Personal, Social & Health Education

Jigsaw PSHE Curriculum

What is PSHE Education?

PSHE Education (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) is a planned programme
of learning through which children and young people acquire the knowledge, understanding
and skills they need to successfully manage their lives – now and in the future. As part of a
whole-school approach, PSHE Education develops the qualities and attributes pupils need to
thrive as individuals, family members and members of society.

What do schools have to teach in PSHE Education?

According to the National Curriculum, every school needs to have a broad and balanced
curriculum that:

• promotes the spiritual, moral, social, cultural, mental and physical development of
  pupils at the school;
• prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of
  later life;
•  promotes British values.

From September 2020, primary schools in England also need to teach Relationships and
Health Education as compulsory subjects and the Department for Education strongly
recommends this should also include age-appropriate Sex Education.

Schools also have statutory responsibilities to safeguard their pupils (Keeping Children Safe
in Education, DfE, 2021) and to uphold the Equality Act (2010). 

How do we teach PSHE?

At Christ Church we follow the Jigsaw Programme, which supports all of these requirements and has children’s well-being at its heart. Every class (from Year R - 6) has a Jigsaw lesson each week. 

Over the course of the year all pupils will study a unit on each of the 6 jigsaw pieces:

Each puzzle has six lesson plans accompanied by all of the teaching and learning materials needed to deliver them.

Through these units we aim for pupils to develop their skills and knowledge in an age-appropriate way in these areas to help pupils thrive and to prepare them for adolescence and adulthood:

• Stay safe – recognising unsafe situations, knowing who to tell, understanding their bodies belong to them
• Build healthy friendships – being kind, resolving disagreements, knowing what makes a good friends
• Look after their physical health – healthy eating, exercise, sleep, hygiene, and understanding how their bodies change as they grow
• Look after their mental health – understanding feelings, building resilience, knowing when and how to ask for help
• Navigate the online world – staying safe online, understanding that not everything online is true or kind
• Understand families – appreciating that families come in many forms and all are equally valid