RE and PSHE

At Springfield Junior School we believe that PSHE and citizenship should enable children to become healthier, more independent and more responsible members of society. We inspire our pupils to play a positive role in contributing to the life of the school and the wider community. We encourage students to share their ideas, opinions and beliefs on current world events through our Picture News scheme, as well as exploring a range of other objectives through specialised activity afternoons and PSHE sessions. At Springfield Juniors, PSHE is engaging, interesting, hands on and fun and we are currently following the Jigsaw scheme of work.

We ensure that the children experience the process of democracy through participation in the school and eco council. We teach children both about their rights and about their responsibilities. They learn to appreciate what it means to be a positive member of a diverse and multicultural society. In Years 5 and 6, we offer pupils the opportunity to develop leadership and citizenship skills by becoming Midday Playground Assistants (MPAs), ensuring that the younger pupils enjoy their playtimes and behave appropriately. The MPAs wear a brightly coloured top so that they are be clearly visible in the playground. Year 3 pupils form links with older pupils, helping them to feel more settled in the junior school. Year 6 pupils’ organisational and communication skills are enhanced and their confidence and self esteem is boosted.
We believe that PSHE and citizenship should explicitly reflect and be reflected in the values and ethos of the school. The school’s aims are:

We aim to lay the foundations of a good education in a caring environment.
We aim to enable children to attain the highest standards of which they are capable.
We recognise and celebrate the achievements of our pupils.
We have high expectations of behaviour, and encourage children to become useful and considerate members of the community.
We aim to establish and maintain an effective partnership with parents and the wider community.

These aims underpin the teaching and learning of PSHE and citizenship across the school.

The staff at Springfield Junior School feel that ‘RE opens the children’s eyes to the world around them and the people and cultures too’. At Springfield, we teach Religious Education through specially planned RE days that follow the Suffolk SACRE’s Agreed Syllabus. Throughout their time with us, the children are given the opportunity to learn about the six main religions in the UK: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Sikhism and Buddhism. Through a mixture of fun, interactive and research based lessons, children learn about different beliefs and teachings, practices and ways of life and how religions express themselves in different ways. They learn to reflect on and consider important questions that arise in each area.

Wherever possible, visitors are welcomed into school to share their experiences and stories with the children. Visits to places of worship are organized to help enhance the children’s learning and to help put their learning into context.

At Springfield, pupils are encouraged to share their religious beliefs and customs to celebrate the school’s cultural diversity. A group called Faith in Action (FIA) meet regularly with the RE leader and share their own beliefs and practices with each other. Throughout the year, the group help to plan and share details of important religious events with the rest of the school via special assemblies that they lead.