PSHE
07 Apr 2021
Parent Forum
Following a meeting earlier in the year where we discussed the new DfE requirements for Relationships and Sex Education, Friends of Fountains School have agreed to purchase a PSHE scheme to help deliver all the expectations. A copy of what was discussed is in the link above.
Following research into the various schemes on offer, we decided to purchase Jigsaw because of the strong links to mindfulness.
In Jigsaw, the mindful approach to PSHE, mindfulness is developed in 3 main ways:
•a) through the ‘Calm Me’ time in each Piece (lesson). This consists of breathing techniques, awareness exercise
s and visualisations, enabling children not to empty their minds but to quiet them and become aware of the activity within them and manage it positively.
•b) through the taught curriculum. Lessons (Pieces) help children to explore their thoughts and feelings, to expand their emotional vocabulary, explore thoughts-feelings-consequence sequences, build their confidence and express themselves in a safe environment.
•c) through the ‘Pause Points’ in lessons (Pieces) which ask children to ‘Stop and look inside’ to practise observing their thoughts and feelings relating to what they are learning about in that lesson.
•Jigsaw Jerrie Cat is introduced in the first Puzzle (Being Me in My World) through 2 whole-school assemblies and acts as the trigger for PAUSE POINTS in lessons (the teacher using Jerrie Cat’s Paws, to symbolise the Pause Point for children).
The Six Puzzles (Themes/ Units of work)
There are six Puzzles in Jigsaw that are designed to progress in sequence from the start of each academic year:
Term 1: Being Me in My World
Term 2: Celebrating Difference (including anti-bullying) Term 3: Dreams and Goals
Term 4: Healthy Me
Term 5: Relationships
Term 6: Changing Me (including Sex Education)
Each Puzzle has six Pieces (lessons) which work towards an ‘end product’, for example, The School Learning Charter or The Garden of Dreams and Goals. Each Piece has two Learning Intentions: one is based on specific PSHE learning (purple) and one is based on emotional literacy and social skills development (green).
The whole school works on the same Puzzle at the same time, meaning that each Puzzle can be launched with a whole-school assembly and learning can be celebrated by the whole school in a meaningful way.
Statutory Relationship and Health Education (DfE, England 2019)
Jigsaw provides a comprehensive PSHE Programme which covers all the requirements of the government guidance and outcomes, and more. The Relationships and Healthy Me Puzzles (units) cover most of the aspects in the guidance but these are enhanced, revisited and foundations built throughout the Jigsaw Programme. Jigsaw’s philosophy starts by building positive self-image, a sense of identity and a healthy relationship with self, and from that starting point helps children grow healthy relationships with others.
Health Education in Jigsaw embraces not only physical health but has a strong focus on mental health and emotional literacy throughout, and empowers children to be aware of their own thoughts and feelings and know how to manage and regulate these (e.g.using Calm Me (mindfulness techniques).
Jigsaw values every child and so takes inclusivity as a given, promoting acceptance of individuals for who they are and who they will become.
‘Sex Education’
The DFE statutory guidance (England 2019) expects schools to deliver work on puberty. This sits under the Health Education statutory expectations. Lessons on human reproduction are left to the discretion of the school. However, Jigsaw believes children need to understand this before they leave primary school so that:
a) they see that puberty needs to happen to enable them to have babies in adulthood
b) this knowledge helps to safeguard them.
The work on puberty and human reproduction is taught through the Changing Me Puzzle (delivered in the last term of the academic year). All the teaching resources are original to Jigsaw; - picture cards, resource sheets and animations that are used to enhance teaching and learning.
The specially-commissioned animations of the female reproductive system and the male reproductive system provide a visual resource to enable children to understand how the body changes and develops in puberty.
This work is done in the context of managing change and is age-appropriate.
The Structure of the Pieces (lessons) in Jigsaw
The creation of Jigsaw is motivated by the genuine belief that if attention is paid to supporting children’s personal development in a structured and developmentally appropriate way, this will not only improve their capacity to learn (across the curriculum) but will ultimately improve their life chances. That’s why Jigsaw is completely child-focussed. This is reflected in the innovative way that Pieces (lessons) are structured, which also reflects understanding of the learning process.
Connect us - This is a game or activity designed to be fun and inclusive and to build and maximise social skills. ‘Connect us’ engenders positive relationships and enhances collaborative learning. It sets the atmosphere at the beginning of each Jigsaw Piece and can be used again at the end should the teacher feel the atmosphere needs to be lifted after some deep work during the lesson.
Calm me - This section of the Piece helps children gain awareness of the activity in their minds, relaxing them and quietening their thoughts and emotions to a place of optimum learning capacity. This will also engender a peaceful atmosphere within the classroom. It may well take a number of sessions before children can do this successfully, as many children live in continually noisy and hectic environments. It is an invaluable life skill which also enhances reflection and spiritual development. This underpins the mindful approach advocated in Jigsaw.
Open my mind - The Reticular Activating System of the brain filters the many stimuli entering the child’s mind at any given time. It is designed only to allow in that which is significant. Therefore, it is important to engage this system with the most important aspects of learning intended for each Piece (lesson). If we do this well, it will enable children to filter out activity around them not significant to this learning intention, thereby improving concentration and learning.
Tell me or show me - This section of the Piece (lesson) is used to introduce new information, concepts and skills, using a range of teaching approaches and activities.
Let me learn - Following Piaget’s learning model, after receiving new information/concepts, children need to manipulate, use, and play with that new information in order for it to make sense to them and for them to ‘accommodate’ it into their existing learning.
Help me reflect -Throughout Jigsaw, 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. They are also asked to stop and become aware of their thoughts and feelings in any given moment in Pause Points thus developing their mindfulness.
Closure - Each Piece needs safe closure. This will always include the teacher praising the children for their effort, positive attitude and achievement, as well as giving one or two sentences to summarise the key learning points for the children.
Policy
Curriculum Overview
RSE Policy