Discover PSHE
Personal Development Statement
At Aspire, we believe that the ability to holistically develop our children relies on a solid PSHE curriculum that performs homogeneously with both SMSC and RSE. The PSHE curriculum at Aspire is called the Personal Development Curriculum and has been developed to incorporate both SMSC and RSE, ensuring an unvarying, streamlined, and consistent approach is taken when teaching our children the skills required to function in an ever-changing world. This then empowers them to approach new challenges with confidence, dexterity, and a degree of readiness, required to overcome any adversities they may face.
The vision for all children, staff, and stakeholders is to always make every effort, give one's all, and do one's utmost to achieve the best which we are capable of. Our ethos of 'Individual for All, Aspirational for Everyone' reflects this and is permeated through our culture.
Programme of Study
Aspire school has adopted the PSHE Association's SEND planning framework to build our curriculum. The layout of this particular framework lends itself to Aspire's 'Life Skill Ladders', ensuring that children have established a secure knowledge of any particular area, before embarking on the next stage. This allows children to build upon strong foundations learned early on, throughout their time at Aspire.
Throughout our Personal Development Curriculum, opportunities are presented for pupils (where appropriate/possible) to:
• Experience taking and sharing responsibility.
• Feel positive about themselves and others.
• Reflect on their perceptions and experiences.
• Develop the understanding, language, communication skills, and strategies required to exercise personal autonomy wherever possible.
• Carry out or take part in daily personal living routines.
• Make real decisions (with support where necessary so that they can act upon them).
• Take part in group activities and make contributions.
• Develop and maintain positive relationships and interactions with others.
• Recognise and celebrate their achievements and successes.
Implementation
Aspire school implements the PSHE curriculum using the Jigsaw resource., according to the children's Pathway and their particular learning styles.
For Aspire, this means that Personal Development may be implemented differently depending not only on the year group, or key stage, but the pathway on which a class is designated. This vast range of teaching styles allows all of our children to grow their knowledge and skills individually, with tailored sessions focussing on particular development points for all children.
There are also whole-school approaches to areas of our Personal Development curriculum which are rooted throughout all year groups. Emotional regulation, for example, is taught and developed for each class, however, our use of Zones of Regulation, means that clear links to the management of emotions and co-regulation are laid out explicitly to all children, staff, and stakeholders, allowing children a consistent approach to this, throughout their time at Aspire.
RSE Statement
At Aspire School, the well-being of our children is key to everything we do. Children learn to build, maintain and repair relationships through a considered and carefully paced Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) Curriculum. A culture of openness, respect, tolerance, and contemplated judgement on behalf of the staff allows children to question and explore aspects of the RSE curriculum that are appropriate to them. An eagerness to learn in this topic is treated the same as it would be in any other and curiosity is both cultivated and encouraged to assure that children are given the tools to make their own choices.
Throughout a child's time at Aspire, they will be introduced to the NSPCC's 'Talk PANTS' conversation, educating them on consent, privacy, and speaking up.
P - Privates are private
A - Always remember your body belongs to you
N - No means no
T - Talk about secrets that upset you
S - Speak up, someone can help
Programme of Study
At Aspire, we recognise that part of our role of 'Keeping Children Safe in Education', includes empowering our children to recognise and understand; what a healthy and respectful relationship is, the importance of boundaries and consent, as well as the wider understanding of relationship formation and maintenance.
A phased approach to the curriculum, blended with the holistic view of the child which incorporates their readiness for certain sensitive topics is used to ensure that children are taught the appropriate material at the level right for them to make certain that they are able to keep themselves and others safe and able to maintain healthy, age-appropriate relationships.
Implementation
At Aspire, children are viewed as individuals with their learning styles, views of understanding, opinions, and levels of engagement. This means that the implementation of the RSE curriculum varies differently between classes, however, the foundations of it remain the same throughout the key stages. Teachers are expected to judge the capacity of their children to engage with certain aspects of the RSE curriculum, whilst ensuring that they are sequencing lessons at appropriate paces to secure progression in their children. Teachers work in conjunction with senior leaders and parents to ensure a balanced delivery of both statutory and non-statutory guidance is delivered.
Parents have the right to withdraw their children from non-statutory aspects of RSE. Please contact school if you would like to talk to us about this.