Personal, Social & Health Education

Jigsaw PSHE

Executive Curriculum Summary PSHEAt Gorsefield Primary School, we teach a whole school PSHE scheme called Jigsaw. Jigsaw combines PSHE, emotional literacy, mindfulness, social skills and spiritual development.

Jigsaw is designed as a whole school approach, with all year groups working on the same theme (Puzzle) at the same time. This enables each Puzzle to start with an introductory assembly, generating a whole school focus for adults and children alike. There is a Weekly Celebration that highlights a theme from that week’s lessons across the school, and encourages children to try to reflect that learning in their behaviour and attitudes.

Jigsaw aims to help children know and value who they really are and how they relate to other people in this ever-changing world.

There are six Puzzles (half-term units of work) each with six Pieces (lessons). Every year group studies the same Puzzle at the same time (sequentially ordered from September to July), allowing for whole school themes and the end of Puzzle product, for example, a display or exhibition (like the Garden of Dreams and Goals) to be shared and celebrated by the whole school. Each year group is taught one lesson per week and all lessons are delivered in an age- and stage-appropriate way so that they meet children’s needs.

The different puzzle pieces are:

Being Me in My World
Celebrating Difference
Dreams and Goals
Healthy Me
Relationships
Changing Me

Relationships & Sex Education

An important part of the Jigsaw PSHE programme is delivered through the ‘Relationships’ and ‘Changing Me’ puzzle pieces which are covered in the summer term.

There are four main aims of teaching RSE:

To enable children to understand and respect their bodies
To help children develop positive and healthy relationships appropriate to their age and development
To support children to have positive self-esteem and body image
To empower them to be safe and safeguarded

Each year group will be taught appropriate to their age and developmental stage. At no point will a child be taught something that is inappropriate; and if a question from a child arises and the teacher feels it would be inappropriate to answer, (for example, because of its mature or explicit nature), this information with be shared with you by your child’s class teacher. The question will not be answered to the child or class if it is outside the remit of that year group’s programme.

Below is a summary of RSE coverage within the Jigsaw scheme for each year group:
• Foundation Stage – Growing up: how we have changed since we were babies
• Year 1 – Boys’ and girls’ bodies; naming body parts
• Year 2 – Boys’ and girls’ bodies; body parts and respecting privacy (which parts of the body are private and why this is)
• Year 3 – How babies grow and how boys’ and girls’ bodies change as they grow older
• Year 4 – Internal and external reproductive body parts, body changes in girls and menstruation
• Year 5 – Puberty for boys and girls, and conception
• Year 6 – Puberty for boys and girls and understanding conception to birth of a baby

rshe updated guidance for 2026 1 .pdf

Further information about how the school approaches the teaching of Relationships and Sex Education through the Jigsaw programme can be found within the documents listed below:

A Parent/ Carer Guide to PHSE (2026 Onwards)

RSHE Content per Year Group for Parents and Carers- Support for home discussions following lessons

Jigsaw Information for Parents Jigsaw RSE Content Jigsaw Guide and Information for Parents Jigsaw LGBT Information for Parents

RSE Withdrawal Table Guidance

rshe updated guidance for 2026.pdf

Learning and Teaching Newsletters

To further support your child's learning at home and strengthen the connection between school and home, we encourage families to regularly visit our Learning and Teaching Newsletter section. The newsletters are directly linked to the curriculum and provide valuable information about current learning, key knowledge and skills, retrieval and retention activities, practical ways to reinforce learning at home and events in the local area directly linked to the Learning without Limits curriculum content. They also showcase hands-on experiences, enrichment opportunities, and enhancements that bring the curriculum to life for our pupils. Please visit the Learning and Teaching Newsletter section here: https://www.gorsefieldprimary.school/News/Newsletters/

At Gorsefield Primary School, we believe that supporting children’s emotional wellbeing is just as important as supporting their physical health. We recognise that giving children the right tools and support from an early age can make a significant difference to their confidence, resilience and overall wellbeing.

We want every child to develop an understanding of their emotions and the skills to recognise, communicate and manage them in healthy and positive ways. By building these skills early, we help our children develop the resilience they need to navigate challenges, build positive relationships and grow into confident, healthy and well-rounded young people.

