PSHE

PSHE Curriculum at Buntingford First School

At Buntingford First School, we are committed to providing a comprehensive and engaging Personal, Social, Health, and Economic (PSHE) education that helps students grow into well-rounded, responsible, and confident individuals. We follow the Dimensions PSHE curriculum, which is designed to build important life skills, emotional intelligence, and a deeper understanding of the world around them.

What is Dimensions PSHE?

The Dimensions PSHE curriculum is a sequenced and progressive program that supports children in developing a wide range of skills and knowledge to help them thrive both in school and in their lives outside of school. The curriculum is carefully structured to ensure that students develop in the following key areas:

• Health and Wellbeing: Helping students understand how to look after their physical and mental health.
• Relationships: Teaching students about positive relationships, friendships, and social skills.
• Living in the Wider World: Promoting awareness of social responsibility, diversity, and life beyond school.

Curriculum Sequence and Progression of Skills

The Dimensions PSHE curriculum is structured to ensure a progressive development of skills from Early Years through to Year 4. Each unit builds on the previous year’s learning to ensure that students can apply what they’ve learned to different situations and develop a deeper understanding of the world and their role in it.

Early Years (Reception)

• Focus: Introducing the foundational aspects of PSHE with an emphasis on personal identity, emotions, and relationships.
• Key Skills Developed:
  • Self-awareness: Understanding personal feelings and emotions.
  • Building relationships: Learning how to make friends and share with others.
  • Health and hygiene: Basic concepts of personal care and the importance of health.
• Themes Covered:
  • Feeling good about oneself.
  • Understanding emotions and how to manage them.
  • Learning about friendship, kindness, and sharing.

Key Stage 1 (Years 1 & 2)

• Focus: Developing skills to manage emotions, build healthy relationships, and understand their role in the community.
• Key Skills Developed:
  • Emotional resilience: Managing feelings such as anger, frustration, and happiness.
  • Social skills: Working with others, resolving conflicts, and communicating effectively.
  • Personal safety and health: Recognising the importance of exercise, diet, and emotional well-being.
• Themes Covered:
  • Health and wellbeing: Looking after the body and mind, healthy eating, exercise, and sleep.
  • Relationships: Understanding family dynamics, making friends, and resolving conflicts.
  • Living in the world: Knowing how to be part of a community and understanding the importance of rules and fairness.

Key Stage 2 (Years 3 & 4)

• Focus: Exploring deeper topics related to relationships, emotional intelligence, and broader societal issues, helping children prepare for the transition to secondary school.
• Key Skills Developed:
  • Empathy and respect: Recognising and respecting diversity, managing conflict in relationships, and understanding other perspectives.
  • Critical thinking: Considering the consequences of actions and understanding choices.
  • Economic awareness: Developing an understanding of money, work, and social responsibility.
• Themes Covered:
  • Health and wellbeing: Coping with change, managing stress, and understanding mental health.
  • Relationships: Developing positive friendships, managing peer pressure, and respecting boundaries.
  • Living in the world: Understanding global issues, responsibility towards others, and becoming aware of sustainability.

The Progression of Skills

Across each key stage, the Dimensions PSHE curriculum follows a clear progression of skills to ensure students build their understanding and emotional literacy over time. The curriculum is designed to scaffold learning, so students have a solid foundation before moving on to more complex topics.

• Self-awareness: Progressing from recognising basic emotions to understanding more complex feelings and managing them effectively.
• Relationships: Starting with making friends and learning to share, moving towards more advanced skills like handling peer pressure, respecting boundaries, and resolving conflicts in healthy ways.
• Community and responsibility: Moving from understanding family roles and rules to engaging in discussions about local, national, and global responsibilities.

Assessment and Reflection

We believe that PSHE education is an integral part of children's overall development. At Buntingford First School, we assess students' understanding of PSHE through a mix of class discussions, reflection activities, and practical exercises. Teachers use these assessments to track the development of emotional and social skills, ensuring that each child is progressing and able to apply their learning to real-life situations.

Through regular self-reflection and peer discussions, students gain confidence in their emotional and social skills, and learn to value themselves and others.

In Early Years, we assess our children using Development Matters statements.  By the time the children leave us in Reception, we assess our children against the Early Learning Goals.  In Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 we look at the objectives set by the Dimensions curriculum.

Why PSHE Matters

At Buntingford First School, we believe that PSHE education is not just about teaching facts—it's about empowering children with the skills and knowledge they need to lead healthy, happy, and fulfilling lives. The Dimensions PSHE curriculum is an essential part of our approach to personal development, ensuring that students not only succeed academically but also grow into thoughtful, compassionate, and responsible individuals.

What do we learn in Relationship and Sex Education (RSE)? 

As part of our PSHE curriculum we teach the children Relationships and Sex Education (RSE). We have chosen to teach this using the Christopher Winter’s Project.  Further information can be found on our RSE page 

Relationship and Sex Education