PSHE & RSHE
Personal, Social, Health and Emotional (PSHE) Education
Intent
At Holy Family Catholic Primary School, our PSHE curriculum aims to promote emotional wellbeing, resilience and a clear understanding of the importance of both physical and mental health. Through this subject, we intend to equip children with the knowledge, understanding, and emotional intelligence needed to thrive as confident, independent, reflective individuals who can make informed and responsible choices in today’s diverse society.
Our vision is to nurture pupils who are spiritually, morally, socially and culturally aware, who demonstrate respect and compassion for themselves and others, and who are fully prepared for the next stage of their education and future adult life. We look to develop the child as a whole person, supporting them in developing the knowledge, skills and values they need to make informed decisions, overcome challenges and keep themselves safe.
We teach children that it is okay to make mistakes, provided they learn and grow from them. Children are given opportunities to understand rights and responsibilities and develop an appreciation of what it means to be a global citizen. We encourage all pupils to develop a strong sense of self-worth through active participation in school life and contributing positively to the wider community.
Implementation
We follow the Life to the Full Plus programme from Ten:Ten Resources, a Catholic organisation with over 15 years’ experience in education. Originally a theatre-in-education company, Ten:Ten has become a highly regarded educational and media resource provider, producing award-winning materials specifically designed for Catholic schools in the UK.
The programme is fully approved by our Diocese and underpinned by ten key principles of Catholic Relationships Education:
- Our bodies are good.
- Through loving relationships, we become closer to the image and likeness of God.
- Catholic RSHE is about the whole person.
- Catholic RSHE is taught in partnership with parents.
- Our deepest identity is as a child of God.
- Story can change hearts and minds.
- Catholic RSHE is an education in virtue.
- Catholic RSHE is an education in conscience.
- Relationship education is about striving for the common good.
- Prayer, Scripture and the Sacraments underpin the teaching.
Life to the Full Plus provides:
- Over 80 carefully structured lesson plans from EYFS to Year 6.
- Age-appropriate, high-quality videos tailored for UK Catholic primary schools.
- A Parent Portal for strengthening the home–school partnership in RSE and PSHE.
PSHE is taught through discrete weekly lessons by the class teacher, with a strong emphasis on Catholic values, British values, and cross-curricular links to RE, RSE, PE and Science. This integrated approach ensures children gain a well-rounded understanding of topics such as healthy relationships, physical and mental wellbeing, nutrition, and personal safety.
Within our school, we use worry boxes, Zones of Regulation and our ELSA team as part of an effort to create an environment which supports children’s wellbeing and mental health. Circle time activities, themed assemblies and whole-school initiatives further reinforce learning. Assemblies often align with national and global awareness days, Gospel values and key PSHE themes.
Where possible, PSHE themes are embedded across the wider curriculum, ensuring a consistent and coherent message across all areas of school life.
Impact
Our children and staff at Holy Family value wellbeing, mental health, and active citizenship. We believe that our PSHE curriculum helps to build children’s resilience and prepares them for successful transitions throughout their schooling and beyond.
As a result of our PSHE provision, we expect to see:
- Children living out Gospel values such as love, peace, courage, honesty, forgiveness and justice.
- Positive and healthy relationships formed between peers, both now and in the future.
- Age-appropriate understanding of the physical aspects of Relationships and Sex Education.
- A high level of respect shown by children towards themselves and others.
- A demonstrable understanding and application of British values: democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance.
- A healthy outlook towards school, reflected in good attendance and positive behaviour.
- Children achieving age-related expectations across the broader curriculum.
As Life to the Full Plus is still a relatively new programme within our school (introduced from September 2025), we will continue to review and refine its implementation. Monitoring will include:
- Pupil voice and engagement
- Teacher and parent feedback
- Samples of children’s work and responses
- Observations and formative assessment
We expect our pupils to demonstrate increasing maturity, self-regulation, and a readiness to engage positively with the wider world. We aim for all children to make a successful transition between year groups, key stages, and ultimately on to secondary school, equipped with the values and life skills they need for a flourishing future.
Our Approach to PHSE
At the Holy Family, our PSHE curriculum aims to prepare each child for their life in the wider world, now and in the future. We look to develop the child as a whole person, supporting them in developing the knowledge, skills and values they need to make informed decisions, overcome challenges and keep themselves safe. The Department for Education refers to PSHE as, 'an important and necessary part of all pupil's education', one that we believe is vital to help them to develop socially, mentally and physically.
PSHE is taught in weekly sessions. Where appropriate, teachers may adapt lessons to best meet the needs of their children.
At Holy Family, we also take part in a number of themed weeks and events during the year, that relate to different aspect of the PSHE curriculum. These include Anti-bullying week, World Mental Health Week and Internet Safety Day. In addition, we recognise the importance of children’s mental health. Within our school, we use worry boxes, Zones of Regulation and our ELSA team as part of an effort to create an environment which supports children’s wellbeing and mental health.
Relationships & Sex Education
Our Approach to RSE
RSE is the life long learning about physical, moral and emotional development. It forms part of our RE, PSHE, Science, RE and Computing curriculum and our key objective is developing the well-being of the child. We believe parents are the prime educators of their children. Therefore, our school as a school is to support you and not to replace you.
In line with guidance from the Diocese, we are using a programme called 'Life to the Full' by Ten Ten Resources. This programme has been approved by the Diocese. Furthermore, Ten Ten Resources has entered into a partnership with the Catholic Education service and the Department for Education to provide training for teachers in Catholic schools on the subject of RSE.
As a Catholic school, our mission is to support the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of all of our children, rooted in the wisdom and teaching of the Church. The education of children in human sexuality is an important, precious and privileged responsibility.
Life to the Full- Ten Principles for Catholic RSE:
- Our bodies are good
- Through loving relationships we become close to the image and likeness of God
- Catholic Relationship Sex Education is about the whole person
- Catholic RSE should be taught in partnership with parents
- Our deepest identify is as a child of God
- Story can change heart and mind
- Catholic RSE is an education in virtue
- Catholic RSE is an education in conscience
- Relationship education is about striving for the common good
- Prayer, scripture and the Sacraments underpin the teaching
Structure of 'Life to the Full'
Each year group covers the same three modules, which take their names from the three themes of the CES Model Curriculum:
- Module 1: Created and loved by God
- Module 2: Created to love others
- Module 3: Created to live in the community