Co-op Academy New Islington

PHSE and Citizenship Policy

Date agreed: October 2023

Next review October 2025

Aims

At Co-op Academy New Islington, we believe that Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) and Citizenship education enables children to become healthier, more independent and more responsible members of society.  Our intention is that we provide children with skills which enable them to make decisions and take appropriate risks as they develop into young adults. We encourage our pupils to play a positive role in contributing to the life of the school and wider community.  In doing so, we help to develop their sense of self-worth. Children learn how society is organised and governed, they experience the process of democracy, and they learn about their rights and responsibilities. They learn to appreciate what it means to be a positive member of a diverse and multi-cultural society.

In line with the Academies Act 2010, we provide a balanced and broad curriculum which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the

school and of society, and prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.

We are a restorative school which means empathy for others is at the heart of everything we do. Our restorative approach describes our way of being. It promotes active thinking about how we build our relationships, how we work to keep them healthy and how we can repair them when there has been conflict. It supports us to connect with each other as fellow human beings, guiding us with our interactions. It can help us to consider how our actions and responses affect our relationships, whether these are relationships at work or at home.

We strive to do the best for all our pupils and we have a duty to promote their present and future wellbeing.  The PSHE education we provide through Jigsaw, is sensitive to the different needs of individual pupils and evolves over time as our pupil population changes. The scheme enables us to deliver a personalised curriculum, addressing the health and social barriers within our setting.  In addition, we continually promote the ways of being; succeed together, do what matters most, show you care and be yourself always.

It is crucial for children to realise the nature and consequences of discrimination, teasing, bullying and aggressive behaviours, use of prejudice-based language and how to respond and ask for help.

Our aims in the teaching of PSHE and Citizenship are for all of our children:

• to know and understand what is meant by a healthy lifestyle
• to be aware of safety issues and develop strategies to keep themselves safe
• to understand what makes for good relationships with others
• to have respect for others
• to be thoughtful and responsible members of our school, the local community and the global community
• to become active, positive members of our democratic society
• to develop self-confidence and self-esteem
• to make informed choices regarding personal and social issues
• to develop good relationships with other members of the community.

Teaching and Learning Style

At Co-op Academy New Islington, we use a range of teaching and learning styles in PSHE and Citizenship education. In particular, we focus on delivering the PSHE curriculum through a circle time. This involves including the children in discussion, drama, investigations, problem-solving activities and the use of ICT. We encourage the children to take part in a range of tasks that promote active citizenship, eg charity fundraising, the planning of special school events (such as assemblies or presentations) or involvement in helping other individuals or groups. We organise classes in such a way that pupils are able, through discussion, to set agreed classroom rules of behaviour, and resolve any conflicts. We offer children the opportunity to hear visiting speakers, such as health workers, police, fire fighters, magistrates and representatives for the local clergy, who we invite into the school to talk about their role in creating a positive and supportive local community.

PSHE and Citizenship Curriculum Planning

We teach PSHE and Citizenship in a variety of ways, both as a discrete subject, supported by the Jigsaw scheme of work, and incorporated within cross-curricular topics.  Also, as there is a substantial overlap between our Religious Education curriculum and the aims of PSHE and Citizenship, we deliver parts of the PSHE and Citizenship curriculum through our Religious Education lessons.

We also develop PSHE and Citizenship through various activities and whole-school events, and we offer a number of positions of responsibility to develop independence and leadership skills through our school council.

Relationships and Sex Education

Relationships and sex education (RSE) forms part of the school’s wider PSHE curriculum, in accordance with the government’s Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education statutory guidance (2020)

We take care to ensure that pupils receive their sex education in the wider context of relationships. Parents are informed as to the nature of  RSE in each year group prior to teaching.

Further information is available in the Co-op Academy New Islington Relationships and Sex Education Policy 2020.

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

We teach PSHE and Citizenship in Reception classes as an integral part of cross-curricular topic work and through the ‘Personal, Social and Emotional’ area of EYFS learning. This part of the EYFS curriculum is about emotional well-being, knowing who you are, where you fit in and feeling good about yourself. It develops respect for others, social competence and a positive disposition to learn.

PSHE and Citizenship and ICT

At Co-op Academy New Islington, ICT makes a contribution to the teaching of PSHE and Citizenship. Children in ICT classes learn to work together in a collaborative manner, and develop a sense of global citizenship through use of the internet and email and gaining an insight into the interdependence of ICT users around the world.  E-safety is given a considerable focus throughout school, to ensure that the children understand the importance of safe and responsible use of information and communication technology.

PSHE and Citizenship and Inclusion

At our school we teach PSHE and Citizenship to all children, whatever their ability, and we provide learning opportunities that enable all pupils to make progress. We do this by setting suitable learning challenges and responding to each child’s different needs, to ensure that classroom organisation, teaching materials, teaching style and differentiation are matched to the child’s needs.  The Educational Health Care Plan (EHCPs) created for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) may have, as appropriate, specific targets relating to PSHE and Citizenship.

We enable pupils to have access to the full range of activities involved in learning PSHE and Citizenship. Where children are to participate in activities outside the classroom, eg a charity fund-raising event at a local church hall, we carry out a risk assessment prior to the activity, to ensure that the activity is safe and appropriate for all pupils.

Assessment for Learning

Teachers assess the children’s work in PSHE and Citizenship by making informal observational assessment judgements during lessons. Assessment also offers the children the opportunity to reflect on their own progress.  We have clear expectations of what the pupils will know, understand and be able to do at the end of each key stage.  Progress in PSHE and Citizenship is reported annually to parents.

Monitoring and Review

The Head Teacher and PSHE lead are responsible for monitoring the standards of children’s work and the quality of teaching, for evaluating strengths and weaknesses in the subject and for indicating areas for further improvement.