Personal, Social, & Health Education

Personal, Social and Health Education Overview

Intent

Our broad, balanced and ambitious PSHE curriculum offers all learners an individualised learning experience that fosters their personal, social, health and economic development, ensuring that each individual is prepared for life beyond Hope School and College.

Our curriculum reflects the diversity of needs within our school and college and is responsive to these needs.

Learning is understood developmentally

Students at Hope are responded to at their own level rather than just their chronological age. This involves tracking data to ensure students’ tasks are appropriately challenging and purposeful.

The classroom offers a safe base

The environment must be predictable, inviting and consistent. We adopt our learning from Autism Accreditation to support this.

The importance of nurture for the development of wellbeing

Reciprocal shared activities and positive reinforcement build a student’s self-esteem. Continuous provision and turn-taking/shared experiences promote this. Achievement is celebrated to help students feel valued as individuals.

Language is a vital means of communication

Students are encouraged to use their preferred method of communication (spoken, AAC, sign, symbol, gesture, etc.) to express themselves. Zones of Regulation are accessible in each class where appropriate. Adults model emotional language to help students develop the vocabulary needed to “name it to tame it”.

All behaviour is communication

Challenging behaviour is viewed as a message about how a student is feeling. Staff look for the underlying cause of the behaviour rather than just reacting to the outward action. We utilise ‘Behaviour Smart’ for this.

The importance of transitions in children’s lives

Changes in the day (e.g. moving between lessons) or big life changes (e.g. changes of home circumstances) can be stressful. These transitions are managed with careful preparation to reduce anxiety.

At Hope School and College, we aim to give learners the knowledge and skills to develop their self-esteem:

Promoting Well-being – equipping learners with the skills to manage their emotions, building self-confidence, resilience and self-esteem, and enhancing their mental health.
Developing Life Skills – teaching practical skills necessary for daily living, such as communication, self-care and decision-making.
Supporting Healthy Lifestyles – teaching about the importance of healthy habits, including nutrition, exercise and sleep. Addressing risk-taking behaviours and exploring relationships, including sexual relationships.
Developing Economic Understanding – teaching about financial literacy and preparing learners for the world of work, including skills for employment.
Cultivating Citizenship – instilling a sense of belonging and responsibility within the community, fostering respect for diversity and promoting inclusivity.
Underpinning our curriculum are our three core values of Achievement, Equality and Independence.

Implementation

Our PSHE curriculum at Hope School and College is tailored to meet the diverse needs of our learners. We employ a range of teaching methodologies, including:

Individualised Learning: Each learner’s PSHE experience is personalised, taking into account their individual abilities, learning preferences and personal goals aligned with their EHCP outcomes.
Collaborative Learning: Group activities foster peer interaction and cohesion. Learners work together to develop teamwork and communication skills, thereby enhancing their social skills.
Real-life Experiences: The curriculum incorporates community engagement, external visitors and experiential learning opportunities, such as local area visits. These help our learners to understand their role within the wider community.

Our PSHE curriculum utilises three frameworks: Birth to 5 Matters, the Engagement Curriculum and the National Curriculum. These frameworks underpin our learning intent for all learners across our bespoke pathways. Our pathways ensure a highly individualised and ambitious approach. Learners’ individual Education, Health and Care Plan outcomes are also a key priority when it comes to planning and implementing our PSHE curriculum.

The implementation of our PSHE curriculum takes a holistic approach and focuses on each learner’s unique starting point, abilities and potential. The curriculum is organised to embed prior knowledge and build upon what learners already know.

Impact

The impact of our PSHE curriculum can be seen by the progress made in our learners’ personal and social capabilities. The following outcomes indicate our success:

Improved Social and Emotional Development – learners will demonstrate increased emotional resilience and a greater understanding of mental health. They will be equipped to support their emotional regulation and have a better understanding of themselves as unique individuals.
Enhanced Life Skills and Independence – learners will display heightened confidence in their ability to make informed choices and manage daily tasks. Learners will be prepared for the next step of their journey, to be as independent as they can be and, where appropriate, move on to post-19 education and work opportunities.
Better Understanding of Relationships – learners will recognise the different relationships they have and gain an understanding of appropriate relationships to protect and safeguard them.
Preparation for Adulthood – learners will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to support them in all four areas of the PfA outcomes. They will identify their hopes and aspirations to inform future planning.

