PSHE

PHSE | Whole School Overview

Subject Policy
PSHE Policy 2025-2026

RSE Policy 2026

Vocabulary Planners

PSHE Overview

At Mereworth, Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education is delivered through both dedicated lessons and weekly Wednesday assemblies. Our assemblies are carefully planned to reinforce key themes, promote our school values, and complement the PSHE curriculum.

Our PSHE curriculum is structured around three core themes:

Relationships
Living in the Wider World
Health and Well-being

Our curriculum reflects the current expectations and responds to the evolving needs of our pupils in a modern world. All statutory content is taught in full and is carefully sequenced to be age-appropriate, ensuring that pupils receive accurate, relevant and sensitive teaching at the right stage of their development.

Through our PSHE provision, we aim to equip pupils with the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to thrive as individuals and as members of society. We support children to build positive relationships, maintain good physical and mental health, and develop an understanding of financial responsibility.

Our lessons provide a safe, supportive and inclusive environment where children are encouraged to explore their attitudes, values and beliefs. We promote open discussion and help pupils to develop the confidence, resilience and critical thinking skills needed to manage a range of real-life situations.

Key areas of learning include:

Identity – understanding personal qualities, attitudes, skills and achievements, and recognising influences on identity, including maintaining personal privacy and boundaries (both offline and online)
Relationships – developing healthy, respectful relationships in a range of contexts, including online environments
Health and Well-being – understanding how to maintain a physically, emotionally and socially healthy lifestyle, including balance, exercise, rest, and informed lifestyle choices
Risk and Safety – identifying, assessing and managing risk, and applying strategies to stay safe in different situations, including online
Diversity and Equality – valuing difference and understanding equality, including awareness of protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010
Rights and Responsibilities – exploring fairness, justice, consent and the concept of universal human rights
Change and Resilience – developing the skills and strategies needed to manage change and build resilience
Power – understanding how power operates in different contexts, including recognising and responding to bullying, persuasion and coercion
Careers and Economic Understanding – developing awareness of enterprise, employability and financial literacy

Our curriculum is informed by the PSHE Association Programme of Study and has been carefully adapted to reflect current statutory RSHE guidance and emerging priorities, including online safety, respectful relationships and pupil wellbeing.

PSHE is also embedded across the wider curriculum, with meaningful links made to other subjects. This ensures that pupils are given regular opportunities to revisit and apply their learning in different contexts.

Impact

As a result, pupils at Mereworth develop into confident, respectful and responsible individuals who are well prepared for the next stage of their education and for life in modern Britain.

PSHE is seen as a cross curricular subject and many of the opportunities for discussion also form part of other curriculum areas across the school.