PSHE
PSHE is Personal, Social, Health and Economic education. At Mereside, we provide a caring, positive, safe, and stimulating environment which promotes all pupils’ social, physical, emotional and moral development. We aim to help our pupils understand how they are developing personally and socially, and tackle many of the moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. Our PSHE curriculum contributes to developing the whole-person so all pupils are fully equipped for life and successful futures.
Intent
Why do we teach PSHE at Mereside Primary Academy?
‘I have come in order that you might have life —life in all its fullness.’ (John 10:10, GNB)
Mereside Primary Academy is a school with a Christian foundation and we welcome all children and adults into our community. “I give you a new commandment; that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” (John 13:34, GNB)
Underpinned by the core Christian value of love, Mereside C of E Primary Academy’s vision is to be at the heart of our community; supporting our children to aspire and flourish; becoming caring global citizens who celebrate and value diversity and are good neighbours to all. We teach about British Values throughout our curriculum and wider opportunities.
Our Mission
To enable our children to feel loved and secure and from this:
- Become compassionate and caring of others
- Aspire both academically and morally
- Enjoy and embrace challenge
- Be motivated, curious and questioning with a thirst for knowledge
- See themselves as global citizens who celebrate and value diversity
- Be able to sustain healthy relationships-becoming good collaborators and communicators
- Become resilient, resourceful and reflective learners
British Values – guidance
Dental Hygiene
Almost 20%of children in Shropshire have a decayed, a missing or a filled tooth. This statistic is very similar to national levels, however more concerning is that hospital admissions for children between 0-5 years of age for dental caries are approx. 550/100,000, this statistic is significantly above national averages. Good oral hygiene is a fundamental part of a healthy lifestyle. Good habits learnt at an early age will influence attitudes towards oral hygiene as an adult.
Domestic Abuse
Understanding the fundamentals of a healthy, loving relationship is crucial for making and sustaining friendships and carries on to developing good relationship habits into adulthood. We strive to help children be confident, knowledgeable and resilient young people; who are able to articulate what they need and will accept within a healthy relationship
Implementation
What is informing what we are teaching in PSHE?
We believe that knowing about issues that are impacting our local community will help inform our planning in order to meet unmet needs of the community. Being proactive as educators and knowing our community will help all children achieve
Childhood obesity
Approximately 8% of reception age children are obese in Shropshire, this is lower than statistics in England, however it is very closely aligned. A healthy lifestyle is an aspiration of our school and something that we strive to help each child master and sustain into adulthood.
Money Management
Although the numbers of children living in absolute low income families is lower than national levels, good money management is a life enhancing skill that we believe is important to instil in our pupils.
Progression Map
Overview Map
Jigsaw-RSHE Guidance-Sept-25
British Values and JIGSAW PSHE
‘Jigsaw PSHE helps promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
Jigsaw contributes, as a good PSHE programme should, to the British Values agenda very significantly, both through the direct teaching of information and through the experiential learning children will enjoy.
The 5 strands of the British Values agenda have been mapped across every Puzzle and every Piece (lesson).’
Please see the documents below for more information:
British Values Map By Year Group
British Values Map By Lesson
PSHE, BRITISH VALUES, SAFEGUARDING Mereside Sept 2026