PSHE

Intent

At Coleridge, we place great value on delivering a high-quality PSHE curriculum that not only meets academic standards but also fosters a strong sense of personal growth and development in every pupil. We believe that PSHE is essential for shaping well-rounded, empathetic, and resilient individuals who can contribute positively to society. Our curriculum is designed to inspire curiosity and reflection in students about their own behaviours, choices, and relationships. We aim to ensure that our pupils are equipped with the skills they need to navigate both the challenges of school life and the wider world.

The PSHE curriculum at Coleridge reflects our core school values  which are embedded within our teaching of key themes such as Being Me in My World, Celebrating Difference, Dreams and Goals, Healthy Me, Relationships, and Changing Me. Each theme helps children develop a deep understanding of themselves, their role in their community, and how they can contribute positively to the world. We want children to not only enjoy and engage in the PSHE curriculum but to leave Coleridge as confident, responsible, and compassionate individuals.

Implementation

To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in PSHE, we implement a progressive curriculum that is carefully sequenced throughout the school. Each unit builds on prior learning, allowing students to deepen their understanding of key concepts as they move through the school. Lessons are structured to revisit and reinforce knowledge and skills from previous years, ensuring that pupils develop a strong foundation in personal and social skills.

We use the Jigsaw scheme of work, which provides a well-structured and cohesive approach to PSHE. This scheme aligns with the National Curriculum and focuses on the holistic development of children, allowing them to grow not only academically but also emotionally and socially. At Coleridge, we believe that every child should be empowered with a voice and the skills necessary to thrive in life. To achieve this, lessons are carefully planned to ensure that they are inclusive, engaging, and reflect the diverse experiences of all students.

Our PSHE curriculum is integral to the whole-school approach and is further reinforced through assemblies, school-wide initiatives, and the relationships that are built within the school and the wider community. We ensure that our teaching also supports our school’s Safeguarding and Equality Duties, aligns with the Government’s British Values agenda, and promotes the SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social, Cultural) development of our pupils. By reflecting our school’s core values, PSHE lessons help children to develop empathy, self-awareness, and a strong moral compass.

Impact

The impact of our carefully structured PSHE curriculum is seen in the positive attitudes, behaviours, and interactions of our pupils. We strive to ensure that all children at Coleridge are not only equipped with the PSHE skills and knowledge needed to excel in the next phase of their education but also to become well-rounded, respectful, and resilient individuals who are prepared for life in the wider world.

Our goal is for students to leave Coleridge with a strong sense of self-worth, the ability to form positive relationships, and a deep understanding of how they can contribute to their communities. The values of respect, empathy, responsibility, and resilience underpin every aspect of our PSHE curriculum, ensuring that the knowledge and skills students gain are not only academically relevant but also meaningful in shaping them into compassionate and proactive members of society.

Cultural Capital in PSHE

According to the national curriculum, cultural capital is the ‘essential knowledge that pupils need to be educated citizens, introducing them to the best that has been thought and said and helping to engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.’ (Ofsted School Inspection Handbook 2019). Cultural capital is at the heart of all our PSHE lessons at Coleridge Primary School, helping our children navigate through the ever changing world around them. Citizenship at school, community and global levels are a vital part of our PSHE lessons, providing knowledge and skill development for all children.

Through an extensive range of educational visits, visitors and themed days and events, we build on cultural capital, providing our pupils with the knowledge and exposure to experiences, that they may otherwise not have had. In turn, this knowledge will equip and prepare our pupils to become active and successful members of society.

Cultural capital can be seen through the units taught, including; ‘Celebrating differences’, ‘Relationships’, ‘Hopes and Goals’ and ‘Healthy Me’, that are taught in every year group.

Progress Models

At Coleridge Primary School we have introduced a whole school PSHE scheme called Jigsaw. 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.  Jigsaw aims to help children know and value who they really are and how they relate to other people in this ever-changing world.

Puzzle comprise of:

Being Me in the World: Exploring their individual identity and place in the world.

Celebrating Differences: Embracing diversity and appreciating uniqueness.

Dreams and Goals: Aspire and achieving challenging goals.

Healthy Me: Focussing on a healthy body and mind.

Relationships: Nurture positive interactions and understanding relationships.

Changing me: Guiding personal growth and change.

