PSHE
At The Priory, we recognise that the development of personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) plays a significant part in pupils' ability to learn and achieve.
With this in mind, we aim to provide opportunities for our pupils to explore and develop their own personal values, beliefs, high standard of behaviour and respect for others throughout all aspects of school life.
Lessons
Pupils engage in weekly, 1-hour lessons on the teaching of PSHE; supporting pupils in developing their knowledge, skills and personal attributes to build positive, respectful relationships and strategies to support their own wellbeing.
At The Priory, we follow a whole-school approach to the teaching of PSHE following The Jigsaw Scheme of work (see overview and breakdown of objectives and skills in the 3 documents attached below).
Lessons are tailored to the specific needs of the cohort being taught; supporting children to be ambitious and reach their full potential in the present, whilst simultaneously helping them to feel prepared for life in the future by developing key life skills.
Throughout our PSHE lessons at The Priory, we aim for all children to feel represented by delivering lessons that are inclusive and representative of our diverse community.
Curriculum
The children work through six, core puzzle pieces each year, one each half term:
- Being Me in My World
- Celebrating Difference
- Dreams and Goals
- Healthy Me
- Relationships
- Changing Me
The topics taught are age-appropriate, sequential and progressive, which allows children to develop and build upon their knowledge and skills each year from Reception to Year 6.
Each class has an evidence scrapbook that displays a range of work, quotes and photos that are representative of all children in the lesson.
RSE (Relationships and Sex Education)
In order to prepare our pupils for adolescence and beyond, pupils at The Priory receive age-appropriate lessons during the Summer Term on Relationships.
Aspects of these lessons cover changes that occur during puberty; stages of the human life-cycle, and how a baby is conceived and born. These are statutory aspects of the Science National Curriculum.
Parents have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from some or all of sex education delivered as part of statutory Relationships and Sex Education, DfE Guidance (2019) p.17.
Please see our PSHE Policy (linked below) for further information on opting out, and an opt out form if you wish to do so. This document also contains an overview cross-referencing the Statutory outcomes and Jigsaw mapping (Appendix 1).
https://www.thepriory.merton.sch.uk/docs/policies/PSHE_Policy_22.pdf Jigsaw Information for Parents and Carers
Relationships and Sex Education Guide for Parents and Carers Leaflet
Themed Days 
Throughout the year, we hold themed days that develop children’s personal, social, emotional and health and economic education, including: PANTS Awareness, Anti-bullying, Children’s Mental Health Awareness days, Wear Yellow World Mental Health day and Wellbeing themed days (following the 5 ways to wellbeing) as well as days to support various charities and causes.
https://www.thepriory.merton.sch.uk/Copy-of-WELL-BEING-AND-MENTAL-HEALTH/
Zones of Regulation
Interwoven throughout our PSHE and wider curriculum is Zones of Regulation.
The programme is aimed at supporting pupils in recognising their emotions and identifying what ‘zone’ they are in, as well as teaching them strategies to support them in self-regulating if they are dysregulated, for example by experiencing feelings of anxiousness, excitedness or anger.
Pupils are also taught to recognise the emotional state or ‘zone’ of others.
By teaching pupils these skills, it is hoped that pupils in turn navigate their way through challenges positively, and build their resilience in the face of difficulty.
See our school calendar, Instagram account and ParentMails for the latest Zones of Regulation Parent Workshops.
