Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) is our comprehensive curriculum for supporting children’s personal development, health, wellbeing and understanding of relationships.
We are required by law to teach Relationships Education and Health Education to all primary-aged pupils. We deliver these statutory subjects within our broader PSHE programme. Where we teach about human reproduction (sex education), we do so in line with the principles and approach of the 2025 Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) statutory guidance, in which sex education itself remains non-statutory (but recommended) in primary schools.
Our PSHE curriculum also includes age-appropriate aspects of economic education, preparing children to understand spending, saving and the world of work, and citizenship education including British Values, helping children understand their rights, responsibilities and role in society.
This policy explains our whole-school approach to PSHE education and how we meet our statutory duties.
1. Our Vision for PSHE Education
At Wicklea Academy, we believe every child deserves an education that prepares them not only for academic success but also to thrive as rounded individuals in modern society. Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education sits at the heart of this commitment.
PSHE is not an add-on to our curriculum; it is fundamental to our children’s development as confident, healthy and respectful members of society. Through high-quality PSHE, we equip pupils with the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to stay safe, maintain wellbeing, and build positive relationships throughout their lives.
Our curriculum is carefully designed to be developmental and progressive. From the moment children join our school, they begin to explore emotional literacy—learning to recognise, name and talk about feelings. This foundation grows year by year, helping pupils to manage emotions, develop resilience, and make informed decisions that support their own and others’ wellbeing.
By embedding PSHE across our school culture, we nurture a community where respect, inclusivity and responsibility flourish. In doing so, we prepare our pupils not only for the challenges of childhood but also for adulthood, work and active citizenship.
We are committed to:
2. Statutory Requirements and Curriculum Framework
Under the Education Act 2002 and the Academies Act 2010, all schools must provide a curriculum that:
The Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (England) Regulations (updated July 2025) make Relationships Education and Health Education statutory for all primary-aged pupils. These subjects must be taught in all maintained schools, academies, independent schools, maintained special schools, non-maintained special schools, and alternative provision settings.
We deliver statutory Relationships and Health Education within our comprehensive PSHE programme, using materials from Jigsaw PSHE 3-11. This provides children with a carefully sequenced, age-appropriate curriculum that meets all statutory requirements whilst also developing wider personal and social capabilities. Our PSHE curriculum also supports our safeguarding responsibilities as set out in Keeping Children Safe in Education and the Prevent Duty, helping children to recognise concerns, stay safe online and offline, and seek help when needed.
Our curriculum addresses all statutory requirements including:
Families and people who care for me
A detailed mapping document showing how the Jigsaw programme covers every statutory outcome is available to view on request and can be accessed via https://wickleaacademy.clf.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/i-am-a-citizen-progression-jigsaw-pshe-1.pdf .
3. The Jigsaw Approach: A Whole-School Framework
We use Jigsaw PSHE as our curriculum framework because it provides a comprehensive, carefully sequenced scheme of work that brings consistency and progression to children’s learning across their primary years. Built on current research and best practice in child development, safeguarding and health education, it is kept continuously up to date with evolving statutory guidance and enables us to deliver high-quality PSHE education that meets our children’s needs. The programme is distinctive in its approach including:
Emotional literacy at the core – Every Jigsaw lesson systematically develops children’s emotional vocabulary and understanding. Children learn to recognise, name and talk about a wide range of feelings in themselves and others. This emotional literacy supports children’s ability to share and discuss things that are important in their lives, to seek help when needed, and to build positive relationships.
Mindful practice – Every Jigsaw lesson begins with ‘Calm Me Time’, a mindfulness activity designed to support self-regulation and create a safe, focused space for learning. This consistent practice forms part of our approach to children’s emotional wellbeing and helps children to be ready for open, thoughtful discussion.
Connection and community – The ‘Connect Us’ activity in every lesson strengthens relationships within the class and develops children’s social skills, building a sense of belonging and mutual respect that underpins all learning.
Developing skills for respectful dialogue – PSHE lessons provide regular opportunities for children to develop and practise essential communication skills including listening to others, expressing their own views clearly and respectfully, considering different perspectives, and engaging in constructive discussion. These oracy skills are fundamental to building positive relationships and respectful communities, enabling children to navigate differences with kindness and to participate confidently in democratic discussion.
Age-appropriate spiral curriculum – Topics are revisited across year groups with increasing depth and complexity, enabling children to build on prior learning in line with their developing maturity and understanding, with teachers able to adapt according to their pupils’ needs.
Interactive, participative teaching – Lessons are designed to be engaging and active, using discussion, role-play, problem-solving and creative activities to develop skills alongside knowledge. Children don’t just gain information – they explore topics in age-appropriate ways and develop practical skills that support them in their everyday lives.
