PSHE

PSHE permeates every aspect of our school life including Collective Worship, our Core Values, how we communicate with one another, our curriculum, pastoral support and so much more. We recognise the value that a high quality PSHE education can offer to our pupils and how well it prepares the children for the next part in their lives. We strive to have each child leave Bywell with a clear set of Core Values and understanding of the meaning of ‘justice, endurance, compassion, friendship and peace’.

Children at Bywell are given opportunities to create personal understanding to explore and challenge a variety of values, attitudes, beliefs, rights and responsibilities. They will develop a range of skills and strategies to live a healthy, safe, fulfilling, responsible and balanced life.

Our curriculum is a progressive and effective scheme of work, preparing children for their next stage and into adult life, helping them to know and value who they are and understand how they relate to other people. It helps to promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development for pupils, to ensure they are prepared for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences in later life.

At Bywell we understand that PSHE is more than just a lesson and implement a range of strategies to help children with everyday life. We use the By Well-being Wall each morning as a way of allowing the children to express how they are feeling and provide them with the opportunity to talk with key adults in their classes and our Learning Mentor team. We also use pupil voice to ensure that children’s voices are being heard and that every child feels safe and listened to.

• High quality PSHE lessons are delivered weekly to all pupils across school by an experienced Learning Mentor/HLTA who is ELSA trained. The school uses the Jigsaw Scheme as a starting point and includes other relevant themes from other sources including Anti-bullying Alliance, NSPCC, PSHE Association as well as research and resources from the ELSA training.
• Daily acts of Collective Worship cover our Core Values and assemblies including British Values and Praise Assemblies (Famous for a Fortnight, Always Child, Dojo Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards) help to ensure our values are brought to life.
• School gives pupils the opportunity to take part in charitable events such as Children in Need children’s mental health week, odd sock day, anti-bullying week and collecting for local food banks to develop our children’s compassion and justice towards others.
• We use pupil voice to assess how the children feel about a variety of topics and themes both in lessons and by our School Council and various other pupil leaders.
• We ensure Core Values are spotted, pointed out, recognised and reinforced at every opportunity.
• We ensure Learning Mentors have time to spend with pupils identified as requiring pastoral support by using the By Well-being Wall, conversations at break and lunchtimes, parent and teacher referrals and Pastoral Team regular meetings.
• Our Pastoral Team of Learning Mentors support pupils via termly interventions which include; Happy to be Here, Bee Myself, Lego Therapy, Welcome to Bywell (for new pupils) as well as 1:1 support.
• Referrals for pupils requiring additional support for emotions and anxiety can be made to MHST (Mental Health Support Team) at Northorpe Hall
• A variety of external visitors are welcomed into school to supplement the PSHE curriculum – police – responsibilities and good communities, health service, school nurse – puberty workshops, drug awareness – county lines, guns and knife crime.

• High quality lessons with progression across the year groups being delivered for all pupils with the curriculum reviewed to ensure appropriate content is included.
• An Eco-warriors group has been established with pupils from across school as ambassadors. The first stages towards achieving Eco Warriors Award is in place. A large number of pupils submitted applications to join the group showing the interest that pupils have in the subject.
• We have taken part in various themed days across the year and as a school we have helped to raise money for a variety of charities including Children in Need, Red Nose Day and a staff collection for a local foodbank.
• Pupil voice has been collected both within lessons and as additional surveys
• Learning mentors have dedicated time to work with children who need additional support both in intervention groups and 1:1 if required.
• Learning Mentors have held 2 coffee mornings for the parents of pupils accessing pastoral support which has been well attended.
• The mechanism for daily pupils’ voice has been updated to enable more pupils to feel confident asking for support. The Bywell mountain used by pupils to indicate feelings from 1 – 10 has been updated to the By Well-Being Wall with the numbers replaced by Ready to Learn or Need to Share. Pupils understand that the ‘need to share’ could be anything including positive situations which ensures that pupils are not worried about others thinking there is something wrong. Teaching Assistants speak with those who have identified a need and if required request Learning Mentor Support
• The new for 2022/23 praise and rewards system has been successful in promoting the Core Values and a shared approach within each class to achieve a selection of rewards chosen by then children.

