Subject Leader - Mrs D Seymour
Years 1 & 2
What do we want our pupils to learn?
Within our PSHE lessons, we aim to nurture the whole child through a broad and balanced curriculum. We support children’s personal, social, emotional, and mental health development in a structured, age-appropriate way. Our intent is to help every child develop self-awareness, empathy, resilience, and the confidence to express themselves, while learning how to build positive relationships and make safe, healthy choices. Using a mindful approach, we ensure that PSHE is inclusive, progressive, and relevant to the needs of our young learners, laying a strong foundation for lifelong wellbeing and citizenship. Within each lesson, we also direct children's thinking towards our own school values of kindness, perseverance, respect, honesty, fairness and the behaviours behind them.
Each class also uses The Colour Monster story to help children identify and understand different emotions by associating each feeling with a specific colour. Through interactive activities, displays and discussions, children learn to express their emotions in a safe and supportive environment.
What we are teaching...
Autumn Term
Being Me in my World - Opportunities for children to explore their identity, roles, and responsibilities within their class, school, and wider community.
Celebrating Difference - In this unit, we teach pupils to value diversity, understand and respect differences, and challenge bullying and prejudice.
Spring Term
Dreams & Goals - Lessons support children in setting personal goals, overcoming challenges, building perseverance and working together to achieve their aspirations.
Healthy Me - Within this unit, teachers guide children to understand the importance of physical and mental health, making healthy choices, and managing risk.
Summer Term
Relationships - In this sequence of lessons we teach the importance of building healthy relationships, understanding emotions, and respecting ourselves and others.
Changing Me - This unit helps children understand and cope with changes in their lives, including growing up, getting older, and transitions.
How we teach...
PSHE lessons are typically taught weekly, lasting around 30–45 minutes depending on the age of the children. Each lesson follows a consistent structure, designed to support emotional regulation, engagement, and progression:
-
Calm Me Time (Mindfulness Practice)
-
Each lesson begins with a short mindfulness activity (breathing or visualisation) to help children feel calm, focused, and ready to learn.
-
This supports emotional regulation and builds self-awareness over time.
-
-
Connect Us
-
A warm-up activity or game to promote social skills, teamwork, and relationship-building.
-
It encourages inclusivity, cooperation, and a sense of belonging.
-
-
Main Teaching Input
-
A story, song, discussion, or visual stimulus is used to introduce the focus of the lesson.
-
Teachers lead activities and discussions that explore key PSHE concepts (e.g. feelings, friendships, safety, health).
-
This part is interactive and encourages children to think, reflect, and share their thoughts.
-
-
Let’s Explore / Let’s Work
-
Children engage in activities such as role play, art, circle time, or group tasks that allow them to explore the topic more deeply.
-
Activities are tailored to be age-appropriate and inclusive, with differentiation where needed.
-
-
Reflective Time / Help Me Reflect
-
At the end of the lesson, children are guided to reflect on their learning, behaviour, and feelings.
-
This helps embed the learning and encourages emotional literacy.
-
What pupils will have learnt to do...
Our children develop the knowledge, skills, and emotional literacy needed to thrive both in school and beyond. They learn to understand and manage their feelings, build positive relationships, and celebrate differences. As a result, pupils demonstrate increased confidence, resilience, and empathy, showing respect for themselves and others. The consistent, mindful approach helps create a calm, inclusive learning environment where all children feel valued, safe, and ready to learn.