Life Curriculum
Our Life Curriculum incorporates religion and world views and relationships and health education
Our Life Curriculum encompasses religion and world views, relationships and health education and the teaching of our school values.
Children access our Life curriculum from Nursery to Year Two.
Our Life Curriculum develops pupils’ knowledge, understanding and awareness and focuses on developing their internal resources. It develops pupils’ ability to think for themselves and develops their skill set to become healthy and safe individuals.
As part of our Life Curriculum’s design, opportunities are carefully planned to allow children a ‘window’ into the lives of others so that they develop empathy and a sense of morality. This enables us to challenge misconceptions and stereotypes early on and develop children’s aspirations.
Ultimately, our Life Curriculum aims to deepen pupils’ awareness of the world and become aspirational in their outlook.
Our Life Curriculum enables pupils to become well-prepared for life in modern Britain and more successful in their learning and interactions because they focus on developing their internal resources. Pupils will be confident and enthusiastic learners who want to do well. As well as this, pupils will develop a sense of morality and empathy and be able to argue their points of view respectfully.
Our Life Curriculum has four strands which are focused on developing pupils as balanced and well-rounded citizens who are ready for life in modern Britain:
Strand 1: Culture
Strand 2: Character
Strand 3: Global citizenships
Strand 4: Wellbeing
Life Curriculum Strands
Our Life Curriculum Pathway
Incorporating Relationships and Health Education
Festival of Books
Someries Infant School and Early Childhood Education Centre is proud of its commitment to educating its pupils about the diverse world in which they are growing up. As part of this commitment, the school’s Life Curriculum Pathway contains a series of teaching sequences aimed at delivering learning opportunities linked to the Equality Act 2010 and enabling children to understand the benefits of a diverse society that is celebrated and prepares them for life in modern Britain.
The aim of our Life Curriculum is to facilitate community cohesion through understanding and acceptance of difference.
Through a progressive range of picture books, all children are taught about diversity in an age-appropriate manner. This includes all elements of The Equality Act, including race, religion, gender, age, disability and sexual orientation.
The benefits of this approach to our pupils include increased self-esteem arising from a strong sense of belonging, as well as greater resilience developed through a deeper understanding of both themselves and others. It also supports their preparation for life in modern Britain, while helping to reduce the potential for radicalisation. Furthermore, it promotes a whole-school approach in which difference and diversity are recognised and celebrated throughout our harmonious school.
Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)
Statutory information
As a maintained primary school, we must provide relationships education to all pupils under section 34 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017.
We are not required to provide sex education, but we do need to teach the elements of sex education contained in the science curriculum.
In teaching RSE, we must have regard to guidance issued by the secretary of state, as outlined in section 403 of the Education Act 1996.
We also have regard to the legal duties set out in Sections 404 to 407 of the Education Act 1996, as well as Part 6, Chapter 1 of the Equality Act 2010. In addition, we consider the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), as outlined in Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, which requires public bodies to give due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster positive relations between different groups when carrying out their activities.
At Someries Infant School and Early Childhood Education Centre, we teach relationships and sex education as set out in the policy below.
Use of external resources
External resources used as part of our Life Curriculum
We ensure that any agency we work with, and any materials used, are accurate, age- and stage-appropriate, unbiased, and in line with our legal duties regarding political impartiality. We make appropriate checks and engage with external agencies to ensure that their approach to teaching about RSE is balanced and that the resources they intend to use are suitable for pupils’ ages and developmental stages. All materials comply with our Relationships and Sex Education Policy, the Teachers’ Standards, the Equality Act 2010, the Human Rights Act 1998, and the Education Act 1996.
We only work with external agencies where we have full confidence in the agency, its approach, and the resources it uses. We ensure that any speakers and resources meet the intended outcomes of the relevant part of the curriculum. We review any case-study materials and seek feedback from others the agency has worked with. We are clear about what external speakers are going to say and their position on the issues to be discussed, and we ask to see any materials in advance. We know the named individuals who will attend and follow our usual safeguarding procedures. We carry out a basic online search and address anything that may raise concerns for us or for parents and carers. We check the agency’s protocol for taking photographs or using any personal data obtained during sessions.
We remind teachers that they can refuse or, in extreme cases, stop a session, and we ensure that a teacher is present in the room during any sessions with external speakers. We inform all external organisations that the school is legally obliged to share all content with parents and carers, and we share all external materials accordingly.
Under no circumstances do we work with external agencies that take or promote extreme political positions. We do not use materials produced by such agencies, even if the material itself is not extreme, and we do not work with agencies that do not allow their materials to be shared with parents and carers.
At Someries Infant School and Early Childhood Education Centre, we use Pol-Ed, a PSHE and citizenship education programme that provides high-quality lessons, assemblies and resources. Developed by PSHE specialists and supported by police expertise, the programme focuses on four key areas:
- Relationships
- Keeping safe
- Understanding the law
- Wellbeing
The content reflects topics where the police have particular credibility and expertise, ensuring that learning is relevant and grounded in real-life context. It includes important issues such as child-on-child abuse and young people’s perceptions of the police.
