Pittington Primary School

Personal, Social and Health Education at Pittington

Spring 2021

Lots of our work in PSHRE this term has been at home with our families. Here is a taster of what some of the classes have been up to.

Nursery- Discovering new friends and cultures

In Nursery the children have been making lots of new friends as some children returned to Nursery after a long time and lots of new children started Nursery.  They have all been playing together well and we have witnessed lots of sharing and cooperation especially when playing in our role play café.  In February we took part in the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch.  We talked about how it is difficult for lots of animals including birds to find food over the Winter months and made some bird food for the birds in our garden which we hung in the trees.  The children showed great understanding of the importance of caring for animals.  We have also learned about Chinese New Year celebrations and made comparisons with our own celebrations in our households.  The children showed great respect for others and were interested in the celebrations and outfits of another culture.

Reception- Captain Tom

In class we have been talking about Captain Tom and how inspiring he was. We talked about the things that he was known for.

We used the children's ideas to make a class tribute poster.

The children came up with these brilliant ideas to include on the poster...

*A Poppy - to remember him by

*Coins/ money- for his fundraising efforts

*A picture of Tom himself

*Hearts- to represent love

*Sunshine - for making people smile and ray of sunshine when people needed it

*A rainbow- a sign of hope during COVID 19 and support for the NHS

We have displayed the poster on our classroom door for all to see.

Year 2- Fairness and kindness

In PSHRE this term Year 2 have been thinking about relationships. We have discussed actions and words that we think are kind/ unkind and thought about what is fair and unfair. Hearing parents report back from home about the discussions with their children has been really interesting. Concepts of fairness and kindness sometimes vary between home and school!

We also decided we needed to look after ourselves a little further during lockdown and arranged  'well-being Wednesday' where we all chose something that we love. The children in school chose sledging so that's what we did! We read books, built a den, had hot chocolate and did some yoga. 

We talked about mental well-being and how important it is to our learning and our health. We talked about the feelings we had whilst sledging and about how we all felt afterwards. The children in school said it was by far their best day ever at school. 

Year 4- Staying safe

These are some examples of Year 4 posters warning of the importance of staying safe around water in the locality. The children discussed the possible risks associated with different bodies of water and learned the SAFE mantra (Stay Away From the Edge). The class have also been learning about different professionals that help us stay safe and healthy and what their own responsibilities are towards keeping themselves safe and making sensible decisions.

Year 5- Recognising and responding

In Year 5 we have continued to have a range of discussions and explorations upon a number of key themes. These have included being able to recognise and respond appropriately to a range of feelings in others, to explore the consequences of actions for both themselves and friends, working together towards shared goals and developing strategies to solve disputes and avoid conflicts. Within our exploration of recognising feelings the children have shown a good range of vocabulary and understanding. We also had lots of fun working as a team to try to complete our prime number challenge. 

Year 6- Healthy and unhealthy relationships

In the Spring Term, Y6 have been learning about what makes a healthy and unhealthy relationship. We thought of signs of these and strategies of how to seek help if you feel that you are in an unhealthy relationship.

We then went on to learn about the differences between a civil partnership and a marriage. We then found out about arranged marriages and made a clear distinction between an arranged marriage and a forced marriage.

Autumn Term 2020

Nursery

As part of our work about Harvest and Harvest Festival we learned about the importance of food banks to many families. We took part in a collection for a local food bank with the rest of school. We have talked about those children who are less fortunate and who face difficulties in their lives and how the BBC charity ‘Children in Need’ raises money to support children all over the country. Some of the children wore Pudsey Bear merchandise such as t shirts and head bands and we all took part in a treasure hunt in the garden to raise awareness of the importance of supporting others through charity. On a daily basis in Nursery we learn about how to get along with our friends, how to share, take turns and cooperate successfully. We have also been learning about our feelings. We have talked about our feelings in different situations and how we can understand and control these feelings. We have adopted a simple version of ‘Zones of Regulation’ which supports emotional wellbeing and regulation. There is a display in our classroom which the children are familiar with and they can use to help them talk about their feelings with an adult or with their friends.

Year 1

In year one we have been talking about who looks after us and keeps us safe in our daily lives. We talked about how there are lots of different people throughout the week that play a big part in looking after us all from people in school, tea club, grandparents and parents.

We have also been talking about recognising when we are good at something and setting a simple goal that we can achieve. We looked at three things that the year 1 children thought they were really good at and celebrated some of these. We then talked about things that we are not so good at and how by setting simple goals can help us get better at those things. We then had a go at setting ourselves a simple goal that we think we could achieve by the end of year 1.

