PSHE education is a planned programme of learning through which children and young people acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to manage their lives. As part of a whole school approach, PSHE develops the qualities and attributes pupils need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society.
Citizenship develops knowledge, skills and understanding that pupils need to play a full part in society as active and responsible citizens. Pupils learn about politics, parliament and voting as well as human rights, justice, the law and the economy. They also learn the skills of active citizenship. Teaching is brought to life using real issues and events in local to global contexts.
Here at Minehead Middle School we tailor PSHE and Citizenship lessons to pupils needs and use them to help inform our pupils with the best information that will keep them safe and healthy. We respond to issues that may arise in the news and look at local, national and global topics giving our pupils the opportunity to voice concerns and feel empowered to make a difference to the world in which they live.
Some of the ways in which we try to make a difference:
Air Ambulance Visit
Send my Friend to School
Day for Change
Year 8 Charity Days
Walk for Life
Fiver Challenge
Children in Need
Remembrance Garden
RSE Curriculum
From September 2020, it is a statutory requirement that all schools in England and Wales teach Relationship and Sex Education as a fundamental part of the curriculum. We are required to teach Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) as part of our curriculum for our KS3 children and Relationship and Health Education for our KS2 children. High quality RSE help create a safe school community in which our pupils can grow, learn and develop positive, healthy behaviour for life.
Statement of Intent
We define Relationships and Sex Education as the curriculum used to encompass many aspects of the Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE) curriculum as well as contributing to promoting the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils. Our school policy on RSE is based on the Department for Education (DfE) Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education (2019).
The DfE provides the following definition in its guidance:
‘It is lifelong learning about physical, moral and emotional development. It is about the understanding of the importance…for family life, of stable and loving relationships, respect, love and care. It is also about the teaching of sex, sexuality and sexual health. It is not about the promotion of sexual orientation or sexual activity.’
The intent of our Relationships and Sex Education is to help and support young people through their physical, emotional and moral development. A successful programme, firmly embedded in PSHE, will help young people learn to respect themselves and others and move with confidence from childhood, through adolescence into adulthood.
Our programme aims to provide the basis for an ongoing RSE curriculum that builds on the children's prior learning and then starts in Year 5 and continues through to Year 8. It will assist children to:
When developing our RSE curriculum, we consulted parents, children and governors on our RSE policy and planned provision in years 5 to 8.
Please read the following documents that help explain the changes to the curriculum.