PSHE & RSE
Lead Teacher: Mrs L Hewitt
Rationale
At Alkrington Primary, we believe that children’s wellbeing and character are as important as their academic learning. Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education is a vital part for preparing our children for the opportunities, responsibilities and challenges of modern life. Through PSHE, our pupils develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to stay healthy, safe and thrive as individuals, family members and members of wider society.
To help us achieve this we have chosen to use the Think Equal Early Years Programme for social and emotional learning from Nursery to Reception and Twinkl Life’s PSHE scheme of work from Years 1-6.
Think Equal is a global Early Years programme designed to nurture essential social and emotional skills in children aged 3–6. Think Equal helps children learn how to:
- Understand and manage their emotions
- Build empathy and kindness towards others
- Develop positive relationships and resolve conflicts peacefully
- Grow confidence, resilience, and self-awareness
- Appreciate diversity, fairness, and inclusion
The programme is taught through engaging storybooks, discussions, role-play, and creative activities that bring these life skills to life in the classroom. Teachers receive specialised training and resources, ensuring that every lesson is age-appropriate, consistent, and enjoyable for young learners.
Twinkl Life’s PSHE scheme has been researched and carefully chosen because it provides a clear, structured and progressive approach to the subject, ensuring full coverage of the statutory Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education guidance. The units, objectives and resources are fully in line with the three themes from the PSHE Association: Health & Wellbeing, Relationships, and Living in the Wider World, which is widely used by schools in England and is recommended and referred to by the DfE in all key documentation relating to PSHE provision in schools. The scheme also reflects our school vision, our spiritual, moral, social, and cultural obligations, and Alkrington’s qualities and characteristics aims by promoting respect, resilience and responsibility, helping children to build positive relationships and make informed choices.
The scheme is designed as a spiral curriculum with thematic units that are revisited every other year. This enables us to revisit content to reinforce and further develop knowledge or bridge gaps in knowledge and skills. Lessons are mostly taught explicitly, on a weekly basis. However, where the scheme further benefits our children is how we can utilise its lessons and resources to enhance events in the school’s social calendar and/or other national events, celebrations or current headline topics. In addition to this, the lessons are designed to be delivered in a creative manner, using many approaches including role play, discussions and games with groups of various sizes, meaning that we can adapt our lessons to meet the various learning styles.
Intent
At Alkrington Primary School, our intent for Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education in the Early Years Foundation Stage is to give every child the foundations they need to understand themselves, form positive relationships and develop the emotional literacy essential for lifelong wellbeing and learning.
Through the Think Equal programme, we provide a structured, nurturing approach that helps our youngest learners to recognise and manage their emotions, develop empathy and respect for others, and build a strong sense of self and belonging. The programme supports children in exploring values such as kindness, inclusion, resilience and fairness through stories, discussion and creative activities.
Our intent is for all children in the EYFS to leave Reception equipped with the social and emotional skills that enable them to thrive—confident in expressing themselves, able to make thoughtful choices, and ready to engage positively within their school and wider community. By embedding Think Equal within our PSHE provision, we lay the groundwork for the personal development and wellbeing outcomes that underpin success across all areas of learning throughout their journey at Alkrington Primary School.
Through the Twinkl Life PSHE & Citizenship scheme, used in years 1-6, we aim to provide pupils with the knowledge, understanding and emotional intelligence to navigate an ever-changing world safely and positively.
We want our pupils to develop:
- The confidence to express themselves and manage their feelings.
- The ability to form positive relationships built on respect and empathy.
- The resilience to make informed, safe and responsible choices.
- The ambition to contribute meaningfully to their community and the wider world.
Our ambition is for every child to leave Alkrington Primary equipped with the life skills, emotional literacy, and moral grounding needed to thrive personally, socially and academically.
The Twinkl Life scheme provides a clear and progressive structure, ensuring pupils revisit key themes at increasing levels of depth as they move through school.
By the end of Key Stage 1, pupils will:
- Understand simple ways to keep themselves safe and healthy.
- Begin to identify and talk about their feelings.
- Recognise right and wrong and the importance of kindness, fairness and respect.
- Understand how to be a good friend and member of a group.
By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils will:
- Develop strategies for managing change, challenges and emotions.
- Understand how their bodies and minds change as they grow.
- Learn about different types of relationships, including online safety and consent.
- Explore the impact of money, media, and social influence on their decisions.
- Understand how to be active, responsible citizens in a diverse and democratic society.
Learning builds over time and key concepts—such as emotional regulation, healthy relationships, safety, and citizenship—are revisited with greater sophistication and application at each stage.
PSHE at Alkrington provides pupils with the essential knowledge and life skills needed to succeed beyond school.
It helps pupils to:
- Understand themselves and others in a multicultural and interconnected world.
- Recognise how health, relationships, and personal choices shape their future.
- Develop financial awareness and responsibility.
- Engage with local and global issues such as sustainability, equality and wellbeing.
Through PSHE and the strong relationships we built with our pupils, we nurture empathy, integrity, and social awareness—qualities that build the foundation for lifelong success, civic participation, and personal fulfilment.
PSHE underpins the whole curriculum and school ethos. It contributes to pupils’ learning and personal growth across subjects by:
- Reading: exploring high-quality texts and stories that promote empathy, inclusion and understanding of diverse experiences.
- Writing: developing communication skills through reflection journals, letters, persuasive writing, and expressing opinions respectfully.
- Maths: applying real-life financial education, problem-solving, and data-handling skills.
- Wider Personal Development: supporting British Values, emotional wellbeing, online safety, environmental awareness, and preparation for life in modern Britain.
PSHE connects academic learning with the real world, strengthening pupils’ ability to make informed decisions, build relationships, and develop a lifelong love of learning.
