PSHE

Personal, Social and Health Education

Subject Lead: Mrs Caroline Davies

At St Thomas More School, we see PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic education) and Citizenship as being at the centre of teaching and learning for our pupils.

It has positive influences on the ethos, learning and relationships within school and therefore receives the full commitment of the school community.

Our pupils are encouraged to play a positive role in contributing to the life of the school and in doing so to help them to develop a sense of self-worth. The children are taught about rights and responsibilities and learn to appreciate what it means to be a positive member of a diverse multicultural society. As a school we value and respect all languages in our faiths in our community.

The aims for PSHE at St Thomas More are:

Know and understand what constitutes a healthy life-style
Be aware of safety issues
Have respect for others
To be independent and high self-esteem in order to make informed choices.
To develop good relationships with others.

We teach PSHE in a variety of ways through PSHE lessons, assemblies, and through other subjects such as RE, History, Geography, Computing, English, Maths and Science. As well through outdoor education visits, trips and activities.

Our PSHE and Citizenship programme includes teaching and learning within the following strands and themes.

Myself and My Relationships – Including Anti Bullying, Me and My Emotions
Healthy and Safer Lifestyles – Including Personal Safety, My Body and growing up, Keeping Safe and Safety Contexts and Drug Education.
Economic Wellbeing – Including Financial Capability.
Citizenship – Including British Values, Working together, Diversity and Community and Rights, Rules and Responsibilities.

EYFS

The teaching in PSHE and Citizenship matches the aim of developing a child’s Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED) as set out in the Early Learning Goals (ELGs). It is possibly the most important of the prime areas of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED) supports the children to learn to get on with others and make friends, understand and talk about feelings, learn about 'right' and 'wrong', develop independence and ultimately feel good about themselves. PSED enables children to feel acknowledged and supported by important people in their lives and helps them to interact with others and form positive relationships. It also enables children to feel free to express ideas and feelings and cope with new or stressful situations.

Playground buddies

At St. Thomas More we have playground buddies, where children in Year 6 can choose to apply to be a playground buddy to help the children in EYFS and KS1 at lunchtimes. The aim of playground buddies is to encourage children to be good role models and it plays an important part in creating a safe, friendly, happy and peaceful atmosphere during lunchtime. It also gives the Year 6 children a feeling of responsibility. Not only do they help to make the playground a happy place for all the children, they also offer great help to the staff on duty at lunchtime.

What is their role?

To help children to play co-operatively with each other.
Teach children to play a wider range of games.
Help lonely children make more friends.
Most importantly, be available to be a friend to all the other children.

How do we spot them?

The Buddies wear brightly coloured bibs and hats. School Ambassadors
Our School Ambassadors play an important role in the life of our school. They provide a meaningful way for pupils to voice their thoughts and opinions about our school. The role of Ambassador is a fantastic opportunity to excel, take responsibility and gain knowledge and skills that will benefit them immensely. House Captains
At St Thomas More Primary School we recognise the importance and value of House Captains. These key roles are ones of privilege and responsibility that require the children to be dedicated and organised and set a positive example of children throughout the school.
Key responsibilities of our House Captains include:
To be a role model in terms of attitude, attendance, behaviour, manners and appearance to all members of the St Thomas More community.
To help organise and support House activities including Sports Day.
To support and model positive behaviour during collective worship and around the school.
To wear the House Captain’s badge with pride.
Throughout the year the children also take part in whole school PSHE focus weeks/days. These include Anti-Bullying Week and Mental Health Day. We also raise money for the wider community for Macmillan, Red Nose Day and Children in Need.

Anti Bullying Week

During the week the children are given an opportunity to express themselves and celebrate their individuality and what makes us all unique.

For more information about Anti-Bullying teaching in schools you can explore the websites below:

Anti- Bullying Alliance- https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week/anti-bullying-week-2022-reach-out

World Mental Health Day

‘Promise me you’ll always remember — you’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.’ – Christopher Robin, Winnie The Pooh

World Mental Health Day is in October evert year. As a school we are more than aware of children’s mental health throughout the whole year. As we recognise this is vital in order for children to thrive. In the classrooms there are calm corners for children to take time out for themselves and regulate their emotions. The school pastoral team, with a member in every phase of the school, provides more trusted adults for the children to talk to.

Schools and colleges all across the country mark the day in lots of different ways. The theme for this year’s day has been designated as ‘Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority’.

The activities are short and simple to introduce the ways to improve classroom environment, children to learn about their feelings and emotions.

The world Federation of Mental Health provides helpful resources for all.