There are six puzzles (half-term units of work) each with six pieces (lessons). Every year group studies the same puzzle at the same time (sequentially ordered from September to July), allowing for whole school themes and the end of puzzle product, for example, a display or exhibition (like the Garden of Dreams and Goals) to be shared and celebrated.

At Coleridge we understand the importance of knowledge organisers and how they can support children’s understanding and learning.

They are also an excellent assessment tool which can help identify gaps in learning and inform planning, teaching and intervention. As we have developed our own curriculum, class teachers have also developed knowledge organisers to work alongside our curriculum. Children will be encouraged to refer to knowledge organisers throughout sessions to help support and enhance their learning.

Knowledge organisers can be a valuable tool for both children, staff and parents. Class teachers are the ones who write the knowledge organiser, to set out their expectations of what pupils should learn about a topic – and to clarify their own thinking around what is important.

School leaders, headteachers and subject leaders then may look at a series of knowledge organisers to check for progression and continuity both within and across curriculum subjects and to ensure standards and expectations for learning are being implemented, and if not, what CPD is required.

Pupils will review, revise and quiz themselves using their knowledge organisers. Knowledge organisers are a really clear and easy to understand way for parents to be more aware of what their children are learning and thus to support them.

Some of the benefits of knowledge organisers

1. A knowledge organiser makes the teacher think hard about what will be taught.
2. Knowledge organisers are an endless source of meaningful homework activities.
3. Knowledge organisers are an excellent tool for inclusion.
4. Knowledge organisers create opportunities for spaced retrieval practice.
5. Ahead of a summative assessment at the end of a topic you can inform pupils that some of the questions will refer to previous learning; pupils can then refer to the knowledge organiser to access and practice those topics.
6. Used appropriately, knowledge organisers can increase retention of facts

At Coleridge, we have several non-negiotiables that need to be included in a knowledge organiser, they are:

• Key vocabulary (linked to Progression of language)
• Key places and people
• Useful diagrams (as required for the topic)
• Key dates for a subject like history (e.g. when the two World Wars were)
• Key themes
• Important quotes
• Stem sentences for a subject like Science or Maths

We use knowledge organisers throughout school, however, in EYFS they look different to other phases of school due to the away the curriculum is structure. In EYFS, we use a holistic approach to knowledge organisers and have a topic knowledge organiser, whereas, in KS1 and KS2 our knowledge organisers are subject specific.

If you would like any information about our knowledge organisers then please contact us at enquiries@coleridgeprimary.org

At Coleridge we pride ourselves on our curriculum being researched based. Here are some key research findings on the importance and impact of PSHE are:

According to Ofsted’s report on PSHE education, high-quality PSHE contributes to pupils’ personal development, behaviour, and welfare. Schools that effectively teach PSHE foster improved emotional well-being, which positively impacts academic outcomes and overall school ethos. PSHE helps pupils to make informed decisions and develop vital life skills, promoting both their immediate and future well-being.
(Source: Ofsted – “Personal, social, health and economic education in schools” – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications)

Research from the PSHE Association supports a progressive, spiral model of PSHE, where topics are revisited and deepened over time. A structured, progressive approach ensures that learning builds on prior knowledge, making it developmentally appropriate and allowing pupils to explore key topics—such as relationships, safety, and health—at increasing levels of complexity as they mature.
(Source: PSHE Association – “PSHE education in schools” – https://www.pshe-association.org.uk)

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) highlights that social and emotional learning (SEL), which is a core element of PSHE, has significant benefits for pupils’ self-regulation, social skills, and emotional well-being. By tailoring PSHE to the needs of pupils, schools can address local community challenges and individual pupil concerns, making the learning more relevant and effective in promoting positive outcomes.
(Source: Education Endowment Foundation – “Social and Emotional Learning” – https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)

The Jigsaw PSHE programme is a well-structured, whole-school approach to PSHE that integrates emotional literacy, mindfulness, and social skills in a progressive model. It ensures that PSHE is taught consistently and effectively across year groups while being flexible enough to meet the specific needs of individual pupils and schools. Jigsaw has been praised for providing a clear, age-appropriate framework that supports pupil well-being and mental health.
(Source: Jigsaw PSHE – https://www.jigsawpshe.com)