P.S.H.E

"Children are not things to be moulded, but people to be unfolded."

Jess Laird

At Oatlands Infant School, our aim is for all children to feel welcome, safe and seen and where this is underpinned by the understanding that inclusion is the glue that sticks us all together within our community. 

P.S.H.E., therefore, is interwoven throughout our whole curriculum (as part of children's wider personal development) and is inherently linked to both in-reach and outreach. 

Experiences and Visitors

Here at Oatlands Infant School, opportunities for children's personal development and learning linked to P.S.H.E are not limited to the classroom. Instead, value and time is given to experiences outside of lessons and visits from our community members and wider stakeholders.

We recently celebrated our first Unity Day. Our Unity Days give the children - and adults too - time to explore concepts around protected characteristics, sharing important conversations and outcomes of learning with each other. 

The focus of our first Unity Day was gender stereotypes - as children move into the wider world and think about their aspirations and what they want to do, it is vital that children do not feel constrained by any kind of preconceptions. During the day, we examined stereotypes and what these meant in the past for the types of jobs and activities that people could do, as well as meeting representatives from North Yorkshire Police and watching videos sent to us by a whole range of professionals. 

During the visit from the amazing Rock Kidz, in addition to learning how to air guitar and head-bang, children learned about self-belief and self-esteem, and how much importance there is in knowing that they are unique. 

To celebrate our school-wide Rainbow Day, the children (and staff) put on their most colourful clothes and spent the day exploring diversity in our families and our community, but how they are united by their love for each other. Our key learning? Different families, same love. 

We are proud to be an Inclusion Quality Mark Centre of Excellence.

Our Curriculum Intent

Through teaching, experiences, stories and interactions, here at Oatlands Infant School we strive for all children to be nurtured and inspired as they progress on their journey to become active citizens of the world. 

At our school, we teach P.S.H.E. through the Jigsaw P.S.H.E. scheme of work. Jigsaw brings together P.S.H.E. Education, emotional literacy, social skills and spiritual development. We teach Jigsaw as a whole school approach, with all year groups working on the same theme (puzzle piece) at the same time. This enables each puzzle to start with an introductory assembly which generates a whole school focus for children and adults alike.

Emotional literacy and skills in self-regulation are fundamental to maximising children's learning and engagement with the wider world. Conversations around feelings - frequently linked to stories - begin from the very formative years of children's time at our school.

In addition, we believe that children benefit from learning about being aware of their thoughts and feelings as they happen, in the present moment, on purpose with no judgement. This is what mindfulness means. It can be learnt and techniques to develop it taught. We believe mindfulness is a vital tool for life: not only does it support the regulation of emotion and build emotional resilience but also enhances focus and concentration, helping to optimise learning. Mindful children can more readily choose their responses to situations rather than react while caught up in the moment.