PSHE and Jigsaw at Barley Close School

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) & RSHE

 

At Barley Close, we believe that Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) is vital in supporting our pupils' personal development, mental well-being, and long-term success. To ensure a consistent, high-quality, and age-appropriate curriculum, we use Jigsaw PSHE 3-11, a comprehensive and mindful curriculum program.

Through weekly lessons, our children develop emotional literacy, resilience, social skills, and a strong understanding of themselves and the world around them.

 

Meeting Statutory Requirements for 2026

 

In September 2026, the Department for Education's updated statutory guidance for Relationships, Sex, and Health Education (RSHE) officially came into effect. We have fully adopted Jigsaw’s updated curriculum, which aligns with these updated national standards. Parents received a letter in Term 6 detailing these upcoming changes and we are pleased that this is now fully embedded within our curriculum.

Our curriculum successfully embeds all statutory elements of:

• Relationships Education: Learning about families, caring friendships, respectful relationships, online safety, and personal boundaries.

• Health Education: Learning about mental well-being, physical health, healthy lifestyles, basic first aid, and the changing adolescent body (puberty).

 

How the Jigsaw Curriculum is Structured

 

The Jigsaw program is taught weekly and is organised into six progressive themes, or "Puzzles," taught sequentially across the academic year from Early Years through to Year 6:

1. Being Me in My World: Covers tracking feelings, belonging, rights and responsibilities, and welcoming environments.

2. Celebrating Difference: Focuses on similarity and difference, respecting others, and challenging bullying and stereotypes.

3. Dreams and Goals: Focuses on aspiration, working together, resilience, and personal achievements.

4. Healthy Me: Promotes physical health, healthy lifestyles, and understanding the dangers of substances like vaping and alcohol.

5. Relationships: Explores healthy friendships, communication, digital footprints, and conflict resolution.

6. Changing Me: Covers coping with change, loss, and growing up. In Key Stage 2, this includes statutory puberty education.

 

Transparency and Partnership with Parents

 

At Barley Close, we believe that a strong partnership with parents and carers is essential for effective RSHE delivery. In line with the DfE statutory guidelines, we practice complete transparency regarding what your child is being taught.

• View Our Curriculum & Policy: Our policy is available to read online and please view our detailed Jigsaw mapping grids to see exactly what is taught in each year group.

• A Note on Sex Education: Relationships and Health Education are entirely statutory for all primary pupils. Biological aspects of human reproduction (Sex Education) are taught in Upper Key Stage 2. While recommended by the DfE, Sex Education remains non-statutory at the primary level. Parents maintain the legal right to request that their child be withdrawn from non-statutory lessons. Please contact the Mrs Williams if you wish to discuss this.