Year 2

Year 2 have been learning about how some diseases are spread and that they can be controlled which links very well to our current situation with the coronavirus, giving the children a real purpose and first-hand experience of their learning. They are beginning to understand that they need to take responsibility for their own health and that of others. They designed posters to share how to help control the spread of the infection.

The children have also been learning that they can make informed choices to improve both their physical and emotional health. We have discussed how our choices can have both good and not so good consequences and that they can begin to consider this for themselves as they grow.

Year 2 is where the children really begin to become more independent and they have been learning to think about themselves, learn from their experiences and to recognise their strengths this term. The children have set themselves goals on our ‘Aim High’ display and are monitoring and reviewing their progress each week in class.

Year 4

Year 4 began by exploring the different feelings they have felt in the past. This in itself was a great discussion point as we found that, initially, it took time to think of a substantial list. After that we considered when we might feel these and which ones were particularly powerful. Once children had chosen their own 'powerful emotions', they then began discussing how they act when they are feeling them and if/how others can support them.

Year 5

In Year 5 we have explored some of the key aspects of a healthy lifestyle. This has included looking at key areas such as exercise and being active, but we have also looked at how we achieve a balance with moments of rest and relaxation.  Additionally, we have had a focus upon goal setting and how a series of steps can help us to achieve these. We also explored the range of feelings which may be experienced upon this journey. Recently, we have held discussions around independence and ways in which we can stay safe within the local community.

Spring Term 2020

Nursery

The children in Nursery are becoming more and more independent every day.  They have been working hard on their self help skills.  Everyone can now put on their own coat and some of us can even fasten our own zip and buttons.  We have been practising taking off and putting on our own shoes after our movement sessions in the hall.   We have had lots of new starters in Nursery, so we have talked a lot about our feelings and how we can help the new children to settle in.  It has been a pleasure to see the older children supporting the new children and working as a team. 

Nursery enjoyed learning all about Chinese New Year and its related cultural traditions.  We listened to Chinese dragon dance music, sampled Chinese food and experimented with chopsticks. It was lots of fun and inspired lots of our children to follow up their learning at home and attend Chinese restaurants or watch some of their celebrations happening in nearby towns.

Reception

We shared a delightful story about Ruby who was worried about something. Ruby discovered that she wasn't the only person in the world with a worry and when she finally discussed her worry it shrunk as she talked about it.

We sat in friendship pairs to share any worries we have or may have had in the past. All the children agreed that talking about worries makes you feel a lot better!

In class we have been talking about people who help us, we have discussed the emergency services- Fire Brigade, Ambulance, Police and Coast guards.

In class we have been talking about people who help us, we have discussed the emergency services- Fire Brigade, Ambulance, Police and Coast guards.

We talked about what an emergency situation is and when we may need the help of the emergency services. We discussed when it is ok to dial 999. We explained that it will usually be an adult who will ring 999 but it is vital to know what to do if we are ever in a situation where we need to phone the emergence services, and know who to ask for.

We created some scenarios and talked about which emergency service would be needed. We talked about hearing sirens and seeing blue lights on emergency service vehicles.  We watched a child friendly video clip of what happens when 999 is dialled in an emergency. We talked about the information needed and what details we should give. We all practised dialling 999 from a pretend phone and giving the information that was asked for.  We also set a homework challenge for the children to learn their home address in case they were ever in an emergency situation at home. 

We invited Stephen and Samuel into school they are PCSO’s (Police Community Support Officers) from Sherburn Road Police Station, they spoke about their job role, the training they have had to do and how they serve our community. They also talked about recognising antisocial behaviour and how they try to support criminals to change their behaviours.

The children certainly put Stephen and Samuel through their paces by asking some fantastic questions!

Mrs Dick (who works in the school office) had to phone the emergency services during a real emergency situation at school.

She came to speak to the class all about her experience of phoning for an ambulance, helping someone who was injured and then waiting for the paramedics to arrive.

Mrs Dick told the children all about the questions she had to answer about the patient, where she was calling from and then the instructions she had to follow while waiting for the ambulance.

The children were fascinated to hear all about Mrs Dick’s experience and how reassuring the emergency services were.

All of the Reception children had their hearing checked in school this term (this is Leanne, one of the audiologists).  The children enjoyed the experience and linked the audiologist’s job to our learning theme of People Who Help Us.

