‍

Social, Personal and Health Education Whole School Plan  

‍

Introductory Statement and Rationale 

‍

Introductory Statement 

The staff of Ballyagran N.S. formulated this school plan for SPHE, in consultation with our Board of Management and our Parents, as we believe that SPHE is a shared responsibility and their contributions and involvement will be essential to the effective implementation of the SPHE programme in the school. It was drafted during Croke Park hours, with the assistance of all staff members and brought to the attention of the Board of Management and Parents. 

‍

Rationale 

Aspects of SPHE have been taught in Ballyagran N.S. for many years through various programmes and initiatives such as Stay Safe, Walk Tall, Relationships and Sexuality Education and through our involvement in the Health Promoting Schools Initiative. It has also been taught through integration with other subject areas such as Physical Education, Religion, Geography, etc. However, we wish to formalise our teaching of SPHE and plan for it on a whole school basis.  

‍

Vision and Aims 

Vision: 

SPHE provides particular opportunities to foster the personal development, health and well being of the child and to help him/her to create and maintain supportive relationships and become an active and responsible citizen in society. 

‍

Aims: 

The children of Ballyagran NS should be enabled to achieve the aims outlined in the SPHE curriculum, which include: to promote the personal development and well-being 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 3 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. 

‍

Content of Plan 

Curriculum: 

Strands and Strand Units: The curriculum is delineated at four levels—infant classes, first and second classes, third and fourth classes, and fifth and sixth classes—and is divided into three strands: 

• Myself, 
• Myself and others
• Myself and the wider world. 

‍

Each of these strands is further subdivided into a number of strand units or topic areas that contain particular objectives. Ballyagran NS will teach aspects of all three major strand units each year and strand units will be chosen in such a way that the child will receive a comprehensive programme in SPHE over a two year period. Ballyagran NS have created this timetable to reflect this approach: 

‍

Two-Year Grid for SPHE

that five strand units are taught each year, at least one from every strand.

Myself:

Self-identity

Taking care of my body

Growing and Changing

Safety and Protection

Making decisions (3^rd – 6^th Class)

Myself and Others:

Myself and My Family

My friends and other people

Relating to others

Developing Citizenship

Myself and the Wider World

Developing Citizenship

Media Education

 

‍

Two year schedule by month 

 

 * This strand will be covered from Third to Sixth only. 

(Infants to second complete the Safety Issues section of Safety and Protection)

‍

Resources / topics / lessons:

Myself

Myself and others

Myself and the wider world

• Healthy eating
• Road safety
• Fire safety
• Water safety
• Safety around electricity
• Substance Misuse (Walk Tall)
• Be Safe
• Taste Buds
• Food Dudes
• Bí Folláin

• Stay safe
• Walk tall
• No noise (anti bullying)
• Friendship terrace
• RSE
• Busy Bodies
• Respect
• Friends for life
• Stop Ask Listen Talk (SALT)
• Quality Circle Time (Jenny Mosley)

• Walk Tall
• RSE
• Webwise
• GLEN - different families
• Incredible Years
• Human Rights Education (Amnesty International)
• Me You Everyone (Amnesty)
• Lift off (Amnesty)
• Human Rights Stories (Amnesty)

Resources for children with learning difficulties (See PDST website and/or Resource List attached)

‍

Contexts for SPHE: 

SPHE will be taught in Ballyagran NS through a combination of the following three contexts: 

‍

(i) Positive School climate and atmosphere which has been created by: 

• building effective communication 
• catering for individual needs 
• creating a health-promoting physical environment 
• developing democratic processes 
• enhancing self-esteem 
• fostering respect for diversity 
• fostering inclusive and respectful language 
• developing appropriate communication 
• developing a school approach to assessment 

‍

(ii) Discrete time for SPHE 

SPHE is allocated ½ hour per week on each teacher’s timetable in Ballyagran NS. However teachers may allocate 1 hour per fortnight to allow for more in-depth exploration of a strand unit. Additionally, SPHE topics can/may be explored and developed through literacy lessons (reading comprehension), drama lessons, oral language and even numeracy lessons (e.g. conducting surveys centred around safety topics).

‍

(iii) Integration with other subject areas and Linkage within SPHE 

Teachers will endeavour to adopt a thematic approach to SPHE by integrating it with other subject areas such as Language, Geography, History, Religion, Visual Arts, Physical Education, etc. Themes/Projects such as Healthy Eating Week, Friendship Week, Agri-Awareness, Healthy Heart Week, Lenten Campaign, etc. will also be explored. 

