They will also learn what safe and unsafe relationships might look like.

My Independence

This strand incorporates skills for making independent choices and learning to live independently, including travel and cooking skills. An important element of this is developing personal safety skills – whether this is in the kitchen, in the wider community, or within relationships. Pupils are encouraged to identify their strengths and increase their resilience by celebrating their progress and achievements. Pupils learn to be self-aware; to understand themselves, their preferences and their values.

My Body and Wellbeing

My Body and Well-Being is a vital part of our Health education teaching within the Green Pathway.

Within this strand, pupils are equipped with knowledge to enable them to make their own decisions about their lifestyles: making choices about what they eat and how they exercise. Pupils also learn to understand and manage their emotions and learn about the changes they will experience as they grow – including the physical and emotional changes of puberty. Older pupils will be taught sex education in a personalised and considerate manner to best meet their individual needs; this will include dealing with touch, romantic feelings and sexual attraction, consent and contraception.

My Thinking

The ‘My Thinking’ strand covers a range of elements, including online safety and developing problem solving skills. Pupils learn how to navigate ICT such as ipads and laptops safely, and taught about what information is private/public and what to share online.

My World

We aim to equip all of our pupils with the skills and knowledge they need to live as independently as possible. This includes living confidently in the wider world.

The ‘My World’ strand includes learning how to participate in the wider community, including making decisions about how to stay safe. Pupils have to learn to manage risk and make choices about safe activities and safe people while in the wider world.

PSHEE in the Yellow Pathway is taught in both planned, discrete lessons and integrated throughout the school day as and when learning opportunities arise.

Opportunities are presented for pupils wherever possible to:

Experience taking and sharing responsibility
Feel positive about themselves and others
Reflect on their perceptions and experiences
Develop the understanding, language, communication skills and strategies required to exercise personal autonomy wherever possible
Carry out or take part in daily personal living routines
Make real decisions (with support where necessary so that they can act upon them)
Take part in group activities and make contributions
Develop and maintain positive relationships and interactions with others
Recognise and celebrate their achievements and successes

In the Yellow Pathway we use the PSHE Association Planning Framework, ensuring all statutory elements are covered. Topics are repeated in a spiral curriculum approach as students progress through the school, so that their learning is built on based on their previous learning and current level of understanding.

Planning is organised into 6 sections:

1.Self-Awareness

2.Self-care, Support and Safety

3.Managing Feelings

4.Changing and Growing (aspects of Relationships and Sex Education)

5.Healthy Lifestyles (physically and mentally)

6.The World I Live In (Living confidently in the wider world)

Self-awareness

Topics in this section of the curriculum include:

Personal Strengths
Skills for Learning
Prejudice and Discrimination
Managing Pressure

We cover these areas during break times and other unstructured times as well as during lessons. We consider these areas under this particular topic:

Things we are good at
Kind and unkind behaviours
Playing and working together
People who are special to us
Getting on with other
Personal strengths
Prejudice and discrimination
Managing pressure

During "Show and Tell", we share things which are of interest to us or special moments we have spent with our families