At Balfour we believe that PSHE education helps pupils to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes pupils need to manage life’s challenges and make the most of life’s opportunities- cultural capital. There is evidence to show that PSHE education can enable pupils to understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle both in terms of their physical and emotional wellbeing and support them in developing/building healthy friendships and relationships and keep themselves safe. An effective PSHE programme can also tackle barriers to learning, raise aspirations, and improve the life chances of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged pupils. 

The intent of our PSHE curriculum is to deliver a curriculum which is accessible to all and that will maximise the outcomes for every child so that they know more, remember more and understand more. As a result of this they will become healthy, independent and responsible members of society who understand how they are developing personally and socially, and give them confidence to tackle many of the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. We provide our children with opportunities for them to learn about values, rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be a member of a diverse society. Our children are encouraged to develop their sense of self-worth by playing a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community. Each topic in the scheme incorporates activities to establish the starting point of learners and assess progress.  

SEAL - Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning

At Balfour we believe that every child should have the social and emotional knowledge and skills to achieve their potential. We recognise that mental health and emotional wellbeing is just as important to our lives as physical health.

Our aim is to ensure that children are able to manage times of change and stress and are able to access help and support when they need it. We also have a role in ensuring that children learn about: what they can do to maintain positive mental health; what affects their mental health; how they can help reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues and where they can go if they need help or support.

Mental Health and wellbeing are a core part of our PSHE curriculum where we build pupils knowledge, vocabulary and skills in naming, understanding and managing their emotions. These are revisited each year and built upon to ensure pupils have the knowledge they need to develop and maintain positive mental health.

Alongside the PSHE curriculum we thread the knowledge and vocabulary associated with mental health and wellbeing through our personal development assemblies and make links with our social responsibility curriculum to provide a more connected and meaningful experience for our pupils.

Our PSHE Curriculum is currently being updated by Brighton & Hove PSHE Lead Teachers and will be uploaded to replace the current Knowledge and Skills document as soon as the process is complete.