My Happy Mind at Gorsefield

At Gorsefield, My Happy Mind is taught in addition to our PHSE curriculum and delivered through a dedicated 20-minute weekly lesson in every class. The programme is built around five key modules:

Meet Your Brain – understanding how our brains work and how this can influence our thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
Celebrate – developing self-esteem and recognising our strengths and achievements.
Appreciate – understanding gratitude and learning to recognise and value the positive things in our lives.
Relate – developing healthy relationships, empathy, communication and connection with others.
Engage – building resilience and developing positive habits that support our mental health and wellbeing.

My Happy Mind is an award-winning programme designed to support positive mental health, resilience and self-esteem in children. Its approach is underpinned by research in neuroscience and positive psychology, giving children practical, preventative strategies and habits that they can use both in school and in their everyday lives.

The MyHappymind curriculum is grounded in scientific research and helps children to:

Feel happier
Know what to do when they feel worried or stressed
Improve their focus and learn more
Achieve more of the goals that they set for themselves
Develop better relationships with friends and families
Feel great about who they are and have positive self esteem.

The programme is delivered by our class teachers each week, ensuring that emotional wellbeing becomes a consistent and meaningful part of our children's education rather than something only addressed when difficulties arise.

Leading the way in Bury

We are particularly proud that in 2026, Gorsefield Primary School successfully secured the commissioning of My Happy Mind through the NHS for Bury Local Authority. This was an important achievement for our school and reflects our commitment to placing children's mental health and emotional wellbeing at the heart of school life.

Through My Happy Mind, alongside our wider PSHE and pastoral provision, we aim to give every child the knowledge, understanding and practical skills they need to know themselves, understand others, manage life's challenges and flourish.

Nurture Breakfast Club

Our Nurture Breakfast Club is an invite-only, structured programme designed to provide selected pupils with a calm and supportive start to the school day. It offers a soft landing into school, combining breakfast, connection and nurture with a programme of activities focused on emotional wellbeing, positive relationships and readiness to learn.

Children may be invited to attend for a range of reasons, including to support attendance and punctuality, emotional or social vulnerabilities, confidence, communication, wellbeing or other individual needs. The club provides an opportunity to develop the skills and strategies children need to recognise and manage their emotions, build positive relationships and develop resilience.

Our Weekly Programme

Each day has a different focus, giving children the opportunity to develop practical skills that support their mental health and wellbeing.

Monday – Mindfulness
A calm start to the week, using mindfulness activities to develop focus, self-awareness and a positive mindset.

Tuesday – Yoga
Gentle movement, yoga and breathing activities to help children feel grounded, relaxed and ready to learn.

Wednesday – Social Skills & Communication
Developing confidence in communication, listening, cooperation, friendships and positive interactions with others.

Thursday – Managing Emotions & Situations
Exploring emotions and developing practical strategies to recognise and manage feelings, challenging situations and everyday experiences.

Friday – Happy Breathing: Managing Stress & Wellbeing
Using breathing techniques and wellbeing activities to help children recognise and manage stress, build resilience and develop positive habits for their mental health.

The Nurture Breakfast Club is part of our wider commitment to early intervention and preventative support. By creating a safe, welcoming space where children can connect, talk, reflect and learn practical wellbeing strategies, we aim to help them develop the resilience and emotional skills they need to navigate life with confidence.

My Happy Mind: Supporting children and families together

At Gorsefield, we believe that children's mental health and wellbeing is closely connected to the wellbeing of the adults around them. When parents and carers feel supported, informed and equipped to look after their own wellbeing, they are better able to support their children too.

That is why families can access the My Happy Mind Parent Portal alongside the programme delivered in school. The portal provides practical resources, advice and activities to help parents and carers understand the concepts children are learning in school, while also supporting their own mental health and wellbeing.

The Parent Portal can help you:

Understand what your child is learning through My Happy Mind at school.
Continue conversations at home around emotions, feelings, relationships and resilience.
Develop positive habits that support your child's mental health and confidence.
Find practical ways to encourage emotional wellbeing as part of everyday family life.
Build stronger connections through simple activities and conversations.

Supporting your own wellbeing

Looking after our own mental health is an important part of looking after our children. The Parent Portal also provides resources specifically designed to support parents and carers with their own wellbeing, helping you to understand your own mental health, develop positive habits and find practical strategies to manage the pressures and challenges of everyday life.

We want our families to feel that wellbeing is something we can all work on together. By supporting children and the adults who care for them, we can create a stronger foundation for positive mental health across the whole family.

