Our Approach to Personal, Social, Health and Wellbeing

At Neasden Primary, the Personal, Social, Health and Well-Being curriculum ensures that each of our pupils will develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy, safe and prepared for life and work. The aim is to ensure our pupils understand more about how to play a positive and successful role within our society, both as a child and as an adult within the future. It should have an impact on both academic and non-academic outcomes for pupils, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. The aim is for a holistic PSHE learning journey spanning the pupil’s school career, with a progressive, spiral curriculum that addresses real needs in a rapidly changing world. Our curriculum is ambitious for all and strives to address inclusion and disadvantage in its intent and implementation.

Personal, Social, Health and Well-Being at Neasden is taught discretely through PSHE lessons and assemblies to ensure our pupils develop a deep understanding of the key principals. These principals underpin the Neasden school values of Respect, Ambition, Creativity and Resilience and run through every aspect of school life. The PSHE curriculum is structured around the Jigsaw Programme and adapted to meet the needs of our pupils.

Underpinning the intent are 6 key substantive knowledge concepts:

  • Being me in my world – Includes understanding my place in the class, school and global community as well as devising Learning Charters.

  • Celebrating difference – Includes anti-bullying (cyber and homophobic bullying included) and diversity work.

  • Dreams and goals – Includes goal-setting, aspirations for yourself and the world and working together.

  • Healthy me – Includes drugs and alcohol education, self-esteem and confidence as well as healthy lifestyle choices.

  • Relationships – Includes understanding friendship, family and other relationships, conflict resolution and communication skills.

  • Changing me – Includes sex and relationships education in the context of coping positively with change (includes age-appropriate sex education)

Each PSHE lesson is underpinned by the following 6 disciplinary knowledge concepts:

  • Connect us – Developing the ability to take enjoyment from their learning, to be inclusive learners and to build and maximise social skills. Children are encouraged to build positive relationships and take part in collaborative learning.

  • Calm me – Children gain awareness of the activity in their minds, relaxing them and quietening their thoughts and emotions to a place of optimum learning capacity.

  • Open my mind – Developing the ability to filter the many stimuli entering the child’s mind at any given time. The aim here is to improve concentration and learning by filtering out activity around them.

  • Tell me or show me – Children are encouraged to introduce new information, concepts and skills, using a range of approaches and activities.

  • Let me learn – Developing children’s ability to manipulate, use and play with new information in order for it to make sense to them and for them to ‘accommodate’ it into their existing learning.

  • Help me reflect – Children are encouraged to reflect on their learning experiences and their progress. By reflecting, children can process and evaluate what they have learnt, which enables them to consolidate and apply their learning.

The curriculum comprises not just of PSHE (Personal, Social, Health Education) but also includes resilience, mental health, emotional literacy, social and employability skills, British values, and SMSC (spiritual, moral, social, cultural development), as well as an inclusive philosophy including Relationship and Sex Education.

For more information regarding the National Curriculum for PSHE, please click here.

Further Information: