The school curriculum and the National Curriculum:
Value, aims and purposes

Aim 2 of the values, aims and purposes of the national curriculum states:

The School curriculum should aim to promote pupil's spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepare all pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life.

The school curriculum should promote pupil's spiritual, moral social and cultural development and, in particular, develop principles for distinguishing between right and wrong.

The school curriculum should pass on enduring values, develop pupil's integrity and autonomy and help them to be responsible and caring citizens capable of contributing to the development of a just society.

The curriculum should develop pupil awareness and understanding of, and respect for, the environments in which they live, and secure their commitment to sustainable development at a personal, local, national and global level.

The national framework and the purpose of the National Curriculum

The two broad aims for the school curriculum are reflected in section 351 of the Education Act 1996, which requires that all maintained schools provide a balanced and broadly based curriculum that:

• promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society

• prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.

The Act requires the Secretary of State, local authorities and the governing body and headteacher to take steps to achieve these requirements. The Secretary of state meets his responsibilities in this area by providing a national framework which incorporates the national Curriculum, religious education and other statutory requirements. This framework is designed to enable all schools to respond effectively to national and local priorities, to meet the individual learning needs of all pupils and to develop a distinctive character and ethos rooted in their local communities.

PSHE & CITIZENSHIP

Framework for personal, social and health education and citizenship Key stages 1 & 2.

The importance of personal, social and health education and citizenship.

Personal, social and health education (PSHE) and citizenship help to give pupils the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy, independent lives and to become informed, active, responsible citizens. Pupils are encouraged to take part in a wide range of activities and experiences across and beyond the curriculum, contributing fully to the life of their school and communities. In doing so they learn to recognise their own worth, work well with others and become increasingly responsible for their own learning. They reflect on their experiences and understand how they are developing personally and socially, tackling many of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural issues that are part of growing up. They also find out about the main political and social institutions that affect their lives and about their responsibilities, rights and duties as individuals and members of communities. They learn to understand and respect our common humanity, diversity and differences so that they can go on to form the effective, fulfilling relationships that are an essential part of life and learning.

PSHE & CITIZENSHIP

The following are exerpts from the non-statutory guidelines: Key stage 1.

Knowledge, skills and understanding

Developing confidence and responsibility and making the most of their abilities.

1. Pupils should be taught;

• to recognise what they like and dislike, what is fair and unfair, and what is right and wrong

• to recognise, name and deal with their feelings in a positive way

Preparing to play an active role as citizens

2. Pupils should be taught:

• to recognise choices they can make, and recognise the difference between right and wrong

• what improves and harms their local, natural and built environments and about some of the ways people look after them.

PSHE & CITIZENSHIP

Knowledge, skills and understanding

Developing a healthier, safer lifestyle

3. Pupils should be taught:

• how to make simple choices that improve their health and well being

• that all household products, including medicines, can be harmful if not properly used

• rules for, and ways of, keeping safe, including basic road safety, and about people who can help them stay safe.

Developing good relationships and respecting the differences between people

4. Pupils should be taught:

• That there are different types of teasing and bullying, that bullying is wrong and how to get help to deal with bullying.

Breadth of opportunities

5. During the key stage, pupils should be taught the knowledge, skills and under- standing through opportunities to:

• take and share responsibility ( for example, for their own behaviour)

• make real choices

• consider social and moral dilemmas that they come across in everyday life (for example, aggressive behaviour, right and wrong)

• ask for help (for example, from family and friends, school staff, the police).

PSHE & CITIZENSHIP

The following are exerpts from the non-statutory guidelines: Key Stage 2.

Knowledge. Skills and understanding

Developing confidence and responsibility and making the most of their abilities

1. Pupils should be taught:

• to face new challenges positively by collecting information, looking for help, making responsible choices, and taking action.

PSHE & CITIZENSHIP

Preparing to play an active role as citizens

2. Pupils should be taught:

• to realise the consequences of anti-social and aggressive behaviours, such as bullying, on individuals

• that there are different kinds of responsibilities, rights and duties at home, at school and in the community

• to resolve differences by looking at alternatives, making decisions and explaining choices

• that resources can be allocated in different ways and that these choices affect individuals, communities and the sustainability of the environment.

Developing a healthy, safer lifestyle

3. Pupils should be taught:

• to recognise the different risks in different situations and then decide how to behave responsibly, including sensible road use

• that pressure to behave in unacceptable or risky way can come from a variety of sources, including people they know, and how to ask for help and use basic techniques for resisting pressure to do wrong

• school rules about health and safety, basic emergency aid procedures and where to get help.

Developing good relationships and respecting the differences between people

4. Pupils should be taught

• that their actions affect themselves and others, to care about other people's feelings and to try to see things from their points of view

• to think about the lives of other people living in other places and times, and people with different customs

• to realise the nature and consequences of racism, teasing, bullying and aggressive behaviours, and how to respond to them and ask for help.

Breadth of opportunities

5. During the key stage, pupils should be taught the knowledge, skills and understanding through opportunities to:

• take responsibility (for example, for planning and looking after the school environment, for identifying safe, healthy and sustainable means of travel when planning their journey to school)

• make real choices and decisions (for example, about issues affecting their health)

• consider social and moral dilemmas that they come across in life (for example, encouraging respect and understanding between different races and dealing with harassment)