Our PSHE curriculum enables our learners to achieve their full potential as they prepare for adulthood.

PSHE Rationale

Our PSHE curriculum recognises the unique challenges faced by learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Our curriculum is designed to address both the social and emotional development of our learners, ensuring they receive holistic support that aids their growth. This is vital not only for individual well-being but also for fostering inclusivity and equality in the community.

Additionally, PSHE plays a crucial role in reducing barriers to learning by promoting self-awareness and self-regulation, and developing positive relationships. Our curriculum enables our learners to build essential life skills, which are pivotal in enhancing autonomy and participation in society. Our PSHE curriculum is fundamental to equipping learners with the knowledge and skills necessary to lead fulfilling lives as mindful and responsible citizens.

Our PSHE curriculum is designed to provide enticing opportunities to learn. Our progressive and ambitious curriculum is brought to life through immersive, multi-sensory and highly engaging learning experiences. By creating a positive ethos of learning, we aim for our learners to develop their confidence and competency when it comes to using their PSHE knowledge and skills. Our PSHE curriculum is highly individualised and is taught in line with the development and ability of all learners, ensuring that we have high aspirations for all.

PSHE is taught in a variety of ways depending on the pathway that is being followed.

The teaching of PSHE is threaded throughout all areas of our curriculum, taking a holistic approach. This ensures that prior knowledge can be embedded and built upon, whilst offering opportunities to generalise knowledge and skills.

Our PSHE curriculum is carefully planned. Coverage is purposeful and broad, ensuring that our learners have planned opportunities to generalise knowledge and skills. PSHE is also taught outside of the classroom, for example taking part in visits to the local shops and external visits from emergency services, which provide our learners with real-life skills.

At Hope School and College, our learners have very individual needs, and we ensure that all learners are provided with equal opportunities to learn and thrive. Staff utilise a range of equipment, technologies and resources to provide stimulating and enticing learning activities and environments that are accessible to all. Our learners may also use a wide range of communication methods, which are carefully planned into PSHE lessons, ensuring that every learner has a ‘voice’ they can use.

Our PSHE curriculum enables learners to become as independent in life as possible.

The teaching of PSHE begins with an immersive practical or multi-sensory approach and develops and progresses in line with the development and ability of learners and their individual needs. We build on prior knowledge and address misconceptions when teaching new concepts.

PSHE is accessed practically, contextually, discretely and with much more drive if it is taught alongside another learning vehicle, including through a cross-curricular approach or individualised to a learner’s particular interests. Our curriculum reflects that learners’ development in this subject arises out of daily experiences in a rich and interesting environment. To enable functional PSHE experiences, we encourage trips to the school café and visits around the local community.

PSHE is embedded in the everyday curriculum at Hope School and College. We provide opportunities that enable learners to practise and embed their skills and knowledge in a variety of functional contexts and situations. This is developed through stories, songs, games, and sensory and imaginative play. This progresses to more practical contextual learning.

Learners communicate in a variety of ways. Our PSHE curriculum reflects this by following a universal approach encompassing a variety of technologies, visual supports and simple language when asking questions, giving directions, presenting concepts and offering explanations.

Learners may have difficulty generalising skills to new contexts. Learners may require repeated opportunities to consolidate a new skill in one “experience” and transfer this skill across a range of different “experiences”. This repetition and coverage of PSHE is stipulated in long-term plans, which ensure coverage and breadth of the topic.

PSHE/PSED at Hope School and College

PSHE in our Complex Learning Pathway

Learners with complex medical needs and PMLD will access a PSHE curriculum devised alongside the attending section of the Engagement Curriculum. They will explore PSHE through a multisensory approach, which is embedded as part of their holistic experience of education at Hope School and College. PSHE assessment within this pathway is non-subject specific and is assessed using the Engagement Steps 1 and 2 B Squared Assessment Tool.