“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou
At St Pius X, we value PSHE as a vital way to support children’s development as human beings. Our curriculum enables pupils to understand and respect who they are, empowers them with a voice, and equips them for the complexities of life and learning. By fostering emotional intelligence and social responsibility, we ensure our pupils grow into well-rounded, empathetic individuals.
Intent: Our Vision for PSHE
Our curriculum is designed to build the “whole child” through a spiral approach that revisits and deepens understanding. Our intent is for all pupils to:
- Develop Self-Respect: Enable children to understand and value their own identity as individuals created and loved by God.
- Empower Student Voice: Equip children with the communication skills and confidence to express their thoughts, feelings and questions.
- Equip for Life: Provide practical knowledge regarding money, careers and responsibilities to prepare them for adulthood.
- Foster Respectful Relationships: Teach children how to love others and live harmoniously within a diverse community.
Implementation: How We Teach
To ensure rigorous progression, we use Life to the Full Plus, a comprehensive programme that complements our RSE (Relationships and Sex Education) provision. Our teaching is delivered through a unique two-strand approach:
The Two-Strand Approach
- New Sessions: Core lessons covering essential topics such as transitions, rights and responsibilities, money and careers. These topics mirror a spiral curriculum where ideas are introduced and developed as children mature.
- Classroom Shorts: Short, snappy 3–5 minute videos that reinforce and expand upon the core sessions, providing engaging visual stimuli to spark discussion.
Programme Structure
We follow the Model Catholic RSE Curriculum, which is repeated and developed across four distinct learning stages: EYFS, Key Stage 1, Lower Key Stage 2, and Upper Key Stage 2. Within each stage, learning is organized into three central modules:
- Module 1: Created and Loved by God
- Module 2: Created to Love Others
- Module 3: Created to Live in Community
Securing Foundational Skills
We believe that emotional literacy and the ability to articulate one’s inner world are the foundations of all personal development.
| Focus Area | Strategy & Approach |
| Oracy & Expression | Sessions encourage children to use full sentences to share feelings and thoughts during whole-class and small-group discussions. |
| Targeted Vocabulary | Every lesson identifies key vocabulary that is introduced and discussed to give children the “labels” they need for complex emotions and social concepts. |
| Spiral Progression | Topics are revisited at each key stage, ensuring foundational concepts of safety and respect are deepened as children grow older. |
| Catholic Ethos | Foundational skills are rooted in the belief of being “Created and Loved,” providing a secure emotional base for all learners. |
Impact: Our Outcomes
Through our structured and values-driven PSHE curriculum, pupils at St Pius X develop the “soft skills” that lead to hard success.
- Emotionally Intelligent Citizens: Our pupils leave with a deep understanding of their own emotions and an empathy for how they make others feel.
- Confident Communicators: Through our focus on oracy, students can articulate their needs, rights, and responsibilities with clarity and respect.
- Prepared for the Future: Pupils possess a practical understanding of money and careers, alongside the resilience needed to handle life’s transitions.
- Community Minded: Our children understand their role within the school, the church, and the wider world, acting as compassionate members of society.
By prioritizing how we make others feel, we ensure that our pupils leave St Pius X not just as successful learners, but as kind and capable human beings.