RATIONALE AND DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
Educational documents stress the importance of ‘Personal Social and Health Education’, ‘Religious and Moral Education’ and ‘Social Subjects’. Indeed, the 5-14 National Guidelines (2000) states that “Our physical, emotional and social health is inextricably linked to the quality of the environment in which we live.”
By examining the rationales for each of these areas it becomes clear that PSHE plays a significant role in the personal and social growth of pupils and makes an important contribution to their all-round development.
The well being of each pupil is fostered through the positive ethos of a committed health-promoting school where their social, emotional and physical needs are catered for in an interesting and cohesive way. This allows young people to explore and increase their knowledge and understanding of a wide range of health and related issues; from bullying, how their own body works and to the wider implications and effects of social and economic factors including poor housing, unemployment, drug misuse and street crime. As defined in ‘A Curriculum for Excellence’ (2004) in its quest to nurture successful learners, there is a clear responsibility for schools to help young people develop critical and independent thinking. This ideal can be cultivated through class and group discussions on local and global issues. With comprehensive teaching strategies and a positive home - school partnership, children can make informed choices about their lives which will enable them to become confident and responsible citizens.
Through a number of cross curricular activities such as citizenship, where children can learn the value of friendship; school enterprise, where they learn the value of fair trade, and pupils council, where they learn the value of negotiation, children are encouraged to question and explore their role and contribution to their school, local community and a democratic society and...