Personal, Social, Health Education

What is Jigsaw PSHE?

Jigsaw is a whole-school approach and embodies a positive philosophy and creative teaching and learning activities to nurture children’s development as compassionate and well-rounded human beings as well as building their capacity to learn.

Jigsaw is a comprehensive and completely original PSHE Education programme (lesson plans and teaching resources) for the whole primary school from ages 3-11 . Developed by teacher and psychotherapist, Jan Lever MBE (services to education), teachers and is grounded in sound psychology, it also includes all the statutory requirements for Relationships and Health Education as well as the recommended Sex Education content.

Jigsaw has two main aims for all children:
• To build their capacity for learning
• To equip them for life

Jigsaw brings together PSHE Education, compulsory Relationships and Health Education, emotional literacy, mindfulness, social skills and spiritual development. It is designed as a whole school approach, with all year groups working on the same theme (Puzzle) at the same time at their own level. There are six Puzzles (half-term units of work) and each year group is taught one lesson per week. All lessons are delivered in an age and stage-appropriate way so that they meet children’s needs.

Each Puzzle starts with an introductory assembly, generating a whole school focus for adults and children alike.

Further information for parents is available below:

Delivery of RSHE

What is RSHE?

RSHE is the combination of three distinct areas of learning: Relationship Education, Sex Education and Health Education.
Relationships Education focuses on teaching children the fundamental building blocks of positive, respectful relationships with family, friends, peers and adults. It is compulsory for all primary-aged children and there is no right of withdrawal.
Sex Education (Y5 & 6) focuses on learning about human reproduction. It is not compulsory in primary schools, however the Department for Education recommends that all primary schools teach age-appropriate sex education to ensure children are prepared for the changes adolescence brings and understand how human life begins. Sex education is not about the promotion of sexual activity.
Health Education focuses on supporting children to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing. It is compulsory for all primary-aged children and there is no right of withdrawal.

Statutory Guidance:

As a maintained primary school we must provide Relationships and Health Education to all pupils as per the DfE's statutory guidance (July 2025)
Although it is not compulsory to provide Sex Education, we follow the DfE's recommendation to ensure it is taught in Year 5 and Year 6 (within the 'Changing me' puzzle piece in the Summer term).
For details of parents and carers rights to withdraw, please see the RSHE Policy by clicking here.

RSHE (Jigsaw) Scheme:

RSHE is interweaved throughout all year groups in all units of work.
The Relationships and Changing Me units are covered in the Summer Term. Each year group will be taught appropriate to their age and developmental stage.

These areas of learning are taught within the context of family life, taking care to ensure that there is no stigmatisation of children based on their home circumstances (families can include heterosexual couples, single parent families, LGBT parents, families headed by grandparents, adoptive parents, foster parents/carers amongst many other structures) along with reflecting sensitively that some children may have a different structure of support around them (for example: looked after children or young carers).

For further information, please see the following documents:

If you would like any further information, please contact the school office.