SCARF - Core values of our PSHE Teaching

At BFIS, we use the SCARF curriculum to underpin our PSHE teaching.

Harold the Healthy Giraffe

The children learn through listening to stories and songs and learning key life skills.  These are promoted by Harold the Giraffe, a happy healthy giraffe who features in the resources as a positive role-model who children remember and love. He wears his scarf at all time and helps children to reflect on its values, with the idea that a SCARF is something you can wrap around person or a whole school to keep it safe and healthy.

We have even started to make our own scarf for display in school to remind the children of our values, with lots of members of the community knitting sections of the SCARF and posting them to the school.

How we teach Personal, Social, Emotional Development in Reception and Personal, Social, Health and Economic education in Key Stage 1

What we aim to achieve through our PSHE Curriculum?                    The schemes we follow and why?

• Our aim is to provide children with opportunities to learn life-long skills to support their health and wellbeing, relationships and how to live in the wider world. 

• The key concepts, skills and attributes taught in our PSHE curriculum fulfil our statutory responsibility to safeguard children, support their spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development and prepare them for opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life.

• We want to ensure that our children are taught how to recognise and self-regulate their emotions through the Zones of Regulation.

• Our curriculum follows the suggested PSHE Association programme of study for PSHE Education and incorporates lessons using the SCARF (Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience and Friendship) , BFIS bespoke planned lessons to deliver the Zones of Regulation, NSPCC PANTS lessons and The Children’s Health Project.

How our PSED/PSHE Curriculum is delivered...

• One hour of PSHE is taught weekly in Reception and Key Stage 1 (this is either as 2 x 30 minute sessions or 1-hour session).  One of these lessons follows the PSHE Association Scheme of Work to ensure coverage of statutory requirements.  The second lesson focuses on supporting children’s mental and physical wellbeing, including discreet teaching of the Zones of Regulation and focuses on how to improve our school through projects such as ‘The Children’s Health Project’.

• Cross Curricular approach to develop healthy minds and healthy bodies linking to Science, PE and Design Technology.

What difference is our PSHE curriculum making?  What assessments we use? How we track progress.

• Through pupil feedback, we know that the children can identify the 4 Zone of Regulation and identify some ways to self-regulate i.e. get back to green when they are feeling red, blue or yellow.  This is a core ethos of the school and taught in assemblies and all lessons, often linked to shared texts and scenarios.

• Using the PSHE Association suggested methods of assessment, we are able to recognise and evidence progress and attainment in the knowledge, understanding, skills and attributes PSHE strives to develop.  For each new topic, module or series of lessons, an initial activity (whole class, in groups or on an individual basis) is carried out that gauges children’s starting points in terms of their existing knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs.  This is then used to inform teacher’s planning.  At the end of the topic, an activity is carried out which allows children to demonstrate the progress they have made since doing the baseline activity.  This may be in the format of mind maps, quizzes, role play, hot seating and other drama techniques, story boards or pupil rating scales etc.

Ways We Celebrate PSHE at BFIS...

• Barnes Farm Infant School is recognised as having the Foundation Healthy Schools status and we have an action plan to achieve the Enhanced status.

• We are currently taking part in a project to improve lunchtimes, run by ‘The Children’s Health Project’ and have four Year 2 Healthy Lunchtime Ambassadors who are considering how we can ensure that our lunchtimes are happy and healthy for all.

• We are an Attachment Aware accredited school.

• We have achieved the Young Carers Bronze Award.

• We offer a variety of Parent/Carer workshops, delivered by staff and outside agencies such as The Children’s Society.

How we teach PSHE to ensure it meets the needs of all Learners...

• Children who are identified as needing additional support with their physical wellbeing are offered additional sessions with our PE coach on Monday afternoons during school hours.

• Children who are entitled to Pupil Premium Grant are encouraged to access clubs to support their physical and mental wellbeing. 

• All children have access to support their mental/emotional wellbeing through our interventions run during afternoon sessions which include Owlets Nurture Group, Owlets Lunchtime Club, CASPA – Creating A Successful, Positive Attitude and Time to Talk Social Skills groups.  Children who attend these sessions are identified by pupil perception questionnaires, teachers and support staff and the children’s families.