Year 1

During this term we have had some fantastic professionals in to deliver workshops to us on topics such as healthy eating and dementia. The workshops provided were very engaging and have been very valuable to the children. They have had a very positive impact on the children and families. This has linked well to our work on kind and unkind words/touch as well as our understanding of keeping fit and healthy.

Year 2

Year 2 have really impressed in their PSHCE lessons this term. They have been learning about how different behaviours make others feel, how to recognise other’s feelings and sharing their own, learning how to listen and play cooperatively, know the importance of respect for similarities and differences and to talk about special people in their lives. They have also enjoyed special visits to the school including a brilliant healthy eating workshop where they made smoothies and chicken curry. They were so popular that the class asked for all of the recipes to take home with them! The children also have been learning the ‘Pantosaurus’ song and made presentations to help others understand their privacy.

Our school is proud to be a Dementia Friendly school and we enjoyed our training on how to support people with dementia. Nearly one in three young people know someone living with dementia and as a school we thought it was important to receive training on dementia.

The year 2 children particularly enjoyed this training and we enjoyed a ‘Getting dressed’ sequencing activity and thought about how we would feel if we couldn’t remember to dress ourselves. The dementia champion described dementia as a ‘fairy light going off in our heads’.

We each received a Dementia Friendly badge which we will wear with pride.

Year 3

In year 3 we learned more about how to minimise infection from germs that we encounter when at school.  We linked this with when we cook in Design and Technology and practised how to wash properly our thumb, fingers, and palms.  

 We also looked at images from magazines, television and when using online devices and thought more about whether what we see matches the reality.  We used Google Earth to compare images of beaches with those shown in holiday adverts.  We realised that sometimes the beaches weren't as sandy as shown in the pictures.

Year 4

In Year 4 we have continued to have a range of discussions and explorations upon a number of key themes. These have included staying safe within our local communities (with regard to elements such as road safety, internet safety and letting adults know where you are). We have explored relationships and discussed elements such as what makes a good friend, personal space, how to respectfully challenge a viewpoint and how we can solve any disputes and conflicts. We have also explored the role of teamwork and working towards shared goals – the cooperation and collaboration needed.  In addition, as part of a focus week of activities, we really enjoyed trying yoga and a healthy cooking workshop.

Year 5

Our work this term has centred around relationships.

We have explored how to maintain relationships with friends and peers and respond appropriately to the feelings and reactions of others. Within this we have been looking at how we see ourselves and how other people might view us – the results we came up with were very interesting and gave us lots to talk about in class.

We discussed things that helped us to maintain positive relationships like honesty, respect, sharing, listening and in contrast what might make a relationship unhealthy.

We also looked at marriage and what that means in our country. We discussed the differences between civil partnerships, arranged marriages and forced marriages. The children were shocked to hear statistics linked to this. The children approached all of their learning with an open mind and talked passionately about their learning in class.

Year 6

Positivity and celebrating achievements is a huge part of our ethos in Year 6. We have taken part in the 30 day happiness challenge and enjoy writing certificates and awarding others in our Achievement Assembly on a Friday.

We often participate in discussion about staying positive and take time to reflect on this when we participate in our ‘Go Relax’ 5 minutes activities.  Here is our display to remind us to think positively.

This term in our PSCHE the theme has been relationships. We have discussed freedom and what it means to us and how we become more responsible as we get older. We thought about how life will change when we move on to other schools.

We talked about feelings and emotions and thought about the different feelings that we have and why we might be feeling them. We discussed what makes a loving relationship and described the skills each person needs to ensure a relationship stays positive and healthy.

Autumn Term

Early Years Foundation Stage

Nursery

This term Nursery have learnt about road and water safety through our project around making fish. As part of the project we decided to test the fish in the school pond. This involved a journey through our school car park to the pond. We discussed what you can do when moving near cars and the sorts of things that might be dangerous. The children were super on their walk and listened carefully for any vehicle sounds and dangers. When we were at the pond the children applied their understanding of how to stay safe around water, making sure they didn’t fall in. Sadly two of our fish did fall in and the children saw how quickly they sank down and were out of sight. We didn’t want that to happen to us!

As the children have all joined us this term they have all experienced the usual joy that comes with starting Nursery- illness! This has inspired lots of discussion around germs. We have learned about how important hygiene is and how it can protect us from spreading germs around the classroom. Children are getting really good now at explaining how and why we clean our hands before preparing and eating snack.

