Scoil Bhride BNS

Social Personal and Health Education





Scoil Bhride




Uimhir Rolla: 18524k




Date: 11/12/03
Brief Review 1/12/04
Review May '06
Review November '08







Introduction

We believe that school has a formative role to play in the child's Social, Personal and Health Education. However we also understand that it is a shared responsibility.
SPHE is a life long process and as such begins before the child comes to school. We, the Principal, SPHE coordinator and teaching staff, believe that our main role is one of supporting the home in this process. This plan's latest review has been in Nov 2008, where J. Healy discussed, in consultation with Principal, Parent representative and staff any agreed changes, and amended this plan accordingly. John will continue to monitor implementation of the plan and report back to staff on findings.

Our School's approach to SPHE

In this school we aim to teach a comprehensive curriculum that will inform the child's actions and decisions and provide a basis for further development. Our approach will be to provide the environment, the approaches and a variety of learning experiences that will help the child to understand themselves, to relate to others, and to establish and maintain healthy patterns of behaviour. We envisage that SPHE will complement and support work continuing in other subject areas.

Our vision for S.P.H.E in Scoil Bhride:

In line with our school ethos, Social, Personal and Health Education will provide opportunities for the individual child to develop a frame work of values, attitudes, understanding and skills that will inform his decisions and actions now and in the future- enabling him to respect and relate to himself and others and become an active and responsible citizen in society.
It should empower, enhance and enable Pupils and Teachers to live a fuller life, taking into account the diverse nature of the profile of the pupils. It should also develop a sense of self-awareness, self-esteem, and a sense of belonging to a whole-school community, essentially, we aim to prepare the children for life.


Aims and objectives

While seeking to meet the pupil's needs, we will follow the broad aims and objectives of the S.P.H.E curriculum.

We aim:

1. To promote the personal development and well being of the child.
2. To foster in the child a sense of care and respect for himself and others.
3. To promote the health of the child and provide a foundation for healthy living.
4. To enable the child to make informed decisions and choices.
5. To develop in the child a sense of social responsibility and an appreciation of democracy.
6. To enable the child to respect human diversity and to appreciate the interdependent nature of the world.

Objectives


Our main objectives are to enable the child to:


(1) Be self-confident and have a positive sense of self-esteem.
(2) Develop a sense of personal responsibility and come to understand his sexuality and the process of growth, development and reproduction.
(3) Develop and enhance the social skills of communication, co-operation and conflict resolution.
(4) Create and maintain supportive relationships both now and in the future.
(5) Develop an understanding of healthy living, an ability to implement healthy behaviour and a willingness to participate in activities that promote and sustain health.
(6) Develop a sense of safety and an ability to protect himself from danger and abuse.
(7) Make decisions, solve problems and take appropriate actions in various personal, social and health contexts.
(8) Become aware of, and discerning about, the various influences on choices and decisions.
(9) Begin to identify, review and evaluate the values and attitudes that are held by individuals and society and to recognise that these affect thoughts and actions.
(10) Respect the environment and develop a sense of responsibility for its long-term care.
(11) Develop some of the skills and abilities necessary for participating fully in-groups and in society.
(12) Become aware of some of the individual and community rights and responsibility that come from living in a democracy.
(13) Begin to understand the concepts of personal, local, national, European and global identity.
(14) Appreciate and respect the diversity that exists in society and the positive contributions of various cultural, religious and social groups.
(15) Promote the values of a just and caring society in an age-appropriate manner and understand the importance of seeking truth and peace.
(16) Develop a tolerance for others, and a respect for difference, considering the diverse nature of the profile of pupils in Scoil Bhride.


From time to time we may need to emphasise aspects/strand units depending on the changing needs of our school e.g. Winning an award, Bereavement, Environmental issues, Internet safety week, fire safety week, etc.

Policies informing our approach to SPHE

The following policies related to SPHE are also in place in the school and should be read in conjunction with this policy.

" Scoil Bhride Substance use policy

" Scoil Bhride RSE policy -Newly enrolled families are informed of, and given the option of participating in Stay Safe and R.S.E. programmes

" Scoil Bhride Anti-Bullying policy.

" Scoil Bhride Enrolment policy

" Scoil Bhride Health and Safety Statement.

