PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) and
RSE (Relationships & Sex Education) at Holly Trees Primary School  

What is PSHE Education?

PSHE Education (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) is a planned programme of learning through which children and young people acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to successfully manage their lives – now and in the future. As part of a whole-school approach, PSHE Education develops the qualities and attributes pupils need to thrive as individuals, family members and members of society.

What do schools have to teach in PSHE Education?

According to the National Curriculum, every school needs to have a broad and balanced curriculum that:

• promotes the spiritual, moral, social, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school;
• prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life;
• promotes British values.

From September 2020, primary schools in England also need to teach Relationships Education as compulsory subjects and the Department for Education strongly recommends this should also include age-appropriate Sex Education.

Schools also have statutory responsibilities to safeguard their pupils (Keeping Children Safe in Education, DfE, 2019) and to uphold the Equality Act (2010).

At Holly Trees Primary School, we follow a whole school PSHE scheme called Jigsaw. Jigsaw supports all of the above statements.

Our Intent

Jigsaw is designed as a whole school approach, with all year groups working on the same theme (Puzzle) at the same time. Jigsaw provides well-structured, progressive lesson plans which we tweak to meet the needs of our children at Holly Trees.  This enables us to prepare children for life, helping them really know and value who they are and understand how they relate to other people in this ever-changing world.  We want to empower children to understand how to build and maintain their own mental health, love who they are, increase their capacity to learn and equip them with the knowledge, understanding, attitudes and practical skills to live a safe, happy and healthy life. 

There are six Puzzles (half-term units of work) each with six Pieces (lessons). Every year group studies the same Puzzle at the same time (sequentially ordered from September to July), allowing for whole school themes and the end of Puzzle product, for example, a display or floor book, which can be shared and celebrated within the wider school. 

Each year group is taught one lesson per week and all lessons are delivered in an age- and stage-appropriate way so that they meet children’s needs. 

The different puzzle pieces are: 

• Being Me In My World 
• Celebrating Difference 
• Dreams and Goals 
• Healthy Me 
• Relationships
• Changing Me  

What is Jigsaw, the mindful approach to PSHE, and how does it work?

Jigsaw is a whole-school approach and embodies a positive philosophy and creative teaching and learning activities to nurture children’s development as compassionate and well-rounded human beings as well as building their capacity to learn.

Jigsaw is a comprehensive and completely original PSHE Education programme (lesson plans and teaching resources) for the whole primary school from ages 3-11 (12 in Scotland). Written by teachers and grounded in sound psychology, it also includes all the statutory requirements for Relationships and Health Education, and Sex Education is also included in the Changing Me Puzzle (unit).

Jigsaw has two main aims for all children:

• To build their capacity for learning
• To equip them for life

Jigsaw brings together PSHE Education, compulsory Relationships and Health Education, emotional literacy, mindfulness, social skills and spiritual development. It is designed as a whole school approach, with all year groups working on the same theme (Puzzle) at the same time at their own level. There are six Puzzles (half-term units of work) and each year group is taught one lesson per week. All lessons are delivered in an age- and stage-appropriate way so that they meet children’s needs.

Each Puzzle starts with an introductory assembly, generating a whole school focus for adults and children alike. There is also a Weekly Celebration that highlights a theme from that week’s lesson across the school encouraging children to live that learning in their behaviour and attitudes.

To find out more about Jigsaw please click on the link below to access a Parent/Carer information guide and our PSHE Policy.

Jigsaw Parent & Carer Guide 

Jigsaw Content Overview

PSHE Policy including RSE

By providing you with the curriculum coverage and the key vocabulary that we use in each year group, you as parents will develop an awareness of what children are expected to understand at what age.  This will help you to be able to speak openly at home about these topics, which is a starting point for safeguarding and improving mental health.

Jigsaw is monitored and reviewed regularly by the staff and governing body. All teaching takes place in a safe learning environment and is underpinned by our school ethos and values.

Relationships, Sex and Health Education

From September 2020, Relationships and Health Education are compulsory in all primary schools in England. For primary aged children this includes curriculum content under two headings:

Relationships Education:

Relationships Education is designed to help children to have positive and safe relationships with family, friends and online.  All primary schools are required by the government to teach Relationships Education and parents cannot withdraw children from this section of the curriculum.  The areas this section of the curriculum cover are:

• Families and people who care for me
• Caring Friendships
• Respectful Relationships
• Online Relationships
• Being Safe

Health Education:

Health Education will help children to make good decisions about their health and wellbeing and enable them to know how to seek support if any health issues arise for themselves or others.  The areas it will cover are:

• Mental wellbeing
• Internet safety and harms
• Physical health and fitness
• Healthy eating
• Drugs, alcohol and tobacco
• Health and prevention
• Basic first aid
• The changing adolescent body

This DfE guidance clearly states the statutory requirements, i.e. what children MUST be taught by the end of primary school. Health Education includes learning about ‘the changing adolescent body’ to equip children to understand and cope with puberty. The National Curriculum for Science (also a compulsory subject), includes learning the correct names for the main external body parts, learning about the human body as it grows from birth to old age and reproduction in some plants and animals (which could include human beings). So, Relationships Education, Health Education and Science are compulsory subjects and parents/carers do NOT have the right to withdraw their children from these subjects. 

Sex  Education

Sex Education is designed to help children to:

• Understand and respect their bodies
• Develop positive and healthy relationships appropriate to their age and development
• Support children to have positive self-esteem and body image
• Empower them to be safe and safeguarded.

At Holly Trees, we have been delivering RSHE within our Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) curriculum for many years.  We have reviewed our PSHE curriculum to make sure that our lessons meet the requirements that the government has set out for the content of Relationships and Health Education.  The DfE recommends, ‘that all primary schools should have a Sex Education programme tailored to the age and the physical and emotional maturity of the pupils.’  At Holly Trees this is taught through our Jigsaw PSHE programme, which is delivered through the ‘Relationships’ and ‘Changing Me’ puzzle pieces which are covered in the summer term.