admin@sheriffhutton.n-yorks.sch.uk | tel. 01347 878441
At Sheriff Hutton Primary School, we want to help every child develop the knowledge, understanding, skills and confidence they need to thrive now and in the future.
PSHE is an important part of our curriculum because it supports children to understand themselves, build positive relationships, make informed decisions and become responsible members of their family, school, community and wider society.
Our PSHE curriculum helps children develop confidence, resilience, self-esteem, empathy and independence. It provides them with the knowledge and language to understand their emotions, manage challenges, recognise risks and seek help when they need it. Safeguarding is threaded throughout our PSHE curriculum, helping children understand how to keep themselves safe both online and offline.
We use the Kapow Primary RSE & PSHE scheme of learning as the basis for our curriculum. From September 2026, Kapow’s revised programme is aligned with the Department for Education’s updated statutory Relationships Education, Relationships and Health Education guidance, (September 2026). We adapt the programme to reflect the needs of our children, our school and our local community.
Our PSHE curriculum aims to help children:
We want children to develop the knowledge and language to make informed choices, while recognising that PSHE is not simply about telling children what to do. It is about giving them opportunities to discuss, question, reflect and practise the skills they will need throughout their lives.
Our curriculum is organised around the key areas of Health and Wellbeing, Relationships and Living in the Wider World, alongside the statutory requirements for Relationships Education and Health Education. Kapow’s revised curriculum is mapped to these three core themes and provides progressive learning from EYFS through to Year 6.
Learning is carefully sequenced so that children revisit important ideas and develop their understanding as they become older and more independent.
Our curriculum includes learning about:
Health and Wellbeing
Children learn about:
Relationships
Children learn how to:
Living in the Wider World
Children develop their understanding of:
The statutory elements of Relationships Education and Health Education are embedded within our wider PSHE curriculum.
We follow the revised DfE statutory guidance. This ensures that our teaching is age-appropriate, developmentally appropriate, inclusive and responsive to the needs of our children. The guidance recognises that some children, including children with SEND, may need content to be adapted to their developmental stage and individual needs.
Sex education is not statutory in primary schools beyond the relevant content within the National Curriculum for Science. Where additional age-appropriate content is taught at Sheriff Hutton Primary School, this is carefully planned, communicated with parents and carers and delivered in accordance with our RSE policy and the DfE guidance.
Safeguarding is an integral part of our PSHE curriculum.
Children are taught how to recognise situations that may make them feel uncomfortable or unsafe and, importantly, what they can do and who they can talk to.
This includes learning about:
PSHE lessons provide a safe environment in which children can explore realistic scenarios and practise appropriate responses. Teachers are mindful that discussions may sometimes lead to a safeguarding disclosure and follow the school’s safeguarding procedures where concerns arise.
Our PSHE teaching complements our wider safeguarding curriculum, including online safety, assemblies, visitors, pastoral provision and our school behaviour and safeguarding policies.
We are committed to ensuring that every child feels valued, included, respected and safe.
Our PSHE curriculum teaches children about equality, equity, diversity and inclusion and helps them understand the importance of respecting people who may be different from themselves.
Children learn about the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010, in an age-appropriate way, and develop an understanding that discrimination and prejudice are unacceptable.
We use stories, discussion and real-life contexts to help children explore different families, communities, experiences and perspectives. We actively challenge stereotypes and prejudice, including racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination.
We recognise that equality does not always mean treating everyone in exactly the same way. Sometimes people need different support or adjustments to have an equal opportunity to participate, succeed and feel included.
Our PSHE curriculum is adapted so that children with SEND can access learning at an appropriate developmental level, while maintaining high expectations for all children.
Children are encouraged to have an active role in shaping our PSHE curriculum.
We use information about our children and their experiences, including the Growing Up in North Yorkshire Survey, alongside teacher assessment, pastoral information and pupil voice, to identify areas where additional teaching or support may be beneficial.
Children have opportunities to share their thoughts, questions and concerns through:
We recognise that children may not always feel able to speak publicly about something that is worrying them. We therefore provide a range of ways for children to communicate their concerns.
PSHE is not confined to a weekly lesson.
It is reflected in our whole-school ethos, relationships, behaviour expectations and pastoral provision. Children develop PSHE knowledge and skills through assemblies, school responsibilities, visits and visitors, charity and community activities, class councils, sporting opportunities and experiences beyond the classroom.
We also use opportunities such as awareness events and our work on the Five Ways to Wellbeing to broaden children’s understanding and encourage positive choices.
Our aim is for children to see PSHE as something that is relevant to their everyday lives rather than simply a subject they study at school.
In Reception, PSHE is closely linked to the Personal, Social and Emotional Development area of the EYFS curriculum.
Children develop their understanding through relationships, play, stories, adult-led activities and everyday experiences. They learn to recognise and express emotions, develop friendships, understand boundaries, manage their behaviour and become increasingly independent.
We use carefully chosen stories and real-life experiences to explore themes such as friendship, kindness, difference, feelings, families and staying safe.
Our PSHE curriculum is designed to be inclusive, ambitious and responsive.
Teachers consider children’s age, maturity, developmental stage, individual needs, prior experiences and understanding when planning learning. This is particularly important when teaching sensitive subjects.
We provide appropriate adaptations and additional support for children with SEND and for children who may have experienced difficulties or challenges that affect their emotional wellbeing.
We also recognise that PSHE learning may sometimes raise questions or concerns that require support beyond the classroom. Staff work closely with our pastoral and safeguarding teams and, where appropriate, external professionals and families.
By the time children leave Sheriff Hutton Primary School, we want them to be:
Ultimately, we want our PSHE curriculum to help children become kind, respectful, resilient and responsible young people who understand themselves, value others and have the knowledge and confidence to make positive choices throughout their lives.
Our curriculum is supported by the revised Kapow RSE & PSHE scheme, which has been developed to align with the updated DfE statutory guidance and includes mixed-age planning, progressive knowledge and skills, safeguarding guidance and support for inclusive teaching.
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