Holy Trinity N.S.

Whole School Plan for

SPHE

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SPHE

Holy Trinity NS

Title
Social, Personal and Health Education Whole School Plan
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Introductory Statement and Rationale
(a)Introductory Statement
The staff of Holy Trinity N.S. formulated this school plan for SPHE, in consulation 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 an in-school planning day, with the assistance of a local cuiditheoir from the Primary Curriculum Support Program, and brought to the attention of the Board of Management and Parents.
(b)Rationale
Aspects of SPHE have been taught in Holy Trinity 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:
SPHE in Holy Trinity N.S should foster self-worth,develop self confidence and enable the children to make responsible choices for life.
(b)Aims:
The children of Holy Trinity 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 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
Overview of Content of S.P.H.E.

Strand

/ Strand Unit (Year 1) / Strand Unit (Year 2)
Myself / Self Identity / Safety and Protection
Taking care of my Body
Growing and Changing
Making Decisions (3rd – 6th )
Myself and Others / Myself and my Family / My friends & Others
Relating to Others
Myself and the Wider World / Developing Citizenship / Media Studies.
Approaches and Methodologies:
Active learning is a key principle of the overall curriculum and is the principal learning and teaching and approach recommended for S.P.H.E.
The more the child is directly engaged in the learning process, cognitively, physically, emotionally and creatively, the more he or she is enabled to internalise what is learned.
The following active learning strategies will be promoted in the school.
  • Drama activities.
  • Co-operative games.
  • Picture, photographs and visual images.
  • Discussion; in pairs, small groups and with whole class.
  • Written activities; surveys, questionnaires, lists, checklists, projects and worksheets.
  • Media studies.
  • Information and communication technologies.
  • Looking at children’s work; portfolios and projects.
  • Other.
The following approaches and methodologies will be used effectively for S.P.H.E.
  • Talk and discussion.
  • Skills through content.
  • Collaborative learning.
  • Problem solving.
Use of the environment.
Children with different needs:
  • We support and ensure the participation of children with special needs.
  • All children are enabled to make an important contribution regardless of academic achievement.
We will adapt and modify activities so that all children in the class can participate in consultation with the Learning Support teacher.
Integration with other subject areas:
At each class level, teachers will seek to integrate S.P.H.E. with other curricular areas. Many aspects of S.P.H.E. can be dealt with in the context of relevant subject areas e.g. RE and SESE subjects.
Assessment:
Assessment provides the teacher with information on how what children are learning through the planned programme in S.P.H.E. This knowledge will inform decisions regarding future learning experiences and give directions for planning, designing and adapting materials in S.P.H.E. and for adopting certain teaching approaches in the classroom. The school can assess the child’s progress in S.P.H.E. mostly by teacher observation, teacher-designed tests and tasks, portfolios. Information regarding the child’s abilities, strengths and overall progress in S.P.H.E. is shared with the parents at the parent teacher meetings.
Equality of Participation and Access:
  • Gender issues will be considered when dealing with the sensitive aspects of S.P.H.E.
  • Equal opportunities will be given to boys and girls to participate in discussion, debate etc.
Diversity within the school community will be recognised and valued. All children will have access to services, facilities and amenities in the environment.
Resources:
We follow Making the Links Handbook.
Programmes, ICT, Internet, Videos, Busy Bodies DVD Textbooks.
Resource materials used in S.P.H.E. are Walk Tall, R.S.E and Stay Safe.
Individual Teacher’s Planning and Reporting;
  • The whole school plan and the curriculum documents for S.P.H.E. will provide information and guidance to individual teachers for their long and short term planning.
  • The Contas Miosuil will serve in reviewing and developing the whole school plan/individual teacher preparation for following years.
Staff Development:
  • Teachers have access to reference books, resource materials, websites dealing with S.P.H.E.
  • Teachers are encouraged to attend S.P.H.E. related courses.
  • Time is allocated at staff meetings to discuss issues relating to S.P.H.E.
  • Teachers are encouraged to avail of external expertise to upskill the school community.
  • The Learning Support teacher will encourage social interaction among children and improve their communication skills.
  • The Senior Class teacher will implement the S.P.H.E Programme for classes 1-V1
Parental Involvement:
Parents are informed of the school’s programme for S.P.H.E. when they enrol in our school. Parents can contribute to the development of S.P.H.E. in the school by checking homework, encouraging friendships and co-operating with school lunch policy.
The Principal outlines the the SPHE programme at the new parents information meeting .
Community Links:
Members of the local community have a role to play in supporting the S.P.H.E. programme e.g. Public Health Nurse,Garda Siochana, our rector and our Lollipop man . The Health Promotion Unit of the H.S.E. play a role in making themselves available as guest speakers or in the provision of information booklets.
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:
Holy Trinity 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.
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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. Orla Brickenden is responsible for co-ordinating this review.
Those involved in the review will include:
Teachers
Pupils
Parents
BoM/DES/Others
(b)Timeframe:
This policy was ratified in 2008.
______Date
next review 2013

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