All schools must provide a curriculum that is broadly based, balanced and meets the needs of all pupils. Under section 78 of the Education Act 2002 and the Academies Act 2010, a Personal, Social, Health Education (PSHE) curriculum:

• Promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society, and
• Prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.

An amendment to the Children and Social Work Act 2017 made Relationships and Health Education at primary; and Relationships, Sex, and Health Education at secondary, statutory subjects. The DfE guidance on Relationships, Health and Sex Education for governing bodies can be seen here.  

We follow the Jigsaw PSHE Programme and are confident that it covers all aspects of Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) within the context of a full PSHE programme in an age-appropriate way. Should changes to these curriculum areas occur in the future, Jigsaw will provide our school with materials to ensure all statutory duties are fulfilled.

This PSHE policy is also informed by DfE guidance on Relationships, Sex and Health Education (as above), preventing and tackling bullying (Preventing and tackling bullying: Advice for head teachers, staff and governing bodies, July 2013, updated 2017), Drug and Alcohol Education (DfE and ACPO drug advice for schools: Advice for local authorities, headteachers, school staff and governing bodies, September 2012), safeguarding (Working Together to Safeguard Children: A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, March 2013 and Keeping Children Safe in Education, 2018) and equality (Equality Act 2010: Advice for school leaders, school staff, governing bodies and local authorities, revised June 2014).  It also draws on the advice given in the Church of England document ‘Valuing All God’s Children: Guidance for Church of England schools on challenging homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying’ (Church of England Education Office, second edition updated summer 2019).

The Jigsaw Programme meets all the outcomes in the PSHE Association Programmes of Study, 2020.