" Scoil Bhride Green schools policy

" Scoil Bhride Code of behaviour

" Scoil Bhride Child Protection policy

" Scoil Bhride ICT Policy


Teaching/Learning Context:

Since SPHE is spiral in nature we will cover the following content at each level throughout the school over a two year period:









AGREED SPHE TIMETABLE

STRANDS STRAND UNITS
3rd, 5th class STRAND UNITS
2nd, 4th, 6th class
Myself Self-identity(sep-Oct)
Developing citizenship(Sep-oct)
My friends and other people(Nov-Dec)
Safety and protection(Nov-Dec)
Making decisions(Jan-Feb)
Myself and Others Myself and my family(Jan-feb)
Taking care of my body(March-April)
Relating to others(March-April)
Myself and the wider world Growing and changing(May-June)
Media(May-June)




Teaching/learning contexts/opportunities for SPHE


SPHE will be taught in a combination of the following contexts for learning:

1. Creating a positive school atmosphere and climate
2. Discrete time
3. Integration

1) Creating a positive school climate and atmosphere

In creating a positive school climate and atmosphere we will adopt strategies such as
" Building effective communication within the school
" Catering for individual needs where appropriate
" Creating a health promoting physical environment
" Developing democratic processes
" Enhancing self-esteem
" Fostering respect for diversity
" Fostering inclusive and respectful language
" Developing appropriate communication between home and school
" Developing a school approach to assessment.

(2) Discrete Time:


This time allocation for S.P.H.E will be in accordance with the Primary School curriculum recommendation, i.e. 30 minutes per week. As outlined above, however S.P.H.E may also surface at other times, as it cannot always be treated as an isolated curricular area. The teacher may choose to teach S.P.H.E during discretionary time. It may also be organised in block periods if appropriate.

(3) Integration:


We recognise that S.P.H.E is not an isolated area and that it permeates throughout each subject area, in some form. Some S.P.H.E teaching, therefore, may be integrated with other curricular areas to achieve the optimum learning experience for the child. Indeed, Some subject areas provide the most appropriate context for exploring SPHE, e.g. safety in water can be appropriately be explored through the Aquatics strand of Physical Education.


Special needs/sensitivities:

Social, Personal and Health Education seeks to develop a generic approach to the acquisition of attitudes, values, skills and understanding that will inform children in a variety of situations… Furthermore we will adopt the curriculum to include children with special needs e.g. as a child with autism, ADHD etc. we also aim to ensure that pupils attending LST, RTPSN, RTT, Visiting Teacher etc will not be absent for SPHE on an ongoing basis.
We recognise that as an all boys urban, senior primary school, that we have a wide variety of pupils with differing needs and background, with many different cultural experiences. We cater for children with special Educational needs also. Accordingly we appreciate that some flexibility and sensitivity will be required from time to time in the area of Social, Personal and Health Education. SPHE lends itself also to integration of pupils with special needs and there are some Team Teaching possibilities in SPHE also.


Approaches and Methodologies


SPHE requires children to be engaged in activity-based learning. We will include the following approaches and methodologies which are central to the overall curriculum:

¢ Talk and discussion
¢ Skills through content
¢ Collaborative learning
¢ Problem solving
¢ Use of the environment
¢ Active learning which includes drama activities, co-operative games, use of pictures, photographs and visual images, written activities, use of media and information, technologies and looking at children's work. It is recommended Methodology for SPHE.



Resources

We acknowledge that the most obvious resources are the children themselves. Their own ideas and interactions can provide a valuable starting point for many S.P.H.E. lessons.

Attached here is a list of resources available in school and for use in SPHE. These resources were assessed by the SPHE coordinator re-suitability using the suggested check list in the SPHE Curriculum Teacher Guidelines p.103.

" Teacher Guidelines
" Stay Safe (2 copies available in the school)
" RSE programme and resources
" Walk Tall programme
" 'Making the links'.
" 'Health' - A programme by Steck-Vaughn
" 'Health' - A programme by Jenni Harold.
" NWHB publication
" Prim-Ed (identify, cope, prevent)
" Alive-O
" Space Quest & Space challenge
" Road Safety
" Parents & Community
" 'Finding your way'---Life skills by Elaine Scott.
" 'Safety' Puzzles books
" Selection of safety videos
" 'Busy bodies' programme, obtained from HSE.
" Garda School Programme (Anti bullying initiative)

Online resources: The following resources may help with planning for SPHE:
" www.staysafe.ie
" www.webwise.ie
" www.drugs.ie
" www.classresources.ie
" www.teachnet.ie
" www.seomranga.com
" www.education.ie




We will also enlist the support of members of the local community such as crossing warden, garda, vet, presenter from local radio…
and HSE and follow the criteria as in SPHE Teacher Guidelines p.32 where invited speakers visit the school.




