Intent

At the South Hams Federation we believe that PSHE and RHE provides a vehicle for
developing our children’s attitudes, values and sensitivities towards others. We believe that
through implementing an appropriately structured programme across the whole school we will
enable children to both develop a positive sense of self as well as a respect and understanding
for others. To embrace the challenges of creating a happy and successful adult life, pupils need
knowledge that will enable them to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and
relationships. Pupils can also put this knowledge into practice as they develop the capacity to
make sound decisions when facing risks, challenges and complex contexts. We aim to support
our children to develop resilience, to know how and when to ask for help, and to know where to
access support.

In line with the 2026 statutory RSHE guidance, our curriculum ensures that all pupils learn:

 

• How to build and maintain healthy, respectful relationships
• How to recognise and express emotions
• How to stay physically and mentally healthy
• How to keep themselves safe, including online safety, digital citizenship, and managing online risks
• The statutory content on puberty, menstrual wellbeing, and the basic facts of conception
• How to seek help, recognise trusted adults and access support

PSHE education is taught in an age and stage appropriate way, following a spiral approach that
revisits and embeds learning. We use the PSHE Association Programme Builder to ensure
developmental progression and age appropriate learning.

We recognise that our school faces our own unique opportunities and challenges and therefore
tailor our PSHE and RSHE education curriculum to the needs of our pupils. It is our intent to
design a PSHE curriculum with appropriate subject knowledge and understanding as well as,
skills to fulfil the duties of the National Curriculum. We provide a balanced and broadly based
curriculum which promotes the spiritual, moral and cultural development of children, as well as
their physical and mental well-being. Our PSHE curriculum is a golden thread throughout our
schools and the wider community.

Implementation

To ensure our intent works in our day-to-day classrooms we understand that our implementation
needs to be:

• Flexible
• Creative
• Robust
• Resilient
• Collaborative

“Good quality teaching takes into account all children in the class and plans small enough steps
for the vast majority of children to achieve success with scaffolding and support, and for others
to be challenged in the same concept to a greater depth of reasoning.” (EEF)

Planning and Timetabling

Our curriculum is structured using the PSHE Association Programme of Study, ensuring full
coverage of the 2026 statutory Relationship Education and Health Education requirements.
Mediumterm and lesson planning are supported by the Programme Builder, and teachers use
the federation’s standard lesson format to ensure consistency and highquality delivery.
Teachers use qualityassured PSHE Association resources, ensuring accuracy, safeguarding
compliance and ageappropriate content. The longterm overview ensures statutory coverage of:

 

• Families and relationships
• Friendships and respectful behaviour
• Online safety and digital resilience
• Physical health and mental wellbeing
• Puberty and menstrual wellbeing
• Basic facts of conception (statutory)
• Safety, including recognising risks and knowing how to seek help

PSHE curriculum incorporates Relationship and Health Education and identifies links to British
Values, Cultural Capital, SMSC and the school ethos. We ensure that the PSHE curriculum is
implemented throughout the whole school. Every class has dedicated time for PSHE (weekly
session). PSHE assemblies are also held focussing on wellbeing, safety and British Values.

Pedagogy: A coherent sequence: Reflection, re-cap and examples

As a school, we have developed our understanding and use of a variety of pedagogical
approaches that focus on how children learn. We believe that these approaches enhance and
develop our mastery approach. We are using the 10 principles of Instruction (Rosenshine) to
underpin our planning; specifically, carefully planning opportunities for retrieval through the use
of carefully scaffolded questioning. We understand that with retrieval practice, regularly visiting
areas already learnt before, helps to connect new ideas to ones that are already known.

Elicitation Tasks and AFL

Within lessons we use elicitation tasks where pupils are given time to discuss what they already
know about the chosen unit, this enables teachers to use their assessment for learning to adapt
PSHE and RSHE lessons to the needs of the pupils in their class.

