PSHE (Patchwork)

PSHE Curriculum Overview

‘What we teach in the classroom will help our students foster lifelong aspirations, goals and values. With this in mind, PSHE education isn’t just another school subject. It’s a chance to give every child and young person an equal opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge they need to thrive now and in the future’ (PSHE Association)

Intent

At Pathfield, we believe that our students, regardless of their needs and abilities have the right to receive a high quality PSHE education. Based on the idea of a Patchwork blanket- a symbol of comfort and safety, Patchwork has been created to help our students develop the knowledge and skills they need to live happy and fulfilling lives.
It is our intention that our students develop their understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy allowing them the opportunity to be as independent as possible. We believe that a fulfilling PSHE curriculum such as Patchwork can help support our students to unlock their potential for success in health, happiness and learning.

Implementation

We are at the very beginning stages of our Patchwork journey, ensuring that we have a curriculum that include themes and topics that equip our learners with the tools they need for their future lives. Our Patchwork topics have been created and structured with key PSHE dates in mind, highlighting events such as Children’s Mental Health Week. Events like this will offer opportunities for us to come together as a whole school to promote, support and learn about the importance of protecting our mental health and wellbeing, while equipping our students with the tools they need to protect and look after their emotional health.

There are two parts to our curriculum –

‘Patch’ (knowledge-based curriculum) – Students in Year 3 upwards are delivered one PSHE (Patch) lesson each week based on subjects such as online safety, well-being and self-esteem, trusting relationships, managing feelings, ‘stranger danger’ and road safety. Subjects we feel are imperative to our students and their safety.

‘Work’ (Skills based curriculum)- The thread that holds it all together! These are the skills that our students work on almost every moment of every day. They work on managing their feelings and emotions, developing friendships, maintaining relationships and improving self-confidence and self-awareness. Essential independent living skills such as toilet training, teeth-brushing, dressing and cooking are also key areas of development. These skills inform student’s Personal Learning Goals (PLGs) in their EHCP and are paramount in supporting them to access our ‘Patch’ part of the curriculum.

When we bring Knowledge and Skills together we have PATCHWORK.

Patchwork holds our four pillars at its heart:

Community: We learn about the roles and responsibilities people have within the community. Students will also explore how they fit into their class, school and in the wider community. They will also be supported in learning how to keep themselves safe when out exploring our local areas.

Independence: It is important to us that students have the opportunity to become as independent as possible. We work on developing skills and opportunities to encourage problem solving and having confidence in their own choices.

Wellbeing: The health and happiness of our whole school community is incredibly important to us. We work on developing self-confidence, self-esteem, managing feelings and developing trusting relationships through our PSHE learning.

Communication: Students are supported and encouraged to communicate their feelings, needs and wants in a range of methods that suit them. They are listened to and heard. Our PSHE lessons offer a safe and nurturing space where our students feel supported and valued.

Our PSHE curriculum has been constructed using the advice and guidance available through the PSHE association which is the national body for PSHE education. This means that we have implemented the compulsory elements of Relationships Education (Key Stage 1 & 2) and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) (Key Stage 3 & 4) along with Health Education (Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 4). However, our curriculum is also highly differentiated to meet the needs of our complex learners. More information regarding the PSHE Association along with examples of our Primary and Secondary long-term plans can be found on the following links:

PSHE Association | Charity and membership body for PSHE education (pshe-association.org.uk)

Patchwork Primary Long-Term Plan

Patchwork Secondary Long-Term Plan

For each topic we have developed a curriculum map and medium-term plan to support the delivery of our PSHE curriculum. Below is an example taken from our Primary curriculum of the topic ‘Managing Feelings’.

Impact

The impact of our Patchwork PSHE curriculum can be seen, heard, and felt throughout the school. You will see a community of staff who are nurturing, supportive and respectful of our student’s needs and wellbeing. Progress is measured through photos, experiences, and updated and shared through our Patchwork tag on Evidence for Learning.

The happiness, independence and emotional wellbeing of each of our students is incredibly important to us as a school, and our PSHE lessons and learning encourage and support students to communicate their feelings and manage them appropriately in a range of environments and situations. Our students are heard, and they play an active role in the planning of their PSHE learning through half-termly class planning sessions. Patchwork will also feed into our target setting, supporting students to work on life-long skills to develop friendships and recognise when something is wrong or dangerous.

We feel that the impact of a well-rounded PSHE curriculum can be life changing for our students, and therefore, it is flexible and adaptive to suit their needs and understanding at any given time.