The Six Jigsaw Puzzles
Our PSHE curriculum is organised into six themed units (‘Puzzles’), each taught for approximately half a term:
| Term | Puzzle | Key Content |
| Autumn 1 | Being Me in My World | Understanding personal identity, my place in the class and school community, rights and responsibilities, democracy, making a positive contribution. |
| Autumn 2 | Celebrating Difference | Recognising and respecting diversity, challenging stereotypes, understanding difference and similarity, addressing bullying, building empathy and compassion. |
| Spring 1 | Dreams and Goals | Setting and working towards goals, understanding aspirations and future possibilities, developing perseverance and resilience, recognising achievements, working collaboratively. |
| Spring 2 | Healthy Me | The relationship between physical and emotional health; nutrition, sleep, exercise and hygiene; emotional wellbeing; drug education (including medicines); keeping safe; understanding habits and making healthy lifestyle choices. |
| Summer 1 | Relationships | Understanding different relationships and their characteristics, our families, managing friendship challenges, conflict resolution and communication skills, recognising when relationships are unhealthy, understanding loss and bereavement. |
| Summer 2 | Changing Me | Understanding life cycles and human growth, coping positively with change, body image and self-esteem, puberty education, changing relationships, and for upper Key Stage 2, human reproduction (where taught as sex education – see Section 6). |
Adapting Jigsaw for Our School Community
Whilst we follow the Jigsaw programme, we recognise that our children, families and context have specific needs and characteristics. Our PSHE lead and class teachers carefully consider each lesson’s content and approach to ensure it is appropriate and relevant for our pupils, taking into account:
The specific needs, experiences and developmental stages of pupils in each class
Where we make adaptations to the programme, these decisions are made thoughtfully, in consultation with senior leadership, and with reference to statutory requirements. Parents and carers are informed about significant adaptations, particularly where these relate to sensitive content.
4. Curriculum Time and Whole-School Approach
PSHE is taught weekly through dedicated curriculum time by their class teachers. Learning is integrated naturally into the classroom environment so that teachers can draw connections between PSHE and other areas of learning.
Beyond the Classroom: Embedding PSHE in School Life
We recognise that effective PSHE education extends far beyond weekly lessons. The skills, values and understanding developed in PSHE sessions are reinforced and ‘lived’ throughout our school day and across all areas of school life such as:
Learning Outdoors: Connecting PSHE to Our Environment
“Schools should emphasise the relationships between physical health and mental wellbeing, and the benefits of physical activity and time spent outdoors.”
DfE RSHE Guidance 2025, para 40
We use our school grounds and local outdoor spaces to enhance PSHE learning, providing opportunities for children to experience the wellbeing benefits of time in nature, to develop environmental awareness, and to apply their learning in varied contexts.
Teachers plan regular opportunities to take PSHE learning outside where appropriate, and we encourage children to spend time outdoors during breaks and lunchtimes, recognising that unstructured outdoor play supports emotional regulation, creativity, and relationship-building.
Relationships Education
Relationships Education is compulsory for all primary-aged children and there is no right of withdrawal. It focuses on teaching children the fundamental building blocks of positive, respectful relationships with family, friends, peers and adults.
By the end of primary school, our children will understand:
Health Education
Health Education is compulsory for all primary-aged children and there is no right of withdrawal. It focuses on supporting children to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.
By the end of primary school, our children will understand:
Building Foundations for Secondary RSHE
The primary PSHE curriculum is carefully designed to be age-appropriate and valuable for children’s current stage of development. This learning also builds strong foundations that will support children as they encounter more complex content at secondary school. For example:
This progressive, developmental approach ensures that PSHE content is always age-appropriate and relevant to children’s current lives, whilst also building solid foundations for more sophisticated understanding as they mature.
Challenging Stereotypes and Promoting Respect
Throughout our PSHE curriculum, we actively work to break down harmful stereotypes, including gender stereotypes that can limit children’s aspirations, reinforce inequalities, or contribute to disrespectful behaviour, and explain how some characteristics are protected under UK law. As children progress through the programme, they encounter a number of protected characteristics in age-appropriate ways, understanding why certain groups have legal protection from discrimination and how this relates to treating all people with dignity and respect.
For example, children learn that all people deserve respect regardless of their sex, and we challenge outdated ideas about what boys and girls “should” be like, what they can achieve, or how they should behave. We help children understand that boys and girls can have diverse interests, strengths, and personalities, and that qualities like kindness, strength, nurturing, and courage are human qualities that everyone can demonstrate, not traits that belong only to one sex.
Age-appropriately, we address how stereotypes and prejudiced attitudes, including misogyny, can lead to unkind behaviour, bullying, and a lack of respect in relationships. We make clear that everyone – boys and girls – has responsibility for treating others with kindness and respect, and that harmful attitudes or language are never acceptable.