For more information about My Happy Mind and to access the Parent Portal, please visit My Happy Mind.

UNCRC: United Nations Convention for the Rights of the Child

Gorsefield Primary School is a Silver Rights Respecting School.

Achieving silver means that the school is 'Rights Aware' and the UNCRC UN Convention of the Rights of the Child is in policy, practice and culture across the school.

Gorsefield Primary School promotes knowledge and understanding of the convention throughout the school an community, as put into action during the 'bronze' stage being 'Rights Committed'.

As a silver rights respecting school, we have seen a positive impact on the actions of children and staff, on the school's ethos, practice and environment. Our children see themselves as rights respecting global citizens and advocates for fairness and children's rights, both locally and globally.

Here at Gorsefield, children have the opportunity to become a little or young leader within the Department of Rights and Justice. A little or young leader within the Department of Rights and Justice is an advocate and champion of the UNCRC and make it a duty to ensure all children and adults are meeting the UN Convention.

A children friendly version of the UNCRC can be found here.

A summary of the UNCRC can be found here.

Gorsefield Primary School teamed up with Edge Hill University and their Professor of Children's Rights and Professor of Child Health Literacy, to be consulted on a world-wide publication. The Rights Rangers were consulted on children's health care procedures and ISupport Rights-Based Standards for children needing healthcare procedures.

The work on the ISupport Standards links with UNCRC Articles 3, 6, 24 and 25.

You can view the final publication here.

UNCRC Meetings (examples)

uncrc rights assembly article 28 1 .pdf

Each week, we focus and reward children for their Article in Action, giving children meaningful opportunities to put their understanding of children’s rights into practice. We capture and celebrate these actions across our school, recognising the positive difference our children make to their own lives, the lives of others and the wider community.

By regularly reflecting on how rights can be respected, promoted and protected, we support our children in moving from being Rights Aware to becoming Rights Committed. This ongoing journey helps us to embed children’s rights throughout school life as we work towards achieving the UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Gold Award.

Picture News

What is Picture News?

Picture News is a resource used in primary schools to help children understand what is happening in the world around them.

Each week, it uses a real-life news story and a carefully chosen image to encourage children to ask questions, share ideas, and think more deeply about important issues. The content is always presented in a way that is suitable for primary-aged children.

What does Picture News do?

Picture News supports children to:

Understand the world
Children learn about real events in a safe, age-appropriate way.
Develop critical thinking
They are encouraged to ask questions, consider different viewpoints, and form their own opinions.
Build communication skills
Discussions help children express their ideas clearly and listen respectfully to others.
Explore important values
Weekly questions often link to moral, social, and ethical issues.

Links to British Values

Picture News naturally promotes key British Values, including:

Democracy – children share opinions and understand that others may think differently
Rule of Law – exploring why rules exist in society
Individual Liberty – encouraging children to express their views
Mutual Respect and Tolerance – listening to and respecting different perspectives

Links to PSHE

Picture News is closely linked to PSHE as it helps children:

Discuss real-life situations and emotions
Understand relationships and respect for others
Learn about their role in the wider world
Develop confidence, resilience, and empathy

Why and how do we use it in school?

We use Picture News to create a regular opportunity for children to:

Talk about current events
Develop curiosity about the world
Learn how to discuss sensitive topics in a respectful and safe way
Link current events to the protected characteristics
Link current events to UNCRC as a Silver Rights Respecting School

Child learn and discuss the weekly Picture News Pack with their phase leader, during weekly phase assemblies.

Here are some example questions we have discussed:

Story: The Bank of England, that designs and makes the UK’s banknotes, has said that future notes will include British wildlife, such as animals or plants, instead of historical figures.
Question: What should represent a country?

The Bank of England’s decision to include wildlife on future banknotes was this week’s focus. This led children to discuss what they think should feature on the new notes, find out about other countries’ currencies, and consider what banknotes can represent.

Story: During China’s Lunar New Year Gala, one of the world’s most-watched TV shows, humanoid robots danced and performed kung-fu moves on stage.
Question: How might robots change our daily lives?

Humanoid robots dancing for China’s Lunar New Year gala made headlines, and got children thinking about what robots can do, what impact they can have on our lives, and how they might change in future!

Here are the 2025-2026 coverage of Picture News for British Values, Link Protected Characteristics and UN Articles.

2025-2026 Picture News Coverage