🌱 PSHE at Ryton-on-Dunsmore

At Ryton‑on‑Dunsmore, Provost Williams CE Academy, we teach Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE) as a whole‑school approach to support pupils’ development as individuals and to enhance their capacity for learning. Our school values - fairness, hope, love, peace and reconciliation, perseverance and truth - are woven through every aspect of our PSHE provision and underpin all that we do.

We use Jigsaw, the mindful approach to PSHE, as our core teaching and learning programme, adapting it to meet the needs of our children. This approach enables pupils to understand and respect who they are, empowers them with a voice, and develops their resilience, equipping them for life and learning.

Relationships and Health Education
Relationships and Health Education is taught within our whole‑school PSHE programme and covers the statutory themes:

• Families and people who care for me
• Caring friendships
• Respectful relationships
• Online relationships
• Being safe

The Jigsaw Approach
Jigsaw takes a multi‑faceted approach to supporting schools in teaching the protected characteristics, promoting equality and diversity, and fostering personal development. The Jigsaw PSHE 3 -11 materials provide an inclusive, progressive and developmental programme that begins in Reception (age 4 -5) and continues through to age 11 at Ryton‑on‑Dunsmore (and to age 16 in secondary schools that adopt the scheme).

Promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
At Ryton‑on‑Dunsmore, Provost Williams CE Academy, we promote respect for all and value every individual. Equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded throughout our teaching and our wider school community, and we do not tolerate discrimination of any kind.

Our aim is to develop children’s understanding of the protected characteristics and to promote equality and diversity using age‑appropriate resources. We respect the right of pupils, families and staff to hold religious or non‑religious beliefs, and we recognise that these may sometimes be in tension with aspects of Relationships, Health and Sex Education. We share our approach openly and encourage constructive dialogue with families.

Our policy outlines when and how parents and carers can learn more about our PSHE curriculum and raise questions. We aim to work in partnership with families so that children can discuss PSHE themes confidently at home and at school. Together, we strive to help pupils grow into confident, caring young people who can keep themselves and others safe, develop ambitious aspirations and show the resilience and personal qualities needed to pursue them.