Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education
At Danesfield, we teach PSHE (Personal, Social, Health, Economic) as a whole-school approach to underpin children’s development as young people. Our PSHE curriculum intends to teach children to be healthy, safe and well-equipped for modern life. Pupils foster lifelong aspirations, goals and values. It provides opportunities for our children to develop the skills and knowledge they need to thrive, both now and in the future. Through a variety of teaching methods, we help children deal with everyday issues they may face such as friendships, emotional wellbeing and change, to making informed decisions about healthy eating and future careers.
We use a programme, which offers a comprehensive, carefully thought-through scheme of work which brings consistency and progression to our children’s learning in this curriculum area. This is supported by the Young Citizens programme. Citizenship education gives children the knowledge and skills to understand, challenge and engage with democratic society including politics, the media, civil society, the economy and the law. Democracies need active, informed and responsible citizens – citizens who are willing and able to take responsibility for themselves and their communities and contribute to the political process and our curriculum is designed to develop children’s understanding of this from an early age. In each classroom, there is a weekly stimulus picture that gets children thinking about wider community issues around them. We use the Awareness Calendar to ensure that key dates become talking points and children learn to articulate their opinions and arguments. Our curriculum enables children to learn they are capable of having an influence on the wider world.
Economically, helping young people understand their feelings about money, financial decisions, careers and the economy is a vital part of preparing them for adult life, with clear links to health outcomes and relationships. Our school bank supports their financial education and deepens children’s understanding of managing money. We believe all children should be given the opportunity to develop money management skills for the future. Money Heroes enables educators and parents to access and deliver high quality financial education, through a wide range of flexible and engaging resources designed for use in a variety of settings.
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) development is the over-arching umbrella that encompasses personal development across the whole curriculum. We were delighted to be awarded with SMSC Gold Award for our wider provision. The inspector was very impressed with Danesfield and in her report mentioned just a few of the many strengths she saw on her visit which included-
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The way the school’s values are embedded in everything the school does from the curriculum design to the vast range of extra-curricular opportunities. This makes Danesfield feel like a family-driven community.
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The school works hard to ensure that its service families are welcomed and supported and that all members of the Danesfield community are able to integrate and thrive. Several people mentioned the word ‘resilience’ and how resilience is built into everything the school does.
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The woodland setting is used to maximum effect. Forest school is genuinely exciting and fun and teaches the children a range of skills that includes managing risks and enjoying new challenges.
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Additional facilities like the Science lab, treehouses and farm animals give the Danesfield children opportunities to learn, play and develop above and beyond the curriculum. Everything at Danesfield is carefully planned to ensure that children reach their potential and are prepared for their next steps.
