At Foxdell Primary School the teaching of Personal, Social, Health and Emotional (PSHE) is an important part of our curriculum. We believe that children should acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills to support them in their lives now and in the future.

We use the Jigsaw scheme to teach PSHE. Jigsaw combines PSHE, emotional literacy, mindfulness, social skills and spiritual development. Jigsaw is designed as a whole school approach, with all year groups working on the same theme (Puzzle) at the same time. The different puzzle pieces are:

•   Changing me
•   Relationships
•   Healthy Me
•   Dreams and Goals
•   Celebrating Difference
•   Being in my World

Relationships and Health Education (RHE)

From September 2020 it became a statutory requirement that all schools in England and Wales teach a Relationships and Health Education as a fundamental part of the primary curriculum as per section 34 of the Children and Social work act 2017. Sex Education can also be taught, by agreement with schools and governors, but is not a statutory requirement and therefore, the school have made the decision that we will not be teaching this.

• RHE covers topics such as bullying, citizenship, healthy eating, physical activity, mental and emotional health, wellbeing and relationships. This enables our children to gain a range of skills including the development of self-understanding, acceptable behaviours, empathy and ability to work with others and enjoying healthy and productive relationships.
• The teaching of RHE is closely linked to our Values Based Education and to other subject material as well as taking place in class and whole school assemblies, circle time and special school projects.

At Foxdell Primary School, we teach relationships and health education as set out in the policy below.   

Through the framework of themes (Health and Wellbeing, Relationships and Living in the wider world), issues such as family life, safety, exercise, substance use and misuse, food and nutrition, personal hygiene and environmental pollution are developed in a way suitable for the age and development of the child.

If issues are raised by individual pupils, then these are dealt with sensitively and honestly by the staff concerned. The support of the school nurse and health support agency is enlisted wherever appropriate. The school incorporates elements of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) education across all areas of the curriculum in order to develop children’s social skills and enable them to function as a ‘good citizen’ within society.

Social and Emotional Support for Pupils

At Foxdell, we recognise that some of our pupils require additional social and emotional support.

Attachment and Trauma

All staff have completed the Attachment and Trauma training and the school has received accreditation for being an attachment and trauma aware school.

THRIVE

Thrive is an approach to improving the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. We have 5 THRIVE trained staff that provide targeted social and emotional interventions to identified pupils. The impact of these interventions has been positive on children’s well-being and educational progress.

Drawing and Talking

We have two staff that have received Drawing and Talking training and support identified pupils through Drawing and Talking Therapy.

We use the language of mental health frequently to break down stigma and educate children in understanding mental health without fear. Our use of the zones of regulation help the children to talk about their feelings and emotions and begin to know what to do when they feel a certain emotion.

Self-regulation can go by many names, such as self-control, self management, and impulse control. It is defined as the best state of alertness of both the body and emotions for the specific situation. For example, when are playing outdoors or are in a competitive game, it is beneficial to have a higher state of alertness. However, that same state would not be appropriate in a quieter space such as the library.

The lessons and learning activities are designed to help the students recognize when they are in the different zones as well as learn how to use strategies to change or stay in the Zone they are in. In addition to addressing self-regulation, children gain an increased vocabulary of emotional terms, skills in reading other people’s facial expressions, perspective about how others see and react to their behaviour, insight into events that trigger their behavior, calming and alerting strategies, and problem solving skills.