The Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) programme in our School
Dear Parents,
Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) is one of the eleven subjects in the Primary School Curriculum. In Mary, Mother of Hope Senior National school, we have devised a comprehensive programme of SPHE in partnership with parents.
Aims: Our SPHE programme provides particular opportunities to foster the personal development, health and wellbeing of each child in the school. It helps him/her create and maintain supportive relationships and become an active and responsible citizen in society.
How is it taught? Like all subjects in the Primary School curriculum, SPHE is taught from Junior Infants to Sixth class. It is a spiral curriculum, where topics are taught in an age appropriate manner, and re-visited from one year to the next.
Elements of the Programme: There are a number of elements to the programme in our school, including three formal elements :
- The Stay Safe Programme
- Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE)
- Walk Tall (Anti-Bullying Programme)
In addition, SPHE is taught in conjunction with a number of other programmes in the school such as the Friends for Life programme and WebWise Internet Safety.
SPHE in Term One: In term one this year, we will be teaching the RSE programme to children in Third Class. I have set out below the guidelines of what will be covered in the programme so that you will be aware of exactly what type of work your child will be doing.
Third Class themes:
- Special Gifts –to value their individual characteristics, abilities and achievements and those of others.
- Sometimes friends fight -to explore what happens when friends fall out.
- My Family-to appreciate how family members are related and relate to one another.
- Keeping Safe-to identify the people whose jobs includes child safety.
- Expressing Feelings – to identify feelings and emotions and to learn how they may be expressed in an appropriate manner.
- Preparing for New Life – to learn about the care that needs to be taken by a mother who is waiting for her baby to be born.
- Our Senses – to learn about their sensory organs and their functions.
- As I Grow I Change – to understand the physical, psychological and social changes they experience through childhood.
- Making Decisions – to make decisions and to discuss the factors which influence personal choices.
All lessons taught will be delivered in a sensitive and age-appropriate manner by the class teacher. Please be aware that once a particular lesson is taught the new vocabulary becomes part of the language of the classroom
Yours sincerely,
Enda Mc Gorman.
