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What do we want our children to learn?

Our intention is that every child leaves All Saints Academy as a well-rounded individual equipped with the knowledge and skills to live a fulfilled life and make a positive contribution to our local community and the wider world. We aim to provide all children with a PSHE curriculum that provides them with the knowledge and skills to flourish physically, socially and emotionally into independent young people.

For specific details, see our Life lessons progression document and sequencing document (see below).

What do life lessons look like at ASA?

Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, PSHE is referred to as personal, social and emotional development. Within the Early Years Foundation Stage, activities and experiences for children are based on the seven areas of learning and development. Children develop their own sense of self, learn how to build and form relationships, as well as learning how to express their feelings and wants.  It is also about developing respect for others, social competence and a positive disposition to learn.

Teaching PSHE in KS1 and 2

At All Saints Academy, PSHE (Personal, Social, Heath & Economic Education) in KS1 and KS2 is referred to as ‘Life Lessons’. Children will develop their PSHE understanding through the delivery of six themes:

  • People Around Me
  • Keeping Safe
  • Healthy Body and Mind
  • World-Wide Citizens
  • Finance Education
  • Growing Up

In June 2019, the government published statutory guidance for school (Relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education).  This guidance outlines the requirements of schools to teach relationships, health and sex education. As a school, we have looked closely at the government guidance and ensured that all statutory elements of RSE have been covered within the relevant themes listed above or in other areas of the curriculum (e.g. Science, Computing, DT). We have also selected some non-statutory elements from within the government guidance. Parents do have the right to withdraw their child from the non-statutory elements of the Life Lessons curriculum. However, parents are not permitted to withdraw their child from any of the statutory elements of the curriculum. For further information, please read our RSE policy.

Some objectives within our Life Lessons curriculum have strong links with other subjects. As a result, sometimes these objectives are taught within another subject, for example online safety taught within computing. We also visit many objectives from these themes within collective worship, for example discrimination, protected characteristics, stereotypes and family differences. Our school values are regularly reinforced through the learning carried out in Life Lessons.

In order to ensure secure coverage, staff plan their Life Lessons using objectives from the school’s progression document and sequencing document. Objectives for each strand are mapped out progressively across the year groups. The progression map clearly identifies any of the statutory objectives which have been taken from the RSE guidance. We have also highlighted in yellow any objectives which are non-statutory but we believe are important for our children to cover as part of the life lessons curriculum at All Saints Academy. Key vocabulary is mapped out across the Life Lessons curriculum and this vocabulary is explicitly taught.

 A wide range of teaching strategies are used to deliver the life lessons curriculum including drama, circle-time discussions, practical activities and visitors into school.

What is the impact of our Life Lessons curriculum?

Through the teaching of PSHE and RSE in this way, it is hoped that we offer both explicit and implicit learning opportunities and experiences which reflect children’s increasing independence and physical and social awareness as they move through primary school. It builds on the skills that pupils acquire during EYFS to develop effective relationships, assume greater personal responsibility and manage personal safety, including online. Life Lessons sessions help pupils to cope with the changes at puberty, introduces them to the wider world and enables them to make an active contribution to their communities.

Pupil voice

To measure and monitor our life lessons curriculum, pupil voice takes place which is over seen by the curriculum leader. This gives our children the chance to express any questions, concerns and curiosities they may have. To ensure our curriculum is relevant and led by our children’s needs to develop as well-rounded individuals.

Key documents/links