Questioning

Teachers will use questioning throughout PSHE and RHE lessons to elicit children’s
understanding and promote and challenge children to deepen understanding of concepts.
Questions should be precise and develop thinking. Teachers will build opportunity for AFL into
lessons and will use regular opportunities for discussion and use strategies to check and
deepen a pupil’s understanding.

Modelling, Discussion and Dialogue

Talk is central to PSHE and RSHE. Pupils are encouraged to:

 

• Articulate their thinking
• Ask clarifying questions
• Agree and disagree respectfully
• Justify their views
• Use full sentences to communicate clearly

This builds confidence, empathy and critical thinking.

SEND Pupils

Where children are working significantly below the expected age related requirements of the
curriculum, scaffolding and targeted work takes place on a daily basis. These activities are
planned by the teacher in discussion and collaboration with the SENDCO, parents and the TA
working within the class. We believe that it is important that all learners are taught within the
classroom with their peers, where interventions are needed teachers and teaching assistants
follow bespoke evidence informed intervention. Teachers have access to a SEND toolkit
available from the PSHE Association to aid planning for pupils with SEND. We also pre-teach
children who are at risk of falling behind in certain areas, this develops curiosity and interest
as well as gives these children confidence and practice in retrieval before they learn new
topic areas.

Collaborative and Reflective CPD

As part of The South Hams Federation, staff benefit from shared training, moderation and
curriculum development, ensuring consistency and highquality practice across schools.

Diversity, Inclusion and Prevent

Our curriculum promotes equality, respect and inclusion. In line with the strengthened 2026
guidance on extremism and safeguarding, pupils learn:

• Similarities and differences
• Community, belonging and inclusion
• Stereotyping, prejudice and resisting extremist narratives

This supports pupils to think critically and recognise harmful influences.

Impact

Pupil Voice

Because PSHE is discussionrich, pupil voice is a key indicator of understanding. Conversations
with pupils demonstrate:

• Their ability to articulate learning
• Their understanding of how to stay safe and healthy
• Their ability to connect prior learning to new concepts
• Their awareness of how to seek help

KS2 pupils also record learning to demonstrate progression and reflection.

Progression

Effective monitoring and evaluation as well as informed and adaptable planning ensure progress
is evident for all learners. Progress can be seen week on week as a teaching sequence is
delivered as well as over a whole unit, termly and over the course of the academic year. Timely
‘book looks’, cross federation moderation and learning walks review progress in relation to the
progression of skills for each year group and guarantee consistency and high expectations are
maintained.

Learning Environment

The learning environment seeks to challenge, inspire and aid all learners within The South
Hams Federation. The working walls in each class showcase the curriculum being taught and
the planned sequence of learning for the unit. The work on display celebrates the achievements
of the learners and the progress they are making.

Recording

The purpose of children recording is to allow teachers to measure whether pupils have
understood the concept being taught and the level of depth to which they have understood it as
well as allowing our children to deepen their understanding of the content by working individually
and independently.

Within The South Hams Federation a consistent and regular delivery of PSHE improves the
physical and social wellbeing of pupils. The PSHE curriculum helps pupils become, aspirational,
respectful and tolerant as well as mentally and physically healthy. Pupils are prepared for their
next steps in life and know where to find help and support where needed. Pupils can recognise
and apply the British Values of democracy, tolerance, mutual respect, rule of law and liberty to
their school and wider life and talk confidently about the importance of this.

Research

Research based evidence is collected to design and develop our PSHE curriculum.
PSHE Association evaluated research ‘A case for PSHE’ indicates that PSHE when
taught well - helps keep children and young people safe, physically and emotionally
healthy and prepared for life and work.

PSHE Association evaluated research ‘PSHE, Academic Attainment and
Employability’ indicates that growing evidence to suggest that the skills and attributes
acquired through PSHE education have a significant impact on pupils' academic
achievement, employability and future life chances.

PSHE Association evaluated research
‘Effective Prevent education’ in partnership with Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
(CEOP), outlines 11 key principles of effective practice in prevention education and the positive
impact of these been addressed in school.