Training and Staff Development

" Two full days in-service seminars in 2002-4 by the Primary Curriculum Support Programme
" Training in the Child Abuse Prevention Programme (Stay Safe)
" Circle time training
" Summer Courses
" Training in Walk Tall provided by C.A.P.P.
" SPHE coordinator has also attended a course in development of a Code of Behaviour, facilitated by Laois Ed. Centre.


Periodically we will audit our staff training needs and where appropriate seek assistance from Laois Education Centre, C.A.P.P. or seek funding for same from the BOM if appropriate. We will also focus on sharing skills and/or expertise within our staff.





Success Criteria/Assessment


Assessment is a central part of the everyday learning and teaching process in S.P.H.E. It can provide valuable information on the child's progress and on the effectiveness and the suitability of the program. This information will help the teacher to discern what the child knows and understands and how he transfers learning from one situation to another.
We recognise however that it can be difficult to assess the effects of personal, social and health messages on an individual child, and on the manner in which he internalised the learning.

None the less, we propose to use the following tools for assessment:

(1) Teacher Observation.
This will take place while children are engaged in various activities, both within the class and outside. Observations of incidental happenings will inform effectiveness of SPHE teaching. Recording relevant observations can contribute to the child's development and can serve as a reference for the Teacher when communicating with Parents.

(2) Teacher designed tasks and tests.

These serve the dual purpose of allowing the Teacher to gauge the knowledge acquired, but also to allow assessment of the process.


(3) Portfolios and Projects.

Each student will have a folder in which projects,written activities,checklists, etc. may be kept. At the end of the year, each child can choose their best piece of work and be encouraged to discuss this choice.

(4) Displays and presentation of work.

These can be used to assess what children have learned and indicate their ability to present particular viewpoints, and prepare data for an audience.


Home / School / Community / Links:

S.P.H.E. involves learning for life. Much of the child's experiences come from their interaction with others in their family, within the School community, and within society as a whole. It is important, therefore, to recognize the important role, which the home environment plays in the formation of interpersonal skills.
S.P.H.E. then, should not begin or end at school. We understand that the S.P.H.E. program can be most effective when a partnership approach can be developed, involving teachers, parents, children, Board of Management and relevant members of the community. Our aim is to ensure that children are provided with a consistent experience in S.P.H.E. and are able to make connections between life at home, in school, and in the community. In that context, the Principal, HSCL Teacher and SPHE coordinator have developed a number of initiatives within the school, and shall continue to review and expand this process.

Recent examples:

" 'Lads and Dads' Internet safety lessons (six week session)
" Visit by Microsoft executive regarding on-line dangers
" A talk by SPHE coordinator to Parents on Social Networking
" Talk to Parents by Community Garda



Timeframe

The staff will in endeavour to implement the SPHE curriculum comprehensively before the boys graduate in Rang 6.


In Conclusion


SPHE is a shared responsibility between parents, the school, health professionals and the community. This includes Parents, Teachers, Principal, Board of Management, health professionals, pupils, and ancillary and support staff.

We will seek at all times to consult parents, management and ancillary staff to develop positive relations with all these parties.



REVIEW

This plan is now due for renewal in 2010-2011.


Ratification by Board of
Management

This policy has been approved by the Board of Management in Spring 2004.

This policy has been reviewed in May '06.

This review : November '08


Strands and Strand units of Scoil Bhride S.P.H.E. Curriculum.




Strand Strand Unit

Myself Self -Identity
Self-awareness
Developing Self-confidence
Making decisions
Taking care of my body
Health and well-being
Knowing about my body
Food and Nutrition
Growing and Changing
As I grow, I change
New life
Feelings and emotions
Safety and protection
Personal Safety
Safety issues
Making decisions

Myself and Others Myself and my family
My friends and other people
Relating to others

Myself and the wider world Developing Citizenship
My school community
Living in my local community
National, European and wider communities
Environmental care
Media Education.