Personal, Social and Health Education /SRE

PSHE helps our children to acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to manage their lives.

Our PSHE intent

To enable pupils to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to manage their lives, now and in the future. Our core values are to raise caring, respectful children with good social skills underpinned with honesty and integrity. Imaginative individuals who think critically and reflectively. Children who are masters of the basic skills in all areas of learning. Confident, independent and resilient learners for life. Pupils who are respectful of diversity and value all communities. Secure pupils in their own set of personal values and guiding principles.

We aim to foster and develop:

Resilience, confidence, independence and how to keep mentally healthy.
Pupil’s enjoyment of learning about how to stay healthy and about emotional and mental health and how to build safe and positive relationships’.
Children’s ability to make informed choices about healthy eating, fitness and their emotional and mental wellbeing’.
Children’s personal skills, employability skills and ability to achieve academically.

Implementation

At Gisburn Road Primary School we use myHappymind for the basis of our PSHE and Relationships Education. MyHappymind is an award winning program for schools and nurseries, families and organisations. It teaches preventative habits that support positive mental health, resilience and self-esteem. All of the concepts taught are based on science and research and grounded in neuroscience and positive psychology. The program is delivered via an innovative technology platform making learning easy, convenient and fun. It is commissioned by the NHS up and down the U.K. due to the incredible impact the program has on reducing CAMHS referrals along with the overall improvements to the wellbeing of children, staff and parents.

One of our favourite tools to make us feel happier and settled is happy breathing. Children are taught that when we feel scared or anxious the amygdala part of our brain takes over and stimulates our fight, flight or freeze reaction. The only way to turn this off is to bring as much oxygen as you can to your brain, so we breathe in and out slowly; this is happy breathing. Ask your child about happy breathing - they will be happy to show you!

The myHappymind curriculum is grounded in scientific research and helps children to:
• Feel happier
• Know what to do when they feel worried or stressed
• Improve their focus and learn more
• Achieve more of the goals that they set for themselves
• Develop better relationships with friends and families
• Feel great about who they are and have positive self esteem

Through My Happy Mind pupils will cover the following topics:

In addition to myHappymind, and to ensure curriculum coverage, we use the PSHE Association. The PSHE Association has identified 10 key principles for effective practice in PSHE education. These are listed below and we have ensured that myHappymind supports and reinforces all of these principles.

An emotionally friendly culture

Creating an environment that is well sign posted, therapeutic and accessible. The myHappymind program is aligned to a Trauma Informed approach and is for all year groups from Preschool through to Year 6. The myHappymind program recognises sensory needs, it is highly visual, positive and proactive.
Working directly with students and parents/caregivers. The myHappymind program provides a free app to parents and caregivers allowing them to understand what their child is learning at school. In addition, the app provides engaging activities for parents to support positive conversation and play at home. myHappymind is delivered by the teachers not an external provider which allows for constant embedding and integration with the children.
Working directly with teachers and providing training and quality supervision. myHappymind offers full training and support for all staff. All sessions are recorded and made available in case of staff absence.
Facilitating group work and peer support sessions. myHappymind is a whole school approach and taught to all children from Early Years all the way through Year 6. The myHappymind lessons can also be used in small groups as well as 1:1 which allows for a whole school culture and language to develop
Embedding emotional wellbeing principles within policies. myHappymind is a whole school approach and taught to every child in the school from Preschool through to year 6. Therefore, there is ample opportunity for it to be embedded within a range of policies e.g. Mental Health and Well Being Policy
Embedding emotional wellbeing teaching within the curriculum. myHappymind is taught weekly. Our recommendation is that it is taught at the beginning of the week then the rest of the week is about embedding the learning from the lessons through regular teaching and learning. All children in Years 1-6 receive a journal which they have with them through the program. This is a really good visual record of their learning. Parents and Carers have access to a free app which they can use at home. The app helps the parents understand what their children are being taught and supports positive conversation and play.
As well as using My Happy Mind at Gisburn Road we also hold regular assemblies, which incorporate British Values and SMSC. The children have a wide range of opportunities to implement their learning in specialist days, events, trips, sporting activities and curriculum pledges. Ensuring that we give our children as many 'real life' learning experiences as possible.