Please note that the content of this page is under consultation until 15th May 2026
Our PSHE and Citizenship Curriculum (Intent)
Our PSHE and Citizenship curriculum at Springhead is designed to be inclusive, engaging and relevant, supporting pupils’ personal, social and emotional development. It aims to equip children with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead safe, healthy and responsible lives, while fully meeting the expectations of the EYFS Framework and the National Curriculum, including statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE).
We follow the 1Decision PSHE scheme, which provides a structured and progressive approach to learning. Through this scheme, pupils explore key themes such as relationships, health and wellbeing, personal safety, economic awareness and citizenship, helping them to make informed choices and develop a strong sense of self.
Learning is carefully sequenced to build on prior knowledge and revisit key concepts, ensuring pupils deepen their understanding over time. Lessons promote discussion, reflection and critical thinking, with opportunities to consider real-life scenarios and practise decision-making skills.
Pupils are encouraged to express their views, respect others and develop resilience and self-awareness. This supports them in becoming confident, responsible individuals who are well-prepared for life in modern Britain.
Our full PSHE and Citizenship Policy can be accessed using the link below.
PSHE and Citizenship Dashboard Documents
Each year group has its own PSHE and Citizenship Dashboard Document, providing a clear and structured overview of what pupils will learn and how learning is organised across the year. Each document brings together the following elements:
- Programme of Study – an overview of the key knowledge and understanding pupils will develop, aligned with statutory Relationships and Health Education requirements and informed by the PSHE Association guidance. In Key Stage 1, this includes areas such as keeping safe, healthy lifestyles, relationships, feelings and responsibilities.
- Sequenced Units and Knowledge Progression – learning is carefully organised into themed units across the year (e.g. Keeping Safe, Keeping Healthy, Relationships, Feelings and Emotions, Being Responsible, Online Safety and Citizenship). Each unit builds on prior learning, ensuring pupils develop a secure and age-appropriate understanding over time..
- Detailed Learning Steps – within each unit, learning is broken down into small, progressive steps, enabling pupils to explore concepts such as safety, friendship, emotions and decision-making in manageable stages, with clear links to real-life situations..
- Suggested Lesson Structure – lessons follow a consistent whole-school approach, including recap and retrieval, introduction of key vocabulary, teacher modelling (“I do”), guided practice (“We do”) and independent application (“You do”), alongside low-stakes quizzing to check understanding and support recall..
- Pupil Reference Sheets – each unit is supported by pupil-friendly reference sheets that detail concepts and content that is covered. These help pupils consolidate key knowledge over time
Lesson Pathway
Every PSHE and Citizenship begins with an opportunity for pupils to retrieve, revisit and consolidate key knowledge—this is our Smart Start. These questions draw on a range of prior learning, and may include::
- What pupils learned last lesson
- What pupils learned in the last unit
- What they learned the last time they studied the current unit (last link)
- What they learned last year
Lessons then move into a discussion of the learning journey, including the learning objective and BAD statements, which outline the depth at which pupils will engage with new content.
Key vocabulary is introduced before new learning is modelled using our ‘I Do – We Do – You Do’ structure, with low‑stakes quizzing interwoven throughout to support assessment and retrieval.
Assessment
Our approach to assessment aims to give timely feedback that moves learning forward. We use both formative assessment to evaluate pupils’ understanding, knowledge and skills. This includes:
- Smart Start activities
- Live marking and feedback during independent tasks
- Class discussions
- Targeted questioning