Personal, Social, Health and Economic

Our PSHE Intent

At Greenside Primary School, we firmly believe that Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) is a fundamental part of every child’s education and our robust curriculum aims to support our pupils become confident, independent and enthusiastic life-long learners. In a society where there has been a shift of focus in prioritising wellbeing and mental health, we place an added emphasis on teaching our children about their own mental health and equipping them with the skills and qualities that they will need to effectively overcome the complexities of life in the 21st century.

At Greenside, we have designed our PSHE curriculum to be based around 8 key strands of learning:

Physical Health & Wellbeing; Identity Society & Equality; Mental Health & Wellbeing, Drug, Alcohol & Tobacco, Keeping Safe & Managing Risk; Careers, Finance Capability & Economic Wellbeing; MindMate;

Sex and Relationships (RSE)

At Greenside, we follow the Leeds recommended ‘You, Me and PSHE’ scheme of work which provides us with a clear and progressive sequence of lessons from Year 1 to Year 6. The curriculum is further enhanced by MindMate lessons which are taught throughout the year to allow teachers to support and assess the mental wellbeing of their class. These sessions, taught once per half term, help to further develop children’s social, emotional and mental health (SEMH), which has been priority over recent years.

At Greenside, we recognise that the teaching of PSHE should be responsive to the needs of our pupils, and we ensure that pupil voice is heard across school to inform and adapt curriculum planning. For example, in the Autumn term, Year 5 and 6 pupils complete the My Health My School Survey and the answers pupils provide are used to inform subsequent teaching. To make learning as relevant as possible, real-life scenarios known as ‘Crunch Moments’ are woven throughout the PSHE curriculum and these encourage children to think deeper and apply their problem-solving skills. Furthermore, in a society where the use of technology and the internet plays a common part in the personal and social life of all, we recognise that our PSHE learning needs to reflect the added complexities that this will bring and learning should provide pupils with the knowledge and skills to overcome online challenges.

Greenside Primary School prides itself on meeting the needs of each individual and we are proud of the extensive SEMH provision that we have developed both within and outside of the PSHE curriculum. Our Learning Mentor and Family Support team provide extra emotional wellbeing support for identified pupils and families, working closely with parents and the wider community to ensure that all are given the support that they need. Moreover, pupils throughout school are also provided with a range of roles and responsibilities which support their personal development. Pupils have the opportunity to be school prefects, house captains, play leaders, nurture leaders, reading ambassadors, maths ambassadors or MindMate ambassadors, roles which aim to develop their independence, responsibility and cultural capital and prepare them for life in the wider world.

Progression Framework - PSHE

PSHE Accreditations

Greenside Primary School were extremely proud to have our Healthy School status re-validated in November 2022. During their visit, the accreditors found "many examples of excellent practice including:

The whole school, holistic approach to Healthy Schools work and the interlinking of the four core areas.
The work that has been carried out to ensure that the PSHE curriculum is needs led from Early Years upwards.
The whole school approach to support pupils social, emotional, and mental health is excellent.
Pupil voice and participation is strong, with pupils enjoying a range of roles in school.
The drive and determination to ensure that all pupils are physically active through a diverse and inclusive range of events and opportunities.
Staff work hard to share healthy eating messages through the curriculum and beyond."

Furthermore, following their visit, the Healthy Schools team awarded Greenside with the 'Health & Wellbeing Beacon School' status which celebrates the outcomes achieved and the differences made by the school, recognising Greenside for our commitment to the Healthy Schools programme and the focus on curriculum, practice, provision, policies, pupil voice, pupil participation and parental engagement. It highlights that we are committed to the outcomes of focusing on health and wellbeing of pupils and the impact this has had on their educational attainment and achievement.

Greenside's personal development provision has also been further recognised through the awarding of the 'MindMate Friendly' and 'PSHE Friendly' accreditations.