Miss Gibson - Personal Development Lead

Miss Berry - PSHE Leader       

At Mesne Lea we believe that children’s personal, social, health and economic development is paramount. We know that children need a healthy mind, heathy relationships and a good understanding of the world around them to successfully access all other areas of the curriculum.

Our PSHE curriculum aims to motivate and inspire children through a learning journey that engages and challenges all learners. We aim to meet pupils’ needs, preparing them for the challenges and opportunities of adult life. Our curriculum is designed to enable children to express their emotions, needs and aspirations through a rich vocabulary. Through PSHE and RSE we want our children to become healthy, independent and responsible members of a diverse society. The curriculum we have designed supports the children at Mesne Lea to tackle the many social, moral and cultural issues that are part of growing up. Children are encouraged to have a positive mental well-being and understand their self-worth in their role at home, school and wider community.

PSHE is well embedded into the ethos and daily running of our school, although we have PSHE lessons, we believe that the wider school community is where the teaching of PSHE really happens. The clear and informative messages we share about mental health, relationships and our wider world are what matter most at Mesne Lea, we take every opportunity to support children’s understanding of themselves and others. Through carefully thought out assemblies, the books used in our English learning journeys and the way in which we tackle day to day issues underpins our belief that PSHE is a curriculum for life. Our PSHE ethos is inclusive and supports the delivery of our broad and balanced curriculum. The PSHE learning objectives are taught based on the three core themes: Relationships, Health and Wellbeing and Living in the Wider World.

A series of stimulating PSHE lessons are planned to enhance their knowledge and increase children’s vocabulary within each unit. These lessons include a wide range of activities and realistic experiences across and beyond the curriculum, contributing fully to the life of the school and the community. Our children take ownership of their understanding of each lesson by reflecting and expressing their ideas using appropriate rich vocabulary. 

Our curriculum allows children to revisit and consolidate their knowledge, understanding and language associated with relationships, emotions and health. Our curriculum has been designed to include opportunities to link Fundamental British Values and Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) development, to prepare the children for life in Modern Britain. We deliver lessons that allow children to talk and share ideas in a safe and non-judgemental environment, where they can discuss current situations and issues that are directly linked to their lives.

The children learn key vocabulary and develop a deep knowledge within the PSHE curriculum that can be applied across the wider curriculum. In doing so, they reflect on their own experiences and understand how they are developing personally and socially, tackling many of the issues that are part of growing up as they develop into a reflective and responsible citizen.

PROTECTED CHARACTERISTICS

We believe that ANY young person from ANY background deserves an EQUAL chance to be successful in whatever they choose to do. We believe that children should be aware of the protected characteristics and show respect to those who share the protected characteristics.

There are 9 protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 and all schools should be able to demonstrate that no form of discrimination is tolerated and respect is shown to everyone.

The 9 Protected Characteristics are

We ensure that our children are given opportunities to develop age-appropriate knowledge and understanding through a well-planned and delivered curriculum. 

We also celebrate different key events such as,

• World Mental Health Day
• Black History Month
• Easter
• Autism Awareness Month
• Religious Festivals and Celebrations
• Diabetes Week

We believe that this prepares our children to protected themselves and others to be protected. This ensures that we are always promoting equality and diversity in our school. 

What is ‘Cultural Capital’?

Cultural capital is the essential knowledge that children need to prepare them for their future success. It is about giving children the best possible start to their education.  

Cultural capital is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviours, and skills that a child can draw upon to be successful in their education, society and the world of work. It helps children achieve goals and become successful no matter their starting point.

At Mesne Lea primary pupils benefit from a creative and ambitious curriculum that builds on what they understand and know already. We believe the exposure to valuable, long-life experiences is important to their ongoing successes.

We recognise that for our pupils to aspire and be successful academically and in the wider areas of their lives, they need to be given rich and sustained opportunities to develop their cultural capital. We do this in many ways, for example, through our curriculum, extra-curricular activities, workshops, visits, enrichment days and community links