At Hillside Primary School, our PSHE curriculum is designed to place the needs and aspirations of our pupils at the heart of their learning. Hillside Primary follows the JIGSAW PSHE programme, which is ambitious and inclusive which empowers every child to be a historian, fostering a deep understanding of the past to help them "Be the BEST they can be." Our PSHE curriculum intent is underpinned by four key attitudes for learning, which ensure our pupils develop the character and resilience needed to thrive in the modern world:

• Believe

• Engage

• Succeed

• Try

BELIEVE: Building Confidence and Belonging
Jigsaw Connection: Being Me in My World and Celebrating Difference

• We foster an environment where children believe in their unique potential and their right to belong.

• This begins with a strong sense of self-identity, moving from simple recognition of feelings to understanding their place within the diverse community of Gloucester and the wider world.

• We believe that vocabulary is the gateway to high achievement in PSHE; therefore, we explicitly teach the language of emotion and social justice. Pupils progress from basic labels for feelings in EYFS to mastering complex 'Tier-3' terminology such as Sovereignty (personal agency), Democracy (shared voice), and Inclusion.

• Through pre-teaching and SEND adaptations, we ensure every child believes they have the tools to navigate social complexities and access age-related expectations for emotional maturity.

ENGAGE: Curiosity and Connection
Jigsaw Connection: Relationships and Changing Me

• We spark curiosity by encouraging children to engage deeply with their own growth and their connections to others.

• Rather than just learning about historical figures, pupils engage as active researchers into the human experience – exploring how relationships change over time and how their own bodies and minds develop through different life stages.

• This inquiry-based approach moves from asking simple questions about their own families in Key Stage 1 to evaluating the health and safety of their choices in Key Stage 2.

• By drawing on our Local Identity, children engage with the specific challenges and celebrations of their local community, seeing themselves as vital participants in Gloucester's current and future story.

SUCCEED: Precision and Mastery
Jigsaw Connection: Healthy Me

• Success in PSHE is defined by the mastery of self-regulation and the ability to make informed, healthy choices.

• We root this success in Chronological Awareness of a different kind: understanding the 'timeline' of a choice – from its cause to its long-term consequence on physical and mental well-being.

• Mastery is demonstrated when pupils can explain not just what a healthy choice is, but why it matters, such as understanding how positive mental habits today impact their future resilience.

• Pupils succeed when they can compare and contrast different social structures and norms, moving from following classroom rules to understanding the global importance of human rights and personal liberty.

TRY: Resilience and Hard Thinking
Jigsaw Connection: Dreams and Goals

• We cultivate a culture where children are not afraid to 'try' when faced with difficult social situations or personal setbacks.

• Our curriculum embraces 'hard thinking' by tackling complex topics such as conflict resolution, peer pressure, and the impact of global migration.

• We encourage children to embrace different interpretations of social situations, debating the best ways to solve problems and understanding that different perspectives can lead to different, yet valid, conclusions.

• At Hillside, we will prevail to use the ‘Restorative Practice’ model to resolve conflict as part of our whole school behaviour policy.

• By studying the resilience of others – from those who overcome physical obstacles to those navigating major life changes, pupils develop the 'grit' needed to pursue their own Dreams and Goals, regardless of the challenges they may face.