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PSHE and RSE
At Bamford Academy, we are healthy, happy and respectful!
At Bamford Academy, we believe that helping children to understand themselves, care for others and make positive choices is an important part of their education. Our ambitious curriculum supports children to thrive and develop holistically, nurturing their unique skills and talents to give them the best educational start in life.
Through Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), we help children develop the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to become happy, healthy, resilient and informed individuals. We prepare them for life in modern Britain, helping them build positive relationships, keep themselves safe and become successful lifelong learners.
Our approach reflects our school vision:
“Working together to develop lifelong learners who are happy, ambitious and curious about the world around them.”
Our Bamford Values of Respect, Responsibility, Perseverance, Kindness and Acceptance underpin everything we do, helping children understand how to care for themselves, treat others fairly and contribute positively to the world around them. You can read more on our Our Values page and in our Headteacher’s Welcome.
PSHE and RSE – At a glance
What is PSHE?
Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education helps children understand themselves, their health, their relationships and the world around them. It develops the knowledge and practical skills they need to make informed choices, manage change and become responsible members of their community.
What is RSE?
Relationships and Sex Education helps children understand relationships, personal boundaries, respect and growing up. At Bamford Academy, statutory Relationships Education and Health Education are taught alongside relevant Science learning. Any additional, non-statutory Primary Sex Education is clearly identified in our policy and planning.
How do we teach it?
PSHE and RSE are taught through weekly class sessions, using myHappymind+ resources and our planned curriculum. Learning is also reinforced through assemblies, classroom routines, stories, discussions and everyday experiences.
What do we want children to achieve?
We want every child to feel valued, understand their emotions, build positive relationships, make safe and informed choices and know where to turn for help. We also want them to develop aspirations, resilience and the confidence to embrace new opportunities.
Intent – Why we teach PSHE and RSE at Bamford Academy
At Bamford Academy, we want every child to grow into a happy, confident and resilient individual who understands themselves and respects others.
Our PSHE and RSE curriculum gives children the knowledge, vocabulary and practical skills they need to navigate everyday life. We help them recognise and communicate their feelings, understand personal boundaries, develop healthy relationships and make informed choices, including when using the internet.
Through our curriculum, children learn about:
- Emotional wellbeing: recognising feelings, understanding emotions and developing strategies to support their wellbeing.
- Healthy lifestyles: understanding physical health, personal care and the choices that help us stay healthy.
- Relationships and respect: building caring relationships, understanding boundaries and appreciating differences.
- Personal safety: recognising unsafe situations, understanding appropriate and inappropriate behaviour and knowing how to seek help.
- Online safety: making safe choices online and understanding how to protect themselves and others.
- Growing and changing: developing an age-appropriate understanding of change, puberty and preparation for the next stage of life.
- Economic wellbeing: beginning to understand money, work, aspirations and responsible decision-making.
- Community and belonging: understanding their place in the world and how their actions can make a positive difference.
We use myHappymind+ to revisit and deepen learning from the Early Years through to Year 6. Our two-year curriculum cycle supports our mixed-age classes while ensuring every child receives the right learning at the right time.
Above all, we want children to understand that they matter, that their feelings are important and that there are trusted adults who can help them when they need support.
How does PSHE and RSE help children learn about British values?
PSHE and RSE help children understand the values that support life in modern Britain. Children explore democracy by sharing opinions and listening to others, the rule of law by understanding rules, boundaries and responsibilities, Mutual Respect and Tolerance by appreciating different families, backgrounds and beliefs, and Individual Liberty by making informed choices and understanding their rights.
Our Bamford Values of Respect, Perseverance, Kindness, Acceptance and Responsibility run through our PSHE and RSE curriculum. We help children build positive relationships, value differences, keep themselves safe and understand how their choices can make a positive difference to others.
Implementation – How we teach PSHE and RSE at Bamford Academy
Our PSHE and RSE curriculum is carefully planned to build children's knowledge and understanding over time. We introduce new ideas, revisit previous learning and give children opportunities to practise the skills they need in real-life situations.
Learning through myHappymind+
PSHE and RSE are normally taught by class teachers in a weekly 30-minute session, using the official myHappymind+ resources and our medium-term plans. Teachers adapt lessons to meet pupils' needs while ensuring the intended learning is covered.
Our annual myHappymind sequence provides a consistent approach across the school:
- Meet Your Brain – understanding how our brains work.
- Celebrate – recognising and celebrating our strengths.
- Appreciate – developing gratitude and appreciation.
- Relate – building positive relationships.
- Engage – developing the skills and confidence to engage with the world around us.