This approach supports both safeguarding and the development of healthy, equal relationships, helping all children to feel valued and to respect others.
Sex education is not compulsory in primary schools; however the Department for Education recommends that all primary schools teach age-appropriate sex education to ensure children are prepared for the changes adolescence brings and understand how human life begins.
At Wicklea, our approach to sex education is:
Sex Education as part of PSHE (subject to parental withdrawal)
We teach age-appropriate sex education in Years 5 and 6 as part of our PSHE curriculum, going beyond the statutory content about puberty to include factual information about human reproduction. We believe this information is important for children before they leave primary school, particularly as children naturally become more aware and curious about how life begins, and may seek information from less reliable sources if we do not provide age-appropriate, factual teaching.
We define sex education as learning about human reproduction. It is defined as those lessons covering sexual intercourse, conception, the stages of pregnancy and birth. It includes the emotional impact of having a baby as well as the physical facts. Sex education is not learning about different types of sexual activity.
This is distinct from the statutory Health Education content about puberty and menstruation, and from Science curriculum content about life cycles and reproduction in mammals, from which children cannot be withdrawn.
The following Jigsaw lessons in the Changing Me Puzzle contain non-statutory sex education content:
Year 5: Conception
Year 6: Babies: Conception to Birth
Parent Engagement and the Right to Withdraw from Sex Education
Parents have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from some or all of sex education taught as part of PSHE. Parents do NOT have the right to withdraw children from:
Before making a decision to withdraw a child from sex education, we invite parents to discuss their concerns with the Principal and PSHE lead. This discussion helps us to understand the request and enables us to clarify the nature and purpose of the curriculum, discuss the benefits of the education, and consider any potential impacts of withdrawal on the child.
Where a parent requests withdrawal, we will:
We inform parents about sex education content by: sending curriculum information letters at the start of the summer term, holding parent information sessions, and making all materials available for viewing on request.
A withdrawal request should be emailed to the school for the attention of the Principal and PSHE Lead – info@wla.clf.uk .
Responding to children’s questions
We recognise that children may ask questions beyond our planned curriculum. Teachers use professional judgement to respond, and may answer briefly and factually if age-appropriate, suggest the child speaks with their parent or carer, or acknowledge the question while explaining they’ll learn more when older.
If a withdrawn child asks questions about sex education content, teachers will sensitively explain this is something their parents would like to discuss at home. We will inform parents so they can follow up.
We are committed to an inclusive PSHE curriculum that is accessible to and respectful of all children and families.
Meeting the Equality Act 2010
We comply with the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty, ensuring that PSHE is taught in a way that:
The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.
Teaching about Families and Relationships
Our curriculum presents families in all their forms, recognising that children come from diverse family backgrounds including:
We ensure that no child is stigmatised based on their home circumstances and that all family structures are represented positively in our teaching. When discussing families, we emphasise that the key characteristic of families is that they provide love, care, stability and security for children, not a particular structure.
Including LGBT Content
Throughout PSHE education, children learn that all people deserve to be treated with respect and kindness, regardless of difference. This is a fundamental principle that runs through all our teaching.
In teaching about families and relationships, we include same-sex parents alongside other family structures, presented naturally as one of the many different types of families that children may have or encounter. This content is integrated throughout the curriculum rather than taught as a standalone topic, ensuring that diverse families are visible and valued within our school community.
Children learn about treating others with kindness and respect, understanding that people have protection from discrimination and should be treated with dignity and respect, and that there are laws in place to protect people’s rights. Pupils learn how bullying or discriminatory behaviour is never acceptable and how to report this for themselves or others.
Jigsaw PSHE 3-11 does not include content on gender questioning or transgender topics. Our focus at primary level is on teaching children to respect all people and to challenge stereotypes about what boys and girls can do, be, or achieve, without introducing complex concepts about gender identity.
For detailed information about what Jigsaw PSHE 3-11 teaches about LGBT relationships, schools can access our supporting document ‘Including and Valuing All Children: What does Jigsaw PSHE 3-11 teach about LGBT relationships?’ which provides specific examples from lessons and addresses common questions.
Supporting Children with SEND
Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive appropriate, adapted PSHE education that meets their needs. PSHE is particularly important for children with SEND, who may be more vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and bullying. Teachers adapt lessons to ensure content is accessible, using:
For some children with SEND, certain PSHE content may need to be taught in different ways or at different times to ensure understanding and safety. The SENCO works closely with the PSHE lead and class teachers to ensure appropriate provision.
Respecting Religion and Belief
We respect the religious backgrounds and beliefs of all families in our school community. PSHE content is delivered in a factual, objective manner, presenting scientific and medical information accurately whilst being sensitive to diverse religious perspectives.
