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 Fifth 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.
Fifth Class themes:
Ø The Person I Am – to provide children with opportunities to increase awareness of their own identity and the factors that influence it.
Ø Different Kinds of Friends -to increase awareness of different types of friendships and the way friendship is portrayed in the media
Ø My Family- to discuss how family members communicate and express their feelings
Ø Keeping Safe-to realise that as they grow their responsibility for their personal safety increases
Ø Feelings And Emotions – to increase awareness of how feelings and emotions are expressed.
Ø My Body Grows and Changes – to increase their knowledge and understanding of the changes that take place during puberty
Ø The Wonder of New Life – to revise the changes that occur at puberty and to learn how new life begins
Ø Caring for New Life – to learn about caring for a baby in the womb and the responsibility that a baby brings, especially to the parents.
Ø Making Healthy Decisions – to consider personal health and hygiene practice, especially as it relates to puberty.
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.
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