St. Ita s and St. Joseph s Social, Personal and Health Education Plan 2012
Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) Policy Our School Philosophy/Mission Statement St. Ita s and St. Joseph s will endeavour to communicate the Christian vision of human life, and in keeping with the Catholic ethos of our school, the SPHE programme will be developed and taught to reflect the teachings of Christ. We also recognise SPHE must be made available to all children and we will endeavour to provide the appropriate education for each individual pupil. SPHE interlinks with our mission statement in the school which endeavours to facilitate the holistic development of every child so that they will actively participate in their communities at present and in the future. Definition of Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) SPHE encompasses the all round personal development of each child. Its aim is to give children the skills to deal with the changing and challenging world in which they live. SPHE is the process which enables pupils to develop an understanding of themselves. It helps them to choose and follow a healthy lifestyle and enables them to play responsible roles as individuals and as members of society. Vision and Aims St. Ita s and St. Joseph s values the uniqueness of all individuals within a caring school community. We recognise that SPHE is intrinsic to the learning and teaching that occurs both formally and informally in the school and in the classroom. Through our SPHE programme, we wish to assist children to develop feelings of self worth and self confidence while encouraging their ability to relate to others in a positive way. The programme also encourages children to be aware of their rights as individuals, while at the same time accepting responsibility for their actions as members of the school and the wider community. Parents have the primary role in the Social, Personal and Health education of their children so their involvement is encouraged as much as possible. We endorse the aims and objectives of the curriculum for Social, Personal and Health education and in addition we emphasise the following: To enable the children to develop an awareness of their responsibilities to others in a caring community. To enable the children to take greater control of their personal lives as individuals To encourage the children to be active in determining their own learning
Introduction We, the principal and staff of St Ita s and St. Joseph s School, set out our policy statement regarding SPHE in our school. We acknowledge the importance of SPHE in the life of the school and in light of keeping our children safe and happy, and helping them to achieve their full potential while becoming full and active citizens which is central to our mission statement and the ethos of St. Ita s and St. Joseph s. Many core subjects enhance the lives of the children, SPHE has the potential to save their lives. It is with this belief in the importance of SPHE that we undertook to develop our policy. In accordance with Department guidelines, our staff attended training courses and seminars on SPHE. We have also attended DLP training. The school will follow the curriculum as laid down by the Department: Strand Myself: (a) Self Identity (b) Taking care of my Body (c) Growing and Changing (d) Safety and Protection (e) Making Decisions Myself & Others (a) Myself and my Family (b) My Friends and Other People (c) Relating to Others Myself & The Wider World (a) Developing Citizenship (b) Media Education. The primary class teacher(s) has responsibility for covering the objectives outlined in the PSC from infants to second class. FETAC 1 teachers or first year teachers for the Junior Certificate ensure that the objectives for third class have been covered/revised. FETAC 2 teachers or teachers of second year JC class will ensure that the objectives for fourth class are covered/revised. Teachers of FETAC 3 classes of third year JC Class will ensure that fifth class objectives are covered. Class teachers for the Leaving Certificate, fifth years will ensure that sixth class objectives are covered/revised. During sixth year LC all the objectives for SPHE will be revised on an informal basis during the school day so as to contextualise the learning. The primary class teachers will ensure that the Stay Safe programme is covered with all the primary school pupils.
Aims The aims of Social, Personal and Health Education are: To promote the personal development and wellbeing of the child. To foster in the child a sense of care and respect for himself/herself and others and an appreciation of the dignity of every human being. To promote the health of the child and provide a foundation for healthy living in all its aspects. To enable the child to make informed decisions and choices about the social, personal and health dimensions of life, both now and in the future. To develop in the child a sense of social responsibility, a commitment to active and participative citizenship and an appreciation of the democratic way of life. To enable the child to respect human and cultural diversity and to appreciate and understand the interdependent nature of the world. Time Allocation Time will be allocated in accordance with proposed timetable in Revised Curriculum Introduction, half-hour per week. Also discretionary time to be used by class teachers for work in SPHE. By its nature, SPHE naturally integrates with RE programme and elements of SESE, especially Environmental Care, History, developing a sense of identity, water safety and is an integral part of PE programme. The SPHE programme in the school also links with Home-Economics; Business and CSPE as well as the modular subject: Current Affairs. The pupils completing the modular subjects will also be revising many of the objectives of the SPHE Curriculum. Discrete time SPHE may be timetabled for half an hour per week, one hour per fortnight or blocks of one two hours per month, where appropriate. Children who receive individual tuition must be included for as much as the SPHE programme as possible. This discrete time is used to develop and practice particular skills, deal with sensitive issues or explore issues that are not addressed in other areas of the curriculum. Integration At each class level teachers should seek to integrate SPHE with other curricular areas. Many aspects of SPHE can be dealt with in the context of English, SESE, Visual Arts and Drama.
