PSHE
Itchen Abbas is a rural village on the river Itchen about 4 miles from Winchester. Most people who live in the community were born in the UK and migration and immigration into the area are low. Therefore, the community doesn’t have a high level of diversity within their daily lives. Since 2022, there have been a small number of Ukrainian families at the school.
According to the 2011 census, the percentage of parents in higher paid, managerial and professional jobs is above average and many commute to work. Parents tend to have high expectations for their children and provide them with a wide range of rich experiences. Levels of deprivation are low in the area.
Our Personal, Social, Health and Economic curriculum (or PSHE) includes Relationships and Sex education (RSE).
Our aim is for our PSHE curriculum to enable pupils to develop the knowledge, skills, values and attributes they need to manage their lives, now and in the future. This is delivered through three core themes of health and well-being, relationships and living in the wider world. Children will understand ways to stay healthy and safe, whilst preparing them to make the most of life and work.
Because the school and local area lack diversity, it is imperative that we provide opportunities for the children explore issues that relate to diversity with the aim that they will be able to understand different types of families and relationships, recognise discrimination, show tolerance and understand their own rights and responsibilities which they may not have experienced yet in their daily lives.
Our responsibility in PSHE education is to put in the early building blocks so in secondary school, and later still, they will be equipped with the ability to cope or resist certain pressures put upon them and their conceptual understanding can be deepened in response to increasingly complex issues. For example, in KS2 we choose not to teach about STIs (unless a specific need arises) but we do choose to begin the conceptual understanding e.g. catch it, kill it, bin it, etc.. and why we wash our hands after going to the toilet. So, in an age appropriate way we understand that there are bugs that can be transmitted between us and understand we are responsible for our own health and that of others close to us.
To support us in delivering high quality Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education, we have chosen to use the Coram Life Education SCARF scheme as they are the UK's leading charity provider of PSHE and wellbeing education in primary schools. As a cohesive PSHE curriculum, it also includes teaching materials which will ensure we appropriately meet our RSE (Relationship and sex education) statutory requirements.
- SCARF provides the framework for a whole-school approach to improving children’s wellbeing and attainment, based on the five SCARF values of safety (S), caring (C), achievement (A), resilience (R) and friendship (F).
- The structure of the programme will ensure our staff can deliver a cohesive, age-appropriate programme and give support in ensuring they handle sensitive issues successfully.
- The Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) resources, based on current expertise and research, help children and young people to be safe, healthy and happy as they grow, and in their future lives.
- Adopting this approach helps to ensure our PSHE curriculum meets our current SMSC (spiritual, moral, social and cultural) development, safeguarding, and emotional wellbeing requirements, as well as ensuring that they meet the requirements of the DfE Primary Relationships, Sex and Health Education Curriculum, and National Curriculum Science from 2020.