Our Vision for Life Skills (RSHE)

The children of Peterhouse Church of England Primary Academy face a greater number of barriers to their learning than many of their peers nationally and due to this many find that their opportunities in life are limited. Driven by the Academy’s Christian vision and in order meet the academic and spiritual needs of all, the Peterhouse curriculum has been designed to ensure that the Academy is a place where all can flourish, regardless of background or ability. The Life Skills curriculum has been designed to help pupils overcome the safety, emotional, and motivational barriers many of our pupils face as they grow and develop.

Our Aims for Life Skills (RSHE)

RSHE is learning about the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing up, relationships, sex, human sexuality and sexual health in an age and stage appropriate manner. RSHE equips children and young people with accurate information, positive values and the skills to enjoy healthy, safe and positive relationships, to celebrate their sexuality and to take responsibility for their health and wellbeing both now and in the future. We recognise the importance of Life Skills (RSHE) in preparing children and young people to live safe, fulfilled and healthy lives.

The overarching aim of RSHE is to support children and young people through a journey of physical, emotional and moral development via the teaching of essential knowledge, skills and values within the framework of the law and provisions of the Equality Act, 2010.

How do we deliver Life Skills?

Life Skills is delivered as a spiral curriculum that enables pupils to build on their prior learning by revisiting themes to further develop knowledge, values and skills in an age and stage-appropriate manner. As such, some themes are repeated to enable a deeper exploration of the related issues. 

Life Skills is taught by experienced and skilled teaching staff who are committed to preparing  pupils to live and learn safely in the modern world, negotiating the transition into increasing independence with the development of knowledge, values and skills to make positive, healthy and safe choices.

Curriculum Design in Life Skills

We took the decision to rename our RSHE curriculum as Life Skills in order that we make it meaningful for our pupils and that we maintain adherence to our core aim of helping prepare our pupils for life beyond primary school.

Life Skills at Peterhouse:

• Is an identifiable part of our school curriculum, which has planned, timetabled lessons across all the Key Stages.
• Is taught by staff regularly trained in RSHE (with expert visitors invited in to enhance and supplement the programme, where appropriate).
• Works in partnership with parents and carers, informing them about what their children will be learning and how they can contribute at home.
• Delivers lessons where pupils feel safe and encourages participation by using a variety of teaching approaches with opportunities to develop critical thinking and relationship skills.
• Is based on reliable sources of information, including about the law and legal rights, and distinguishes between fact and opinion.
• Promotes safe, equal, caring and enjoyable relationships and discusses real-life issues appropriate to the age and stage of pupils, including friendships, families, consent, relationship abuse, sexual exploitation and safe relationships online.
• Gives a positive view of human sexuality with honest and medically accurate information so that pupils can learn about their bodies and sexual and reproductive health in ways that are appropriate to their age and maturity.
• Gives pupils opportunities to reflect on their values and influences (such as from peers, media, faith and culture) that may shape their attitudes to relationships and sex and nurture respect for different views.
• Includes learning about how to get help and treatment from sources such as the School Health Service and other health and advice services including reliable information online.
• Fosters gender equality and LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans) equality and challenges all forms of discrimination in Life Skills lessons and in everyday school life.
• Meets the needs of all pupils with their diverse experiences including those with special educational needs and disabilities.
• Seeks pupils’ views about Life Skills so that teaching can be made relevant to their real lives and assessed and adapted as their needs change.

Our Intended Coverage

Assessment in Life Skills

Pupils’ learning will be assessed during and at the end of the lesson to ensure that pupils are making sufficient progress to build on prior teaching and learning and that teaching strategies and resources remain relevant and effective. Assessment activities will be implicit, forming part of a normal teaching activity to ensure that pupils do not feel under pressure and will include self-assessment tasks that will confirm pupils understanding of the topics. .