Personal, Social and Health Education.
‘To build safe independent lives for autistic young people though support, understanding and enablement.
A child can access a ‘safe independent life’ if their school experience has been committed to developing and promoting independence at a functional level.
Implementation:
The PSHE and RSE curriculum is differentiated and presented in ways that remove barriers to learning linked to a diagnosis of autism. For our learners this means that learning will be presented in context (where possible) and linked to real life situations. The content is compliant with the governments 2020 expectations for RSE health education.
What do we teach and who teaches it?
The Springfields Academy uses the 'PSHE Association SEND planning framework' scheme of learning to inform our whole school approach. The PSHE Association framework covers all areas of PSHE including statutory Relationships and Health Education. The table below gives the learning theme of each of the six sections and these are taught across the school; the learning deepens and broadens every year.
|
Section |
Key stage 1 and 2 Topic areas |
Key stage 3 and 4 Topic areas |
|
Self-Awareness |
1. Things we are good at 2. Kind and unkind behaviours 3. Playing and working together 4. People who are special to us 5. Getting on with others |
1. Personal strengths 2.Skills for learning 3. Prejudice and discrimination 4. Managing pressure |
|
Self-Care, Support and Safety |
1.Taking care of ourselves 2. Keeping safe 3. Trust 4. Keeping safe online 5. Public and Private |
1. Feeling unwell 2. Feeling frightened/worried 3. Accidents and risk 4. Keeping safe online 5. Emergency situations 6. Public and private 7. Gambling |
|
Managing Feelings |
1.Identifying and expressing feelings 2. Managing strong feelings |
1. Self-esteem and unkind comments 2. Strong feelings 3. Romantic feelings and sexual attraction 4. Expectations of relationships/abuse |
|
Changing and Growing |
1. Baby to adult 2. Changes at puberty 3. Dealing with touch 4. Different types of relationships |
1. Puberty 2. Friendship 3. Healthy and unhealthy relationship behaviour 4. Intimate relationships, consent and contraception 5. Long-term relationships/parenthood |
|
Healthy Lifestyles |
1. Healthy Eating 2.Taking care of physical health 3. Keeping well |
1. Elements of a healthy lifestyles 2. Mental wellbeing 3. Physical activity 4. Healthy eating 5. Body image 6. Medicinal drugs 7. Drugs, alcohol & tobacco |
|
The World I Live In |
1.Respecting differences between people 2. Jobs people do 3.Rules and laws 4.Taking care of the environment 5. Belonging to a community |
1. Diversity/rights and responsibilities 2. Managing online information 3. Taking care of the environment 4. Preparing for adulthood 5. Managing Finances |
At The Springfields Academy we allocate time to PSHE each week in order to teach the PSHE knowledge and skills in a developmental and age-appropriate way, in addition to the PHSE themes that are embedded throughout the curriculum and compliment our social communication enablement work linked to our pupils diagnosis of autism. These explicit lessons are reinforced and enhanced in many ways:
- Celebration Time
- Class learning charters
- The Springfields Academy School Rules
- Reward Systems (Class systems, Classchart point scheme, individual systems)
- Social Communication and Social Interaction enablement strategies
- Emotional Literacy support
- Wellbeing tiers of support
- Specific therapeutic intervention as required
- Modelling positive relationships – child to child, adult to child, adult to adult across the school
We aim to ‘live’ what is learnt and apply it to everyday situations in the school community.
Weekly lessons are delivered by class teachers across all ages of the school.
Where more individualised therapeutic or safeguarding needs are identified individual interventions may be put in place. The focus of this work is agreed with the professional team around the child (Academy’s Safeguarding team or Therapy Team in collaboration with any relevant outside agencies) as well as parents. Clear outcomes for the intervention will be set against a review timeline, with all session content and resources agreed upon by all parties in advance of the work commencing.
Springfields has an inclusive ethos promoting and teaching about equality for all nine protected characteristics as identified in the Equalities Act 2010 for pupils and staff members. In addition The Springfields Academy is a Stonewall accredited provision.
Impact
The PHSE/SRE curriculum is evaluated through the termly curriculum review which is informed by:
- Progress Frameworks - autism, Life skills including PSHE, knowledge and skills bespoke to cohort pathway (KPI’s)
- Progress towards EHCP outcomes
- Accreditation achieved
- Pupil progress and attainment cycle
- Pupil voice
- Staff curriculum evaluation
- Parent voice
- Transition data
Pupils also leave Springfields with AQA Awards in PSD.