Inclusion
We ensure that our PSHE curriculum is accessible and ambitious for all learners.
- Lessons are differentiated and scaffolded to meet the needs of every child, including those with SEND or who are disadvantaged.
- Visual supports, structured discussions, and vocabulary aids help ensure all pupils can access and articulate key concepts.
- Real-life contexts, stories, and role-play activities enable learning to be meaningful and inclusive.
- We foster a safe, respectful environment where pupils feel confident to share opinions and learn from one another’s experiences.
At Alkrington, we believe that personal development is a right for every child, and our PSHE teaching reflects that belief through equality of opportunity and expectation.
Implementation
The Think Equal programme enriches our PSHE curriculum and forms a vital part of our approach to developing the whole child. Our dedicated staff deliver lessons weekly, underpinning our ethos and nurturing emotional intelligence, empathy and positive relationships.
Through these carefully structured, age-appropriate lessons, pupils are introduced to key social and emotional learning themes such as self-awareness, resilience, kindness, inclusion, and respect for diversity. Teachers deliver the Think Equal lessons using a variety of creative and reflective approaches – including storytelling, discussion, art, and role play – ensuring that learning is engaging and accessible for all.
The implementation of Think Equal is closely aligned with our PSHE and wider curriculum intent. It supports pupils in developing the attitudes, skills, and knowledge they need to become confident, compassionate, and responsible members of the school and wider community. Staff receive regular training to ensure consistency and high-quality delivery, and the impact of the programme is monitored through pupil voice, classroom observation, and ongoing reflection.
The Twinkl Life Scheme of Work, provides a clear, structured, and progressive approach to personal, social, health and economic education. This ensures that pupils develop the knowledge, skills, and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy, and responsible lives.
Each unit of work identifies clear end points that are carefully sequenced to build upon prior learning. This progression ensures that pupils revisit and deepen their understanding of key themes such as relationships, health and wellbeing, and living in the wider world. By the end of each key stage, pupils demonstrate increased emotional literacy, self-awareness, and the ability to make informed, positive choices.
Units are taught by familiar adults who the children are comfortable and confident with, through a variety of interactive and reflective approaches. Teachers use enquiry-based learning, discussion, modelling, and role play to encourage pupils to explore real-life situations and develop empathy and problem-solving skills. Lessons are scaffolded to meet the needs of all learners, with opportunities for retrieval practice to help pupils recall and apply their learning over time. Practical experiences, including group activities and circle time, promote collaboration and communication.
The Twinkl Life resources include high-quality lesson materials, stories, videos, and discussion prompts which engage pupils and bring learning to life. Enrichment activities, such as visits from community representatives, themed assemblies, and whole-school wellbeing events, enhance pupils’ understanding of the world around them. These experiences support the development of values such as respect, kindness, and citizenship.
In Year 3, the children take part in the ‘Linking Network’. The Linking Network in Rochdale is delivered via the Rochdale Linking Schools Programme, launched in 2017 by the Equalities Team of Rochdale Borough Council. It works by pairing classes from different schools and communities (often from diverse backgrounds), who meet three times a year to explore the four core questions: Who am I? Who are we? Where do we live? How do we all live together? In partnership with cultural organisations such as M6 Theatre and Touchstones, the programme uses workshops, creative arts, drama, and shared projects (poetry, art exchanges, exhibitions) to support pupils in reflecting on identity, diversity, empathy, and community belonging.
The impact has been strong. Pupils report improved trust, confidence, empathy, and awareness of others who are different from themselves. Schools benefit through enhanced spiritual, moral, social and cultural education (SMSC), stronger community cohesion, and clearer contributions to British values and the Prevent duty. Additionally, teachers observe increased communication skills, critical thinking, and pupils taking active roles in their school communities.
Teachers are supported in delivering PSHE through ongoing CPD opportunities, access to detailed lesson plans, and support from the PSHE subject lead, who provides guidance and monitors the consistency and impact of teaching. Collaborative planning and shared resources ensure that staff feel confident and well-equipped to address sensitive issues in an age-appropriate way.
Assessment in PSHE is ongoing and reflective. Teachers use discussion, observation, pupil self-assessment, and recorded work to check understanding and track progress. Assessment outcomes are used to adapt teaching, address misconceptions, and ensure that all pupils are developing the personal and social skills outlined in the curriculum end points.
The PSHE curriculum actively supports the development of pupils’ language, communication, and literacy. Lessons encourage rich dialogue, the use of key vocabulary, and opportunities for pupils to articulate thoughts and feelings clearly. Through reading and responding to stories, scenarios, and texts, pupils strengthen their comprehension and empathy, while written reflections and discussions help refine their spoken and written expression.
Impact
Through our chosen schemes, Alkrington Primary provides an effective PSHE curriculum for wellbeing. Children are enabled to develop the vocabulary and confidence needed to clearly articulate their thoughts and feelings in a climate of openness, trust and respect, and know when and how they can seek the support of others. They will apply their understanding of society to their everyday interactions, from the classroom to the wider community of which they are a part.
Our PSHE curriculum reflects the active development of our school culture which prioritises physical and mental health and wellbeing, providing children with the skills to evaluate and understand their own wellbeing needs, practise self-care and contribute positively to the wellbeing of others, also empowering vulnerable and disadvantaged children with the skills they need to overcome the barriers they may face.
Our school’s dedication to providing a rich curriculum to equip children with these skills has a positive impact on the whole child, including their academic development and progress, by mitigating social and emotional barriers to learning and building confidence and self-esteem.
PSHE / RSE Statutory Objectives Coverage
PSHE Progression of Skills and Knowledge
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