PSHE Rationale

With God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26)

At St Michael with St John CE Primary School, we believe that Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education, including statutory Relationships and Health Education (RHE), is fundamental to our vision of nurturing every child to flourish academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually. As a Church of England school, our Christian vision and values underpin all aspects of school life, encouraging every child to recognise their own worth and respect the dignity of others.

Children today are growing up in an increasingly diverse, interconnected and rapidly changing world. They encounter a wide range of influences and experiences through their families, communities and the digital world. We believe that pupils need a carefully planned, age-appropriate curriculum that equips them with the knowledge, understanding, language and confidence to make informed, responsible and safe decisions throughout their lives.

Our PSHE curriculum has been designed to meet the statutory Department for Education Relationships and Health Education requirements from September 2026. It reflects the needs of our school community and prepares children to become healthy, safe, respectful and responsible citizens. Through explicit teaching about relationships, mental and physical wellbeing, online safety, families, diversity, equality, economic wellbeing and personal safety, we provide children with the foundations they need to flourish now and in the future.

Our curriculum is preventative as well as responsive. We believe children should be equipped with the knowledge and resilience to recognise risks, establish healthy relationships, understand personal boundaries, seek help when needed and make positive choices throughout their lives.

Through PSHE, Collective Worship and our wider curriculum, we promote pupils' spiritual, moral, social, cultural, mental and physical development, enabling every child to live out our vision that they are equipped to overcome life's challenges and make a positive contribution to society.