PSHE & Wellbeing

‘You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think’ A.A Milne

At Hinchley Wood Primary School, we teach Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE) as a whole-school approach to underpin children’s development as people and because we believe that this also supports their learning capacity. Our approach builds upon the school’s values of confidence, determination, enthusiasm, independence and consideration and teaches the children the skills and knowledge that they need to become reflective, resilient and considerate members of our community.

We follow and adapt the Jigsaw Programme which offers us a comprehensive, carefully thought-through Scheme of Work bringing consistency and progression to our children’s learning in this vital curriculum area. Each half term, the whole school focuses on a different Jigsaw ‘Puzzle Piece’ which are:

Being Me
Celebrating Differences
Dreams and Goals
Healthy Me
Relationships
Changing Me

Children revisit each puzzle piece each year and build upon their prior knowledge and understanding. During assemblies, the focus for each half term is shared, discussed and celebrated.

We believe that teaching PSHE goes beyond the classroom and the skills that they learn in these lessons will enable the children in our school to make safe and well-informed decisions in all aspects of their lives. These are not only taught discretely in PSHE lessons. They are modelled by adults in all our interactions, when solving and disagreements between children where we adopt a restorative approach and through the MindUP programme that all children participate in. MindUP teaches the skills and knowledge children need to regulate their stress and emotion, form positive relationships, and act with kindness and compassion.

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"Once children realise that their minds matter, it makes a difference to how they’ll learn. It reinforces the enjoyment and impact of the experience of learning." Daniel J. Siegel, MD

Hinchley Wood Primary School is proud and privileged to be a MindUP school and is part of a growing network of MindUP schools across the UK and beyond.

Why we do it

MindUP is a unique evidence-based framework that teaches social and emotional learning skills, linking cognitive neuroscience, positive psychology and mindful awareness.

‘We believe that our young people deserve an inclusive world of kindness, love, joy, respect, equality and one that promotes interconnectivity to all humanity.’ - MindUP

The MindUP curriculum

The 15 lesson curriculum and practical approaches are relevant and suitable for children from the ages of 3 to 11, helping them use the knowledge, understanding and skills they are taught to navigate the challenges of the 21st century with resilience, kindness and compassion.

So what is the 15 lesson curriculum?

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The Brain Break

These MindUP lessons are complemented by the ‘Brain Break’. This core practice takes place three times a day, enabling our pupils and staff to be calm, focused and ready to learn.