Where relevant, we may discuss different views held by religious communities on particular issues, helping children to understand that people’s beliefs inform their values and choices. This is done in a way that promotes respect for diversity of belief whilst being clear about the law and children’s rights.
PSHE education has a crucial role in our safeguarding provision, equipping children with the knowledge and skills to keep themselves safe and to seek help when needed.
Through PSHE, children learn to:
Managing Disclosures and Concerns
PSHE lessons, particularly those addressing sensitive topics, may lead to disclosures from children. All staff are trained to:
Children are informed via the Jigsaw Charter at the start of PSHE lessons how confidentiality works – that personal information shared by others during discussions will be treated with respect and care, but if a teacher is worried about a child’s safety, they will need to share information with people who can help.
All staff delivering PSHE education are familiar with our safeguarding and child protection policy and procedures. Where external visitors contribute to PSHE delivery, they are briefed on safeguarding procedures before working with children.
Signposting to Support
We actively encourage children to talk with their families about their worries and concerns, recognising that parents and carers are often the first and most important source of support. At the same time, we understand that for a small number of children, there may be times when they want or need to seek support from other trusted adults, and we ensure children know how to do this when needed.
Within PSHE lessons and through displays, assemblies and other communications, children are regularly informed about sources of support both within school and externally:
It is positive and healthy for all children to have a range of trusted adults they can turn to for support – within their family, at school, and in the wider community. Our PSHE curriculum emphasises that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness, and that support is always available.
We recognise that parents and carers are children’s first and most important educators, particularly regarding relationships and health. Effective PSHE education works in partnership with families, supporting parents to continue conversations started in school and keeping them informed about what their children are learning.
Consultation and Communication
We engage with parents and carers throughout the year and when developing and reviewing our PSHE policy, seeking their views on content, approach and resources. This includes:
Viewing PSHE Teaching Materials
We want parents to feel informed about what their children are learning in PSHE. We provide several ways for parents to access information about the curriculum:
We actively encourage parents to engage with these resources so they can support and continue conversations at home. If you have any questions about PSHE content or would like to access any of these materials, please contact info@wla.clf.uk .
Supporting Parents
We provide information to parents about the PSHE topics being covered each term, with suggestions for how to support learning at home and guidance on managing sensitive conversations.
Responding to Concerns
We welcome parents’ questions and concerns about PSHE education. Parents who have concerns should contact their child’s class teacher in the first instance, then the PSHE lead / Principal.
We aim to address concerns through open, honest discussion, sharing curriculum materials, explaining the rationale for content, and demonstrating how teaching is age-appropriate and sensitively delivered. Where concerns relate to sex education, we will discuss the right of withdrawal and support parents to make informed decisions.
High-quality PSHE education requires confident, well-supported teachers who have the knowledge, skills and resources to deliver sensitive content effectively.
Supporting Our Teachers
We support staff delivering PSHE through:
Creating Confident, Skilled Practitioners
We recognise that teaching PSHE requires particular skills:
Ongoing professional development helps our staff to develop and refine these skills, ensuring that PSHE teaching is consistently effective across our school.
We monitor and evaluate our PSHE provision to ensure it is meeting children’s needs, is delivered consistently across the school, and is having positive impact on children’s wellbeing and development. We track children’s progress to ensure learning is embedded and to identify where additional support may be needed. Assessment in PSHE focuses on:
The Jigsaw programme includes assessment materials and opportunities for children to reflect on their learning. Teachers use a range of strategies including:
Progress in PSHE is reported to parents as part of parents’ evenings. Where beneficial, the school works with parents to provide targeted support such as Hamish & Milo, nurture groups or pastoral check-ins.
Monitoring Quality and Impact
The PSHE lead, working with senior leadership and Academy Council, monitors PSHE provision through:
Monitoring enables us to celebrate effective practice, identify areas for development, and ensure consistency in quality across the school.
Evaluating Impact
We evaluate the impact of PSHE education by looking at:
This evaluation informs ongoing improvement of our PSHE provision and contributes to our annual policy review.
PSHE does not exist in isolation but connects closely with other areas of school life and curriculum. This PSHE policy should be read in conjunction with:
Links Across the Curriculum
PSHE learning is reinforced through other curriculum subjects including:
Teachers actively make connections between PSHE and other learning, reinforcing understanding and helping children to see how PSHE knowledge and skills apply across different contexts.
This policy was developed through consultation with:
The policy is informed by:
Review and Update
This policy will be reviewed annually to ensure it remains up to date with:
Responsibilities
The PSHE Lead is responsible for:
The Principal is responsible for:
Academy Council are responsible for:
All Staff are responsible for:
Further Information and Resources
For more information about PSHE at Wicklea, please contact: info@wla.clf.uk
Key documents and resources are available:
External resources and guidance:
