PSHCE

Why?

  • Support Mental and Emotional Well-being: Raise awareness around mental health, reduce stigma, and encourage healthy habits and self-care practices, while helping our pupils develop skills to understand, manage their emotions, and build resilience and self-regulation.
  • Encourage Healthy Relationships: Teaches our pupils how to build positive, respectful relationships with peers, adults, and themselves.
  • Develop Social Skills: Equips our pupils with the skills to communicate effectively, work collaboratively, and manage conflict in a positive way.
  • Support Personal Growth: Foster self-awareness, confidence, and independence, helping pupils understand their strengths and areas for growth.
  • Teach Life Skills: Provide our pupils with practical knowledge and skills to navigate everyday situations, including decision-making, problem-solving, and managing responsibilities.
  • Encourage Active Citizenship: Teach our pupils about their role in the community and the importance of making positive contributions to society.

Our Teaching Approach – Programme – Jigsaw  

  • Three PSHCE lessons per week based on the PSHE Association framework to support students’ personal, social, and emotional development.
  • One EDI (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) assembly to promote inclusivity, respect, and understanding within the school community.
  • celebration and pupil voice assembly to recognize achievements and provide students with an opportunity to express their opinions and ideas.
  • Regular class meetings to foster open communication, build relationships, and address any concerns or ideas within the classroom.
  • Daily enrichment activities aligned with individual learning targets to promote growth, development, and personal achievement.
  • Wellbeing Friday, a dedicated time each week to focus on mental health, relaxation, and overall wellbeing.

Why Jigsaw?

  • Follows a whole-school, spiral curriculum from EYFS to Year 11, ensuring consistent progression and age-appropriate revisiting of key themes.
  • Embeds mindfulness and emotional regulation techniques alongside explicit teaching of social and emotional skills, supporting pupils with SEMH needs effectively.
  • Delivers full coverage of the statutory RSHE curriculum while extending into wider PSHE themes such as identity, media influence, and citizenship.
  • Uses a consistent, predictable lesson structure that helps pupils feel calm, safe, and ready to engage — particularly valuable for those who thrive on routine.
  • Provides staff with high-quality resources and guidance to confidently teach sensitive topics and promote open, respectful discussions.
  • Promotes a shared language and whole-school ethos focused on inclusion, empathy, and wellbeing through its half-termly themes.

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) at Gloucester House

At Gloucester House, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) forms an important part of our Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) curriculum. We deliver PSHE using the Jigsaw programme, a nationally recognised and DfE-aligned scheme that supports pupils’ emotional wellbeing, personal development and understanding of relationships.

Our approach reflects the needs of our pupils as a specialist SEMH setting. RSE is delivered in a calm, safe and supportive environment by trusted staff who know the children well. All content is taught sensitively and adapted to meet pupils’ social and emotional needs.

What is taught

RSE is taught through the Jigsaw “Relationships” and “Changing Me” units. Learning is carefully sequenced and age-appropriate, focusing on:

•            Building healthy friendships and relationships

•            Respect, kindness and inclusion

•            Emotional wellbeing and self-awareness

•            Personal safety, including online safety

•            Understanding boundaries and consent

•            Growing and changing (including puberty for older pupils)

Pupils are never expected to share personal experiences, and all teaching is trauma-informed and inclusive.

Statutory Content

The Department for Education requires all primary schools to teach Relationships Education. This includes:

•            Families and caring relationships

•            Friendships and respect

•            Online safety

•            Personal boundaries and consent

•            Knowing how to stay safe and ask for help

In addition, elements of puberty are taught through the National Curriculum for Science and are also statutory.

Parents and carers cannot withdraw their child from statutory Relationships Education or Science content.

Right to Withdraw

Some aspects of sex education, taught as part of the upper Key Stage 2 Jigsaw curriculum, go beyond the statutory science requirements.

Parents and carers have the right to request that their child is withdrawn from these specific elements. If a request is made, the Headteacher will discuss this with the family to ensure they understand the content and make an informed decision.

Working in Partnership with Families

We believe that strong home–school communication is essential when teaching RSE. Parents and carers are welcome to:

•            View curriculum materials

•            Ask questions about lesson content

•            Discuss how learning is adapted for individual pupils

If you would like to find out more about RSE at Gloucester House, please contact the school office.

We are committed to ensuring that all pupils receive RSE that is age-appropriate, inclusive and supportive, helping them to build the knowledge and confidence they need to stay safe and develop healthy relationships.