At Farsley Springbank Primary School, our intent is to provide a high-quality PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) curriculum that equips pupils with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to thrive as courageous, kind and curious learners. Rooted in our commitment to being a Healthy School, our PSHE provision promotes not only the holistic well-being of every child but also the positive relationships, ethos and values that underpin our school community.
Our curriculum fully incorporates and extends all statutory requirements for Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education. Through carefully planned and progressive learning, pupils develop the personal understanding, emotional literacy and practical strategies needed to make informed choices, manage risks, build strong relationships and lead fulfilled lives. PSHE at Farsley Springbank prepares children to navigate the complexities of the modern world—supporting them to become compassionate friends, responsible citizens and respectful members of society.
Our PSHE curriculum is directly guided by our six Curriculum Drivers, which shape both what our children learn and how they grow:
Independence: Nurtured through self-reflection and decision-making, supporting pupils to understand themselves, their personal values and their responsibilities.
Determination: Underpins pupils’ ability to persevere with complex or sensitive topics, such as managing emotions, resolving conflicts and making safe choices.
Curiosity: Inspires pupils to ask big questions, explore diverse viewpoints and develop a rich, empathetic understanding of the world around them.
Risk-Taking: Encourages children to courageously express opinions, engage in healthy debate and challenge stereotypes within a safe, supportive and non-judgmental classroom environment.
Collaboration: Central to our daily practice, with pupils learning through active discussion, structured talk partnerships and shared problem-solving.
Respect: For themselves, for others and for difference. This driver is woven throughout all learning and reflects the deeply inclusive ethos of our school.
Through evidence-based initiatives such as MindMate lessons, the No Outsiders framework and our whole-school well-being focus, children experience a culture where their voices matter, their feelings are valued and their unique identities are celebrated.
PSHE at Farsley Springbank is taught through a well-sequenced, engaging and progressive curriculum from Year 1 to Year 6, primarily utilizing the You, Me and PSHE scheme of learning. This has been regularly reviewed, changed and altered so that it more readily reflects our learners' needs. This structure ensures that key knowledge, skills and concepts are systematically revisited and deepened over time.
Across the academic year, children explore six core thematic areas:
Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing
Identity, Society and Equality
Keeping Safe and Managing Risk
Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco Education
Careers, Financial Capability and Economic Wellbeing
Physical Health and Wellbeing
To ensure learning is impactful and tailored to our children's needs, each unit typically follows a structured three-lesson cycle:
Lessons explicitly address vital safeguarding themes—such as online safety, bullying, healthy relationships, boundaries and personal safety—ensuring children develop practical, real-world strategies to keep themselves and others safe.
MindMate Sessions: Alongside our core units, pupils take part in regular MindMate sessions, which explicitly support positive mental health, emotional literacy and psychological resilience.
Talk Time: PSHE lessons prioritize dedicated 'talk time', allowing pupils to discuss current issues, share opinions, explore age-appropriate news stories and engage thoughtfully with real-life contexts.
The No Outsiders Programme: Taught explicitly through high-quality picture books and discussion-led learning, No Outsiders develops pupils’ understanding of equality and the protected characteristics, ensuring a culture where everyone belongs.
Enriched Whole-School Experiences: PSHE learning is further contextualized through targeted whole-school events, including Equality Week, Anti-Bullying Week, Pants are Private (NSPCC Underwear Rule) lessons, Mental Health Week and targeted assemblies that reinforce our values, rights and responsibilities.
Consent lessons: At the beginning of every lesson, children will reflect on their understanding on personal boundaries and consent. This is primarily done by looking at books and pictures to promote discussion and encourage children to respect their own and other's boundaries.
Ground rules: Ground rules are a key part of our PSHE lessons so that children understand the lesson as a safe space where they are discuss openly and honestly which showing respect to the opinions of others. These are reviewed reguarly throughout a series of lessons.
RSE is taught across Years 1–6, fully meeting and extending statutory national expectations. Lessons are strictly age-appropriate, clearly sequenced and support pupils to develop an accurate understanding of healthy friendships, personal boundaries and the physical and emotional aspects of growing and changing.
In our Early Years setting, Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED) is treated as a prime area of learning. Through both explicitly planned teaching and positive daily interactions, Reception children develop vital skills in self-regulation, independence and strong, secure relationships. Pupils engage in foundational units such as ‘settling in’, ‘all about me’ and ‘managing feelings’, while fully participating in our whole-school well-being events.
Continuous Improvement: As national Relationships and Health Education guidance evolves, our curriculum undergoes regular, rigorous internal reviews. This ensures our teaching continuously meets, adapts to and exceeds statutory expectations, remaining perfectly relevant to the contemporary lives of our pupils.
PSHE long term plan
As the new Relationships and Health Education guidance has been introduced, our curriculum is being reviewed throughout this year to ensure it fully meets, and where appropriate exceeds, the statutory expectations.
We have mapped out how we cover the statutory requirements of the Health and Relationships Education curriculum so ensure all aspects are covered.
PSHE and RSE policies
You can find our PSHE and RSE policies using the links below.