We want our Nursery children to leave with a sense of confidence in their relationships with adults and their own ability to resolve issues. Preparing for our Christmas nativity has been an excellent learning journey in how we support the children to achieve this. As is to be expected not all children in Nursery relished the opportunity to stand up in front of a hall full of adults in a special costume. We talked a lot about our feelings around this and all adults ensured that no children felt pressured into doing things they didn’t want to do. This meant that for some children they didn’t join in 100% of the time. We know that’s OK, we know that eventually this will result in children feeling they are trusted to make their own choices and adults will support them in that. That is true confidence and understanding your feelings. We want children who can identify what works or doesn’t work for them and we want them to know we will support them in that.

Reception

As the children have entered their first term at school we have made new friends, learned new school routines and worked as part of a team in class.

We have enjoyed sharing stories about these new experiences.  One story was called The Invisible String.  The book carries the meaning that we are always connected to those we love (near or far) by an invisible piece of string so even if we are felling scared or worried then we are never alone because we have ‘invisible string’ joining us together...no matter if we are as far as the deepest ocean or as high as space!  Each child was given their own piece of ‘invisible string’ to share with those they love....so they can stay connected even while they are at school!

We have been doing lots of activities to self-regulate our emotions and we have enjoyed mindfulness sessions, acknowledging when we need some alone time in the class Thinking Pod and are learning to communicate effectively about our thoughts and feelings. We created a ‘wishing tree’ in our outdoor area and hung ribbons that represented our wishes for our time in Reception.

We have also been learning about charities through the MacMillian coffee afternoon and why charities need donations. We spoke about the different ways that this charity uses the money which has been kindly donated.  After that we went into the hall to enjoy a cup of juice and a biscuit. The Reception children enjoyed telling the older children all about the charity and why the money had been donated.

Year 1

In Year 1 we have explored some of the central aspects of a healthy lifestyle. This has included looking at key areas such as exercise and being active and healthy eating. We have sorted different foods into healthy and unhealthy lunch options and discussed some other foods children could think of that they might have at lunch, and whether they were healthy or unhealthy. 

We have explored families and how all families are different. We discussed the differences about our families in class and how this made us no different to anyone else. The children all agree that all families should be celebrated. The children decided that our calendar for parents was going to be a poem about families so we could share our celebration of differences with them.

We have had a visit from the school nurse to talk about the importance of dental hygiene and hand washing.

Year 2

This term year 2 have been talking about different feelings and where they might feel them in their body. They also talked in a group about how they could manage their own feelings. Children enjoyed participating in weekly mindfulness sessions to help them relax and reflect.

The children enjoyed learning about health and hygiene and making healthy choices. Some of the suggestions were to get plenty of sleep and not eat too many sweets.

They created posters to remind people of different ways to stay healthy. They also learnt about staying safe both in and out of the home.

Key Stage 2

Year 3

Year 3 have been understanding about healthy lifestyles and choices that relate to health, balanced meals and habits linked with foods, achievement, personal targets, representation of people online, emotions, change, keeping safe and hygiene.

These have all be learnt in separate lessons, but then linked with the everyday school experiences or with what is being learnt in other subjects.

Year 4

In Year 4 we have explored some of the key aspects of a healthy lifestyle. This has included looking at key areas such as exercise and being active, but we have also looked at ways to relax and the time which our brains and bodies need for rest.  We sorted foods into different food groups with our healthy eating focus and even included treats. Recently we have explore hygiene and the key role it plays in keeping all of us healthy and we have designed posters to remind everyone of the key rules.

Additionally we have discussed and designed our class charter, listening to everyone’s ideas and democratically composing its contents.

Year 5

We have been discussing self-image and how the media can affect this. We designed posters about what mental health is and how we can be proactive in looking after ourselves mentally and physically.

We had a day of dressing up and laughing with friends at Halloween and talked about how this promoted well-being. Our class ethos is all about enjoying ourselves as well as learning which helps to make us well-rounded individuals. We played team games and worked together to complete challenges. Our day culminated in afternoon tea at Hallgarth Manor which was just the best way to end a half term.

Year 6

Y6 have been focusing on what keeps us healthy – our mind as well as our body.  We have celebrated our achievements by secretly writing a positive message on a flower petal and random members of the class writing something which that person is good at.

We have also thought about family images and how they are perceived in the media.  In addition, we have explored the unfair use of Photoshop to give unrealistic expectations on the ‘perfect’ way to look.