• We are continuing to use framework of the Jigsaw PSHE curriculum scheme which ensures that our children have high quality progressive lessons and adapting in for the needs and interests of Bywell pupils. This allows all our children to progress in every lesson and gives them an opportunity to voice their opinions in a safe space.
• Our newly implemented praise and reward system has a set focus on rewarding our core values resulting in marbles for each class to earn reward afternoons. This has been a great success so far with the children showing more of our core values and understanding why they are being rewarded. Each class has already had their first reward party with half the classes onto their second reward party at the end of this term.
• Over 100 pupils (25% of school) have accessed pastoral support in the Summer Term either as part of a group or being supported 1:1
• Children have now established themselves with a set routine for using the lollypop sticks to express their readiness to learn when entering school. This seems to be successful at catching those children that may need a bit of extra support when entering school.
• Year 6 received Puberty Workshops from the School Nurse.
• MHST – Mental Health Support Team offered 2 sessions to the Year 6 pupils to support the emotional well-being associated with the transition to high school. The feedback from staff was positive and this will be requested again next year.
• Pupils in both Year 6 and Year 2 were supported with transition arrangements both into and from Bywell. This included extra transition sessions for vulnerable pupils.
• Via PSHE lessons we took a whole school approach to support Anti-bullying week with the theme of Let’s Connect. Children decorated hearts with messages on out to reach out and created an art display. This also supported our reinforcement of the Core Values of Compassion and Friendship and encouraged children to use their voice to reach out with any concerns.

• Continue to take part in themed days and charity events to develop children’s compassion and justice towards others.
• To continue to build our Eco warrior presence within our school towards achieving the schools’ Award
• To further embed our praise and reward system split into learning and Core Values through the use of Dojos and marbles and ensure that these are visible and used within all classrooms.
• Ensure all new staff and pupils new to school are clear about the school Core Values, expectations and rewards for displaying these.
• Learning Mentors to continue to have dedicated time to speak to the children who indicate a need through the use of the lollypop sticks and By Well-Being Wall.
• Learning Mentors to research and attend training provided by the EP service to support their pastoral work with pupils to offer a variety of appropriate interventions.
• PSHE to continue to be taught as a discrete subject by the experienced Learning Mentor/HLTA
• Ensure that outside agencies are booked into school to support and add to the PSHE curriculum.
• To improve pupil voice so that children are able to have their views on a variety of issues important to them heard.
• To improve the system of referrals by staff, parents and others to the Pastoral Team for support.

• For the first week of the Autumn term, classes were off the curriculum timetable to focus on establishing routines and expectations, getting to know each other and settling in to new classes and teachers.
• New lollypop sticks have been created and all pupils informed about how to use the By Well-Being Wall.
• All classes completed learning about the Zones of Regulation – focusing on Expected and Unexpected behaviours and support for pupils if required in the different zones. Children also learnt about the Core Values including the Parable of the Mustard Tree which underpins the school ethos.
• Pupils have accessed PSHE lessons weekly from the experienced Learning Mentor
• Learning Mentors have discussed pupils who would benefit from pastoral support, groups have been agreed, letters to inform parents sent out and interventions have begun.
• There has been a change of leader for the Eco-warriors who will work towards achieving the next stage of the Eco-warrior Award.
• There has been a change of Subject Leader for PSHE which is now the responsibility of the DHT to forge closer links with the Pastoral Support Team

• Pupils supported Children in Need in November by coming to school in either non-uniform or Pudsey themed clothes. The total raised – £266.65 has been sent to Children in Need to support a number of good causes.
• Bronze Assemblies have taken place during the second half term, with parents/carers/friends invited into school to share their child’s moment to shine. The number of Dojos needed for a Bronze Award remains at 50 (even though last year the 50 was set due to the new scheme starting at the end of October. This gives pupils a good start and motivates them to achieve success. Many children are well on their way to achieving Silver Awards which requires 150 Dojos for learning.
• There are a number of classes that have already filled their marble jars (around 500 marbles) and are currently negotiating their whole class reward. The marbles are given for thoughts and actions that support our Core Values and children can receive them from any member of the school team for a variety of reasons.
• Year 5 and 6 watched a drama production aimed specifically at this age group about gang culture and violence to enable them to recognise the signs and dangers associated with this area.
• Mrs Appleyard attended training delivered by Educational Psychologists from Kirklees Keep in Mind that detailed the role of the ELSA in school (Miss Dent is our ELSA trained Learning Mentor) and the support required from leadership for this role.
• Our allocated new Parent and Community Worker from Kirklees Keep in Mind – Dee MacLeod attended school to introduce herself to parents and share her role within the community and the support she can provide. She facilitated a workshop with 6 parents specifically looking at how parents can support children anxious to come to school. Dee also attended one of our Parent Consultation evenings, speaking to parents and giving out leaflets.  A further drop in session before the end of term will focus on self-care for parents.