Links between the Primary School Curriculum and the Specific Learning Objectives for FETAC (as recommended by the school inspectors in 2010) will be made explicit through the class teacher s planning documents available on the school server. Contexts for SPHE SPHE will be taught through a combination of contexts: 1. Positive school climate and atmosphere 2. Discrete time 3. Integration with other subject areas. 4. Modular Subjects Positive school climate and atmosphere Our key messages are: We cater for the individual needs of the children. Individual needs may be social, emotional, spiritual, physical or intellectual. Through assessment, observation and discussion with parents, we strive to identify and meet individual needs. We provide opportunities to enhance the self esteem of all members of the school community. The five building blocks of self esteem as outlined in the curriculum have been adopted as our approach to self esteem development. They are: 1. A sense of identity 2. A sense of belonging 3. A sense of purpose 4. A sense of competence We aim to actively value diversity and to prioritise inclusive and respectful language. We will prioritise both racial gender and equality and respect for those with special needs. We work to develop an effective communication system within the school and between the school and home. We support health promoting physical environment. Through our Health and Safety policy and the health education section of our P.E programme, we have set out how we will promote health and safety awareness. Emphasis on healthy lunches, healthy lifestyle, road, water, farm safety and regular fire drills are some of the areas promoted. We promote democratic processes in all levels of school life, while balancing roles, rights and responsibilities. Children experience and practice the democratic process by: 1. Negotiating with the class rules at the start of the year 2. Sharing responsibility 3. Valuing the opinion of others 4. Experiencing a sense of belonging to their own class group and the wider school community 5. Developing a sense of commitment to common goals In St. Ita s and St. Joseph s we will prioritise care in our own behaviour as adults, and in our expectations of children. We will help children to learn to care for each
other through actively building relationships within each class and demonstrating this by treating each other with respect. Methodology We in St. Ita s and St. Joseph s will approach SPHE by: trying to create a school climate and atmosphere to foster the health and wellbeing of all the members of the school community; providing a safe and secure environment where children experience a sense of belonging and know that the concerns and contributions of parents, children and teachers are taken into account - a positive school environment promotes selfconfidence, self-worth and promotes respectful and caring relationships throughout the school, thus ensuring that the SPHE is lived out within the school community; using discreet SPHE time will provide for the teaching of SPHE during designated class periods class teachers may organise it in block periods and use it as required rather than confining the time to a set period each week; using an integrated approach to SPHE will allow for aspects of SPHE to be covered in related subject areas RE, SESE, PE. In the modular groups due to time table restrictions will ensure that RSE is covered with their own class; Providing RSE as one of the modular subjects (class teachers of classes unable to participate Involvement of parents and members of the wider community: It is our practise to make parents feel that they are an integral part of the school. Guest speakers on Environmental issues, Health and Safety issues, Local Government, Gardaí, Fire Brigade and local people who contribute to making our area special are invited in on a regular basis. Developing a positive school climate and atmosphere: By promoting SPHE as an integral part of the school curriculum, we feel that the essence of SPHE is being allowed permeate in the school and affect the members of our school community. We undertake to create a positive atmosphere in our school by treating each other with respect and consideration. Our Dignity in the Workplace Policy supports our respect for others. We will, by our Mission Statement, try to always live up to the ideals of good citizenship and genuine concern for the children in our care and the community in which we serve. Assessment Children s progress in SPHE is assessed through: Teacher observation and checklists Teacher designed tests and tasks w Portfolios and projects
Self assessment by children Recording data from these methods of assessment can contribute to the overall picture of the child s development and can be used as a reference for the teacher when planning for SPHE and in communicating with the child, parents, other teachers and the principal. Policies and Programmes that support SPHE SPHE links with other policies and programmes used in St. Ita s and St. Joseph s. These include home-economics, substance use, RSE and Stay Safe, Child Protection, Enrolment, Code of Behaviour, Anti Bullying, Health and Safety and Healthy Eating Policies. Resources Resources will be stored centrally in the resource room. Materials used will be reflective of our school ethos, in line with the principles of the SPHE curriculum, age appropriate, closely matched to specific objectives and free of bias and stereo typing In St. Ita s and St. Joseph s we have a server which stores resources and activities which are subject based. Individual Teachers Planning and Reporting Teacher should base their yearly and short term plans on the approaches set out in the whole school plan for SPHE. Work covered will be outlined in the monthly progress reports which are available on the school server. Staff Development Teachers are made aware of any opportunities for further professional development through participation in courses available in education centres or other venues. Details of these can be seen on the staff notice board. Parental Involvement SPHE is a shared responsibility between family and school. Copies of the school plan for SPHE are available from the office. Parents will be made aware of content objectives that deal with sensitive issues and will be asked to discuss these issues with their child prior to the lessons in school. In SPHE and RSE, the parents are acknowledged as the primary educators of their children and the school will work in a supportive role.
Success Criteria The success of this plan will be measured using the following criteria: Implementation of the SPHE curriculum will be evident in teacher s work Continuity of content and methodology will be evident in teacher s preparation and monthly reports Ongoing assessment will show that pupils are acquiring and understanding of concepts taught and an ability to engage with others in a manner appropriate to their age and personality. Ratification This plan was referred to all parents as part of our school self-evaluation questionnaires in June 2012. The draft plan was made available for all staff on the server during October and November 2012. The plan was discussed with the student council in December 2012. The final draft of the plan was sent to the BoM for recommendations and ratified on 18/12/12 Review This policy will be reviewed in line with our school action plan which is available on our server.