Whole-school assemblies introduce each module, helping children make connections between their learning and everyday life.
myHappymind Places supports children to develop emotional awareness and practise practical strategies for managing their feelings. This is complemented by Zones of Regulation, giving children additional ways to recognise and communicate how they feel.
Building knowledge as children grow
Alongside our core myHappymind sequence, myHappybody, myHappyrelationships and myHappyworld content is organised across Cycle A and Cycle B for Years 1/2, 3/4 and 5/6.
This approach allows us to revisit previous learning while developing children's vocabulary, understanding and ability to apply what they know. Teachers consider the needs and starting points of each cohort, ensuring learning is suitable for pupils' ages and stages.
Our planning also makes sure that important age-specific learning is not missed. Puberty and menstrual wellbeing are taught before children are likely to experience these changes, while Year 6 transition and required end-of-primary learning are secured every year.
In the Early Years, children begin developing these foundations through Personal, Social and Emotional Development. Stories, play, daily routines and age-appropriate myHappymind learning help children recognise feelings, develop independence, manage their needs and understand how their actions affect others.
What learning looks like in the classroom
PSHE and RSE lessons are active, thoughtful and engaging. Children have opportunities to:
- Learn and practise the vocabulary they need to describe feelings, relationships and experiences.
- Discuss ideas with a partner or group and listen respectfully to different viewpoints.
- Explore fictional characters and everyday scenarios to consider choices and consequences.
- Take part in role play to practise communication, decision-making and problem-solving.
- Reflect on their learning and consider how they might use it in everyday life.
- Revisit previous learning so that important knowledge and strategies become familiar.
Teachers use questioning, discussion and observation to check what children understand and can apply. Misconceptions are addressed, and additional sessions can be used to consolidate learning or provide catch-up opportunities.
Children also practise what they learn beyond the weekly lesson. Assemblies, classroom routines, friendships and wider personal development opportunities all help them put our Bamford values into action.
Creating a safe space to learn
Some PSHE and RSE topics can feel personal or sensitive. Teachers establish clear ground rules so that children can learn in a respectful and supportive environment.
Fictional characters and scenarios help pupils explore important issues without being expected to share personal experiences. Teachers respond to questions in ways that are appropriate for children's age and maturity. Any concern or disclosure is managed in line with the school's safeguarding procedures.
Supporting every child
Every child deserves to take part, feel included and make progress in PSHE and RSE, whatever their needs, abilities or background.
Teachers adapt learning to make it accessible. This may include visual support, concrete examples, pre-teaching vocabulary, repetition, simpler language, additional processing time and different ways for children to communicate or record their understanding.
Where appropriate, children are also given additional challenge to develop their reasoning, consider different perspectives and make thoughtful decisions.
Working with parents and carers
We believe children benefit when school and home work together. Parents and carers can support learning by talking with their children about feelings, friendships, healthy choices, personal safety and the changes they experience as they grow.
Curriculum information and myHappymind parent resources help families use shared language and strategies at home. Where additional Primary Sex Education is planned, parents and carers are informed and consulted in accordance with the school policy, including arrangements for requesting withdrawal from that additional content.
Impact – What children achieve in PHSE and RSE
We want children to leave Bamford Academy with secure, age-appropriate knowledge and the confidence to use it in everyday life.
We consider each child's progress from their individual starting point. As children move through school, we want them to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to:
- Understand their feelings – recognise and communicate emotions, use strategies to support their wellbeing and know when and how to seek help.
- Build positive relationships – show care and respect, understand personal boundaries, recognise bullying and inappropriate behaviour, and identify trusted sources of support.
- Make informed choices – understand health, personal safety and online risks, and make choices appropriate to their age and stage of development.
- Respect others – demonstrate our Bamford Values, appreciate different families and backgrounds, and contribute positively to their community.
- Look to the future – develop aspirations, build an age-appropriate understanding of money and work, and develop the resilience and skills needed to manage change and transition.
We want children to leave us knowing that they are valued, that they have a voice and that they can seek help when they need it. We also want them to understand that their choices and actions can make a positive difference to the lives of others.
How we know children are learning
Teachers assess learning throughout lessons and across the curriculum. They use retrieval activities, questioning, discussions, observations, reflection and age-appropriate scenarios to understand what children know, remember and can apply.
myHappymind journals give children opportunities to reflect on their learning. These are monitored to support understanding and progress rather than formally marked.
The subject leader evaluates the curriculum through pupil voice, staff feedback, learning walks, observations, appropriate journal evidence and programme assessment tools. Checks also help ensure that age-specific content is covered within our two-year curriculum cycle.
This evidence helps us identify what is working well, where children may need further support and how teaching can be developed. Our focus is on the difference learning makes: what children know, what they remember, how confidently they can apply their learning and the support they need to succeed.
