PSHE
Hello! We are Daisy Killeen and Cassie Robinson and we are the PSHE leads here at Hillbrook. We are proud to lead the PSHE curriculum with its real focus on pupil well-being and empowerment. As it becomes increasingly clear that our mental health is as important as our physical health, we are passionate about equipping our pupils with the skills to look after their own emotions and relationships, both with themselves and with others. We want to support our children to be able to live calm and confident lives, thriving not only now, but helping to provide them with lifelong skills for the future.
At Hillbrook, we believe that children should be empowered with the social and emotional learning skills that are essential for their development and ability to make positive choices, both now and in the future. Our PSHE curriculum aims to develop children’s emotional literacy, self-control, relationships with their peers and with themselves, as well as their understanding of the wider world.
PSHE is taught using a whole-school approach through the PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies) and Jigsaw programmes of learning, as well as through many events and celebrations during the school calendar, such as Anti-Bullying Week and Diversity Day. From nursery all the way up through the school to Year 6, children have two PSHE lessons per week that build on their prior learning and deepen their understanding each year. Each class also has a daily celebration called Pupil of the Day; all children are given the opportunity to be the Pupil of the Day and receive compliments from their teacher, peers and themselves. This regular, embedded practice addresses the topic of self-esteem and helps to develop children’s confidence and feelings of self-worth.
Our PATHS units cover the following conceptual units:
- Emotional understanding
- Self-control
- Social problem solving
- Peer relations and self-esteem
Jigsaw is used to teach the statutory Relationships and Health Education programme of study through the topics Healthy Me, Relationships and Changing Me.
By the end of their time at Hillbrook, we aim for our pupils to be:
- Happy and with a firm sense of self worth
- Respectful, empathetic to and tolerant of others
- Able to recognise and manage emotions
- Able to make and act on informed decisions
- Healthy and fulfilled individuals
- Able to communicate effectively to work with others
- An active citizen in our ever-changing world
Information shared during a PATHS parent session
What do our pupils think about PSHE?
“I’ve learnt about my feelings”
“I know what to do when I am angry”
“It’s ok to be upset”
“I feel good when people give me compliments”
“It helped me become a better friend”
“Being Pupil of the Day makes me feel important, like I’m respected”
“It helps us solve problems with our friends around school.”
