PSHE at Hardwick Green Primary Academy

What is PSHE?

PSHE stands for Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education. Through PSHE, children develop the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to stay healthy, safe and happy, both now and in the future.

PSHE helps children to:

• Build positive relationships
• Develop confidence and self-esteem
• Understand and manage their emotions
• Learn how to stay physically and mentally healthy
• Keep themselves safe, including online
• Become responsible and respectful members of society

As part of our wider curriculum, PSHE supports children to thrive as individuals, family members and members of the community.

Relationships, Health and Sex Education

PSHE is where we teach the statutory Relationships Education and Health Education curriculum required by the Department for Education.

These lessons help children understand:

• Healthy friendships and family relationships
• Respect and kindness towards others
• Mental and physical wellbeing
• Personal safety, including online safety
• Growing up and changes to their bodies

In Key Stage 2, children also receive age-appropriate Sex Education, which is recommended by the Department for Education and taught sensitively within our curriculum.

Our PSHE curriculum also supports our responsibilities to:

• Safeguard children and promote their welfare
• Teach children how to keep themselves safe
• Promote equality, inclusion and respect for all
• Uphold the Equality Act 2010

Our PSHE Programme: Jigsaw

At Hardwick Green Primary Academy, we use Jigsaw, a comprehensive and engaging PSHE programme used by schools across the country.

Jigsaw places children's wellbeing at the heart of learning and combines:

• PSHE Education
• Relationships Education
• Health Education
• Emotional literacy
• Mindfulness
• Social skills
• Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

Jigsaw takes a whole-school approach, helping children develop as compassionate, confident and resilient individuals.

The Two Aims of Jigsaw

Jigsaw is designed to:

Build children's capacity for learning

• Developing concentration and resilience
• Managing emotions effectively
• Building confidence and self-belief

Equip children for life

• Forming healthy relationships
• Making safe and responsible choices
• Understanding themselves and others
• Preparing for the opportunities and challenges of modern life

How Does Jigsaw Work?

The Jigsaw programme is organised into six half-term units, known as Puzzles. Every year group works on the same Puzzle at the same time, with learning carefully adapted to be age-appropriate for each stage.

Children receive one PSHE lesson each week.

The six Jigsaw Puzzles are:

What Else Is Included?

Jigsaw includes a range of engaging resources that help bring PSHE lessons to life and support children's emotional wellbeing. These include the Jigsaw Friends (soft toy characters used to support learning), the Jigsaw Chime and Jigsaw Jerrie Cat, which help children practise calming strategies and mindfulness techniques.

Mindfulness is a key part of the Jigsaw programme. It helps children to pause, focus on the present moment and develop an understanding of their thoughts and feelings. Through activities such as "Calm Me" time and Pause Points, children learn simple techniques to regulate their emotions, manage worries and improve their concentration.

By developing these skills, children become more aware of their feelings and behaviours, helping them to build resilience, improve relationships and become more confident learners.

Parent and Community Consultation

At Hardwick Green Primary Academy, we value the views of our parents, carers and wider school community. In line with Department for Education guidance, we carried out a consultation during Summer 2026 to gather feedback on our Relationships, Health and Sex Education (RHSE) and PSHE curriculum.

The consultation gave parents and carers the opportunity to review our proposed curriculum content, ask questions and share their views. We were pleased to receive supportive feedback, alongside helpful suggestions about the knowledge, skills and values that families feel are most important for children to develop.

The feedback received helped to shape our curriculum and reinforced the importance of teaching children how to:

• Build healthy, respectful relationships
• Stay safe, including online
• Understand mental and physical wellbeing
• Celebrate diversity and inclusion
• Develop resilience, confidence and independence

As a result of the consultation, we have ensured that our curriculum reflects both statutory requirements and the needs of our school community. We remain committed to working in partnership with parents and carers so that children receive age-appropriate, high-quality PSHE and Relationships Education that prepares them for life in modern Britain.

Parents and carers are welcome to share feedback at any time, and we will continue to review our provision regularly to ensure it remains relevant, effective and responsive to the needs of our children and families.

Finding Out More

If you would like to find out more about PSHE or the Jigsaw programme, please speak to your child's class teacher in the first instance. They will be happy to explain what your child is learning and answer any questions you may have.

You can also contact the school's PSHE lead or a member of the leadership team, who can provide further information about how Jigsaw is taught at Hardwick Green Primary Academy and how the programme supports the needs of our children and community.

Further information about the Jigsaw programme can be found on the Jigsaw PSHE website.

At Hardwick Green Primary Academy, we value the partnership between home and school and welcome any questions or discussions about your child's personal development, wellbeing and learning.