What your child will learn in PHSE and RSE?: Curriculum Overview
Our PSHE and RSE curriculum develops as children grow, helping them build on what they already know and prepare for the next stage of their lives.
Across the Early Years to Year 6, learning includes:
- Understanding feelings and supporting emotional wellbeing.
- Recognising personal strengths and developing confidence.
- Building friendships and respectful relationships.
- Understanding boundaries, personal safety and how to seek help.
- Making healthy choices and learning about physical health.
- Staying safe when using technology and the internet.
- Understanding growing and changing, including age-appropriate puberty and menstrual wellbeing.
- Developing an understanding of money, work and future aspirations.
- Preparing for change, including the move to secondary school.
Our two-year curriculum cycle ensures mixed-age classes receive planned learning that is appropriate to their age and stage. Teachers revisit key ideas so children can deepen their understanding and use their knowledge with increasing confidence.
How can I help my child with PHSE and RSE at home?
Everyday conversations and experiences can help children make sense of their learning. You do not need to be an expert - taking time to listen and talk together can make a real difference.
Here are some simple ways to help:
- Talk about feelings. Encourage your child to name how they feel and discuss what might help them manage different emotions.
- Celebrate strengths. Help your child recognise what they are good at and the effort they put into learning something new.
- Talk about friendships. Discuss kindness, respect, resolving disagreements and how to ask a trusted adult for help.
- Practise staying safe. Talk about personal boundaries, trusted adults and what to do if something makes them feel uncomfortable or worried.
- Explore online safety. Encourage open conversations about what your child sees and does online, and remind them that they can always come to you for help.
- Encourage independence. Give your child opportunities to make age-appropriate choices, take responsibility and learn from mistakes.
- Prepare for change. Talk positively about new experiences and reassure your child that it is normal to have questions or worries.
Our myHappymind parent resources can also help you reinforce the language and strategies children use in school.
Supporting every child
At Bamford Academy, inclusion is at the heart of our approach. We recognise that children develop at different rates and may need different kinds of support to understand and apply their learning.
Our PSHE and RSE teaching is adapted to support children with SEND and other individual needs. Visual resources, practical examples, carefully introduced vocabulary, repetition and additional processing time can help make learning accessible. Children may also be offered different ways to share their thoughts or demonstrate understanding.
Sensitive topics are taught thoughtfully and in an age-appropriate way. We use clear ground rules and fictional scenarios to help children explore ideas safely, while ensuring any concerns are dealt with through our safeguarding procedures.
We want every child to feel that they belong, that their voice matters and that they have the knowledge and confidence to make positive choices.
Frequently Asked Questions about PHSE and RSE at Bamford Academy
What is the difference between PSHE and RSE?
PSHE covers a broad range of learning about health, wellbeing, relationships, safety, economic wellbeing and life in the wider community. RSE focuses on relationships and understanding growing up. Statutory Relationships Education and Health Education are part of our curriculum, alongside relevant Science learning and any additional Primary Sex Education set out in our policy.
How often is PSHE taught?
PSHE and RSE are normally taught in a 30-minute session each week. Learning is also reinforced through assemblies, classroom routines and everyday experiences.
What is myHappymind+?
myHappymind+ is the programme we use to support children's personal development, emotional awareness and wellbeing. Its learning is revisited throughout the school, alongside other planned PSHE and RSE content.
How do you make sure learning is appropriate for my child's age?
Our curriculum is carefully planned from the Early Years to Year 6. Teachers adapt learning to children's understanding and needs, while our two-year cycle ensures that mixed-age classes receive the appropriate content. Important age-specific learning is planned so that it is not missed.
How are sensitive topics taught?
Teachers create a respectful environment with clear ground rules. Fictional characters and scenarios help children explore sensitive issues without being asked to disclose personal experiences. Questions are answered appropriately for pupils' age and maturity, and any concerns are managed through safeguarding procedures.
Can parents and carers find out more about Primary Sex Education?
Yes. Planned additional Primary Sex Education is communicated and consulted on in line with the school's policy. The policy explains the arrangements for requesting withdrawal from that additional content. Please contact the school if you would like further information.
How can I support my child at home?
Talking about feelings, friendships, healthy choices, personal boundaries and staying safe can help children put their learning into practice. Our myHappymind parent resources provide further support and ideas for families.
View and download our PHSE and RSE curriculum documents:
Our PHSE and RSE policies explain what we teach and why. You can read them online or download a copy.
Get in touch
If you have questions about our PHSE and RSE curriculum, or how you can support their learning at home, please get in touch. We are always happy to talk with families.
Contact the school office on 01706 631496 or email office@bamfordacademy.co.uk. You can also visit our Contact page.
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