‍

Approaches and Methodologies: 

Ballyagran NS believe that the approaches and methodologies used in SPHE are crucial to the effectiveness of the programme. Active learning is the principal learning and teaching approach recommended for SPHE, therefore we will endeavour to teach SPHE using a variety of strategies which include: drama activities cooperative games use of pictures photographs and visual images written activities use of media information technologies and looking at children’s work, Talk and Discussion, Circle Time etc. 

‍

Assessment: 

Assessment is a central part of the everyday learning and teaching process in SPHE. It can provide valuable information on the child’s progress and on the effectiveness and suitability of the programme and the teaching methods being used. Ballyagran NS uses the following recommended informal tools for assessment in SPHE: Teacher observation Teacher-designed tasks and tests 

‍

Children with Additional Needs: 

Teachers will endeavour to adapt and modify activities and methodologies in SPHE to encourage participation by children with additional needs. The learning support and resource teachers will supplement the work of the class teachers where necessary. Ballyagran NS will liaise with trained professionals/appropriate agencies when dealing with sensitive issues such as bereavement or loss to ensure that the children involved are fully supported. 

‍

Equality of Participation and Access: 

Ballyagran NS recognises and values diversity and believes all children are entitled to access the services, facilities, or amenities that are available in the school environment. Ours is a mixed co-ed school with a special class for ASD and we endeavour to challenge traditional stereotypes and ensure that equal opportunities are given to boys and girls with and without learning difficulties and additional needs to participate in discussion, debate, presentations, etc. Ballyagran NS is under Roman Catholic school management and we endeavour to provide for members of Travelling community, children with disabilities, families with literacy difficulties, children who are learning English as a second language among others.  

‍

Organisation: 

Policies and Resources that support SPHE: 

Policies

• Code of Behaviour, 
• Enrolment Policy, 
• Health and Safety Policy, 
• Anti-bullying Policy, 
• Healthy Eating Policy,
• Substance Use Policy, 
• Relationships and Sexuality Education Policy, 
• Child Protection Policy,
• Homework Policy SPHE homework, if prescribed in SPHE, will reflect the active learning approach and will reinforce information already taught during class. 

‍

Resources

Making the Links will be used as a guide for all class teachers for the teaching of SPHE. All class teachers will have Stay Safe, Walk Tall and RSE Manuals. There are various other SPHE resources throughout the school that the teachers have access to and may use to support them in their teaching of SPHE. 

‍

Guest Speakers 

When a guest speaker addresses the children in SPHE, the class teacher will remain in the classroom and make the speaker aware of this school plan and attached policies. 

‍

Individual Teachers’ Planning and Reporting

This plan in SPHE and the curriculum documents will inform and guide teachers in their long and short term planning in SPHE. Each teacher will keep a Cuntas Míosúil and this will inform our progress and needs when evaluating and reviewing our progress in SPHE.

‍

Staff Development

The staff have attended training in the following areas and this training will support an effective implementation of the SPHE programme: Child Protection training, Stay Safe training in the Substance Misuse programme, Walk Tall training in the Relationships and Sexuality Education programme /R.S.E. training in Circle work. Teachers are encouraged to attend SPHE related courses and will share information/skills acquired at these courses with other members of staff during staff meetings. 

‍

Parental Involvement

Parental involvement is considered an integral part to effectively implementing SPHE as Ballyagran NS believe that SPHE is a shared responsibility. In advance of commencement of teaching sensitive content, parents will be informed in advance with an overview of the content to be covered along with guidance on where to find further information. This plan and the curriculum documents are available for parents to inform them of the programme for SPHE and their input is welcomed on the Relationships and Sexuality Education Policy and Substance Use Policy. Their input is also welcomed on the Health Promoting Schools initiative.

‍

Community Links

Ballyagran NS believe that the local community has a very important role to play in supporting the programme in SPHE and endeavour to liaise with the members such as the Dental Hygienist, Health Nurse, Fireman, Vet, New Parent, etc.  

‍

Success Criteria 

The success of this plan will be evaluated through teacher’s planning and preparation, and if the procedures outlined in this plan have been consistently followed. We will also judge its success if the children have been enabled to achieve the aims outlined in this plan.  

‍

Implementation 

(a) Roles and Responsibilities: Ballyagran NS believes that the school community must be involved to successfully implement SPHE. Therefore the teaching staff will implement this plan with the support of the Board of Management, parents and the local community. 

‍

(b) Timeframe: The plan will be implemented by October 2016 and reviewed periodically thereafter.  

‍

Review 

Roles and Responsibilities: It will be necessary to review this plan on a regular basis to ensure optimum implementation of the SPHE curriculum in the school. The Principal is responsible for coordinating this review. Those involved in the review will include: teachers, pupils, parents, ISM team (In-School Management Team) & BoM.

‍