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Life Skills (formerly known as PSHE) and RSE

As a staff, we decided to rename PSHE to Life Skills, as it more accurately reflects the learning undertaken in our classrooms on a daily basis. Life Skills are fundamental cornerstones of learning that we believe every child at Glade is entitled to. 

Intent 

Research shows that children who are emotionally healthy do better at school.

We want our pupils to have happy and successful futures and our Life Sills curriculum aims to present pupils with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead resilient, healthy, confident, safe, independent and successful lives.

Life Skills lessons present pupils with the opportunity for open and honest discussions about issues that will affect them now and in the future. A broad range of topics are covered including: facing new challenges; setting and achieving goals; being resilient; building positive relationships; conflict and resolution; bullying; and changes.

Pupils are empowered to speak and ask questions about their thoughts and feelings in a safe and nurturing environment.  

Life Skills will challenge preconceived thoughts and opinions in a positive and proactive way that permits pupils to form and understand their own views.

Through a range of activities and discussions, pupils learn to recognise their own worth, to engage well with others, and to become increasingly responsible for their own actions and learning.  Pupils will reflect on their own experiences of developing personally and physically, and will consider morality, spirituality, and the diverse society in which they live. 

Implementation

Pupils experience weekly Life Skills lessons  - alongside SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) and Behaviours for Learning (Bs4L) themes  within assemblies - but most importantly, Life Skills education permeates every aspect of school life at Glade Academy.

These are also supported throughout many lessons with reference to the core values of Respect, Resilience and Teamwork as well as our fortnightly Bs4L focus.

Impact

In lessons:

Pupils may be assessed by the class teacher through:

  • discussion during plenaries
  • Responses in games and activities
  • Responses to their written work

After lessons:

The subject leader monitors the effective delivery of the Life Skills curriculum by:

  • Conducting class book looks
  • Looking at planning for medium and short term 
  • Observing children in lessons
  • Completing pupil perception interviews for a range of Life Skills areas
  • Completing and analysing termly whole-school pupil perception surveys
  • Analysing class teachers' Life Skills half-termly assessments