Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE)

Social, Personal and Health Education Whole School Plan
 

Introductory Statement and Rationale
(a)Introductory Statement
The staff of Hollypark BNS 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.

(b)Rationale
Aspects of SPHE have been taught in Hollypark B. 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
(a)Vision: We recognise that SPHE is intrinsic to the teaching and learning that occurs both formally and informally in 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 curriculum also encourages children to be aware of their rights as an individual while at the same time accepting responsibility for their actions as members of the school and the wider community. Our school values the uniqueness of all individuals within a caring school community. Our ethos means that we value respect, tolerance and openness through the lived experience of the children and school community. Parents have the primary role in the social, personal and health education of their children so their involvement will be encouraged as much as possible.

(b)Aims:
The children of Hollypark BNS 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 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 Planning for SPHE/RSE
There are 3 strands in the SPHE curriculum. There are nine strand units for Junior Infants to Second Class and then ten strand units from Third class onwards. Making Decisions strand unit only applies to 3rd to 6th class. The Department of Education advises to follow a 2 year plan when planning for SPHE. Each year schools should teach from each of the three main SPHE strands. Sharing the strand units over a two-year period ensures pupils will have covered the entire content relevant to their class grouping with a balanced offering from the three strands.
It also ensures adequate time is allocated to each strand unit. If a teacher has any concern in relation to the teaching of specific content, the teacher should consult with their school leader.

Whole School Plan for SPHE (2 year)
-Teach 5 strand units in Year 1
-Teach 5 strand units in Year 2
-Ensuring, each year, at least one strand unit is taught from each of the three strands
-Each strand unit is allocated two months of teaching time
-The timing of these two month blocks are mapped across each school year
-Whole -school implementation of the SPHE curriculum supports the effective delivery of well-being education, helping the child to build life skills and resilience.

Year 1 Year 2
Month
Jun Inf. 1st, 3rd, 5th
Sen. Inf, 2nd, 4th, 6th
September/October
(Wellbeing 10 week prog
Starts in Oct)
Self Identity (Myself)
*Well-Being Prog. (Oct)
Myself and my family (Myself and Others)
*Well- Being Prog. (Oct)
November/December
My friends and other people(Myself and others)
*Well-Being Prog. (continued)
Relating to others (Myself and others)
*Well-Being Prog.
January/February
Growing and changing(Myself)
*inform parents before teaching sensitive lessons
Safety and Protection (Myself) Stay Safe Programme taught in one block
March/ April
Taking care of my body (Myself)
*inform parents before teaching sensitive lessons
*Making decisions (Myself)
May/June
Media education (Myself and the wider world)
Developing citizenship (Myself and the wider world)
*Making decisions is only a strand unit from 3rd-6th, Juniors - 2nd may complete the Safety issues section of safety and protection at this time. Due to the increased amount of lessons in the Stay Safe programme from 3rd to 6th, placing the strand unit Making decisions after the Safety and protection in a standard 2 year plan will enable the teacher to achieve some of the content objectives of making decisions through the Stay Safe Programme.

We implement the “Weaving Well Being programme” through-out the school in Term 1
See Primary Well-Being portal on SPHE TEAMS for access to all relevant resources such as Walk Tall, Stay Safe and Making the Links.
 

Contexts for SPHE:
SPHE will be taught in Hollypark BNS through a combination of the following contexts:
Positive School Climate and Atmosphere
Hollypark BNS has created a positive atmosphere by:
▪building effective communication
▪catering for individual needs
▪creating a health-promoting physical environment
▪enhancing self-esteem
▪fostering respect for diversity
▪fostering inclusive and respectful language
▪developing appropriate communication
▪developing a school approach to assessment

Guidelines for the Implementation of RSE in our School
Discrete time for SPHE
SPHE is allocated ½ hour per week on each teacher’s timetable in Hollypark BNS. However teachers may use their professional discernment if extra time is required, this can be taken from discretionary time.

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.

Approaches and Methodologies:
Hollypark BNS 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
▪stories and poems
▪co-operative games
▪use of pictures
▪photographs and visual images
▪written activities
▪group work
▪circle time
▪art activities
▪information technologies and looking at children’s work

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.
Hollypark BNS uses the following recommended informal tools for assessment in SPHE:
▪Teacher observation
▪Teacher-designed tasks and tests
▪Portfolios and projects

Children with Different Needs:
Teachers will endeavour to adapt and modify activities and methodologies in SPHE to encourage participation by children with special needs. The learning support and resource teachers will supplement the work of the class teachers where necessary. Hollypark BNS 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:
Hollypark BNS 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 an all-boys school and we endeavour to ensure that equal opportunities are given to all the children to participate in discussion, debate, presentation, etc.
Organisation:
Policies and Programmes that support SPHE:
Policies:
●Child Protection
●Anti-Bullying
●Relationships and Sexuality Education
●Stay Safe
●Substance Use
●Code of Behaviour
●Enrolment
●Health and Safety
●Healthy Eating
●Internet Acceptable Usage
●RSE

Programmes:
●Welcome to Well-Being Programme(Jun Inf - First Class)
●Weaving Well-being Programme (Second - Sixth Class)
●Kindness Flag
●Green Flag
●Myselfie and the Wider World - (webwise.ie) (Fifth Classes)
●Busy Bodies Revised Edition - ( Fifth Class)
●Busy Bodies Workbook and accompanying Videos.
●Stay Safe Programme

Homework:
SPHE homework, if prescribed in SPHE, will reflect the active learning approach and will reinforce information already taught during class.
Resources:
(PDST have developed a resource list, which is available on the SPHE page at www.pdst.ie. New resources are added to this from time to time.)
Programmes and Other Materials:
Books for Pupil Books for Teacher Audio / Visual Posters Media & ICT Variety of worksheets related to the topic. Welcome to Wellbeing Weaving Wellbeing children’s manuals RSE Manuals Walk Tall Stay Safe Welcome to Wellbeing Weaving Wellbeing teachers’ manuals Making the Links Busy Bodies Revised Edition (booklet) Busy Bodies Myselfie and the Wider World - webwise.ie Various posters throughout the school Welcome to Wellbeing and Weaving Wellbeing Online support materials

Guest Speakers:
When a guest speaker addresses the children in SPHE, the class teacher will remain in the classroom (as per Circular 22/2010) 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:
Training opportunities will include the following areas and this training will support an effective implementation of the SPHE programme:
▪training in the Child Abuse Prevention Programme/ Stay Safe
▪training in the Substance Misuse programme /Walk Tall
▪training in the Relationships and Sexuality Education programme /R.S.E.
▪PDST Advisor support and modelling of lessons
▪other

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 integral to effectively implementing SPHE and Hollypark BNS believe that SPHE is a shared responsibility. This plan and the curriculum documents are available for parents to inform them of the programme for SPHE.
Community Links:
Hollypark BNS 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 Dentist, Health Nurse, Firefighter, member of the gardaí, Engineers for Engineers week, GAA coaches.

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:
Hollypark BNS 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:

Review
(a) 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. B.Brennan is responsible for co-ordinating this review.
Those involved in the review will include:
Staff members
Post holders/plan co-ordinator
BoM/DES/Others
(b) Timeframe:
This plan will be reviewed in: November 2025

Ratification and Communication
The Board of Management of Hollypark BNS ratified this plan on: