At Four Lanes Federation, we know that PSHE/RSHE is vital in helping children stay safe, build healthy relationships, develop positive wellbeing, and make informed choices. Through a carefully sequenced curriculum, pupils gain the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to thrive both online and offline, now and in the future. This builds on our commitment to ensure all children thrive academically, socially and emotionally. 

This learning starts in Early Years. Children’s personal, social and emotional development (PSED) is crucial for children to lead healthy and happy lives, and is fundamental to their cognitive development. Underpinning their personal development are the important attachments that shape their social world. Strong, warm and supportive relationships with adults enable children to learn how to understand their own feelings and those of others. Before children join the school they are given opportunities, with their parents/carers, to build relationships with key adults in the school. Opportunities for parents to develop relationships with one another are also provided, as these support children’s social opportunities. Children are supported to manage emotions through co-regulation and teaching, develop a positive sense of self, set themselves simple goals, have confidence in their own abilities, to persist and wait for what they want and direct attention as necessary. Children are taught the Federation values, as well as provided with opportunities to explore key emotions. This supports their ability to articulate their feelings and learn how to self-regulate. Through adult modelling and guidance, they learn how to look after their bodies, including healthy eating, and manage personal needs independently. Through supported interaction with other children, they learn how to make good friendships, co-operate and resolve conflicts peaceably. These skills further support children’s development of effective characteristics of learning. 

In Key Stage One and Two we use the Oak National Academy curriculum for PSHE/RSHE. This curriculum, fully aligned to the September 2026 statutory guidance, aims to equip pupils with the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health, and relationships. The curriculum enables pupils to build and develop knowledge over time while also providing opportunities to learn, question, and evaluate a broad range of experiences. We adhere to statutory guidance, ensuring that teachers are able to deliver correct and well-informed content.

The curriculum uses threads to signpost groups of units that link to one another, which together build a common body of knowledge over time. We use the term thread, rather than vertical concepts, themes, or big ideas because it helps to bring to mind the visual concept of a thread weaving through the curriculum.

Our RHE and RSHE threads that weave through both our primary and secondary curricula are:

• Community

• Relationships

• Online safety

• Wellbeing

• Growing up

By using these threads in our curricula, we ensure pupils are prepared to successfully navigate a wealth of real-life situations. For example, the threads on ‘wellbeing’ and ‘relationships’ teach pupils the appropriate vocabulary to name their own emotions, with the curriculum later developing how pupils might manage these emotions in different contexts. 

How is sensitive content dealt with?

The curriculum is grounded in the law. Lessons that include sensitive content are considered by teachers well in advance to ensure approparite delivery for their class, reflecting any class specific context. Where lessons may contain sensitive content, suggestions of ‘ground rules’ are included and external support groups and organisations are signposted such as Childline for example.

How is e-safety taught in our RHE and RSHE curricula and where does it link to our computing curriculum?

Within our thread 'online safety', pupils are taught throughout the curriculum how to be safe online. For example, in key stage 1, pupils learn about careful sharing, scary things and getting a healthy balance online. 

Our PSHE/RSHE curriculum is further enhanced by wider Personal Development and enrichment opportunities. 

The below tree highlights different aspects of our Personal Development support for children. 

Examples of clubs on offer this year already: Guitar lessons; Dance; Martial Arts; Drawing; Animation; Computing; Gardening; Keyboard and Drum lessons; Karate; Judo; Guides; Football; Moovers and Groovers; Mini Ballers and Mini Picassos.