RSHE
Our School Vision
St Mary’s Catholic Infant and Junior Academies work together to create a caring, friendly and faith-centred community, where we seek to realise the full potential of all our family through the living love of Christ. All our work with children and their families, staff, governors, parishioners and the wider community is influenced by our core values:
Compassion, Respect and Resilience.
Intent
The purpose of our Arches Curriculum is to ensure that our children are successful in life and learning. The ‘Nine Arches’ Sankey Viaduct in Newton-le-Willows has been the inspiration for our curriculum. The viaduct was built by George Stephenson between 1828 and 1830 and the bridge, built to let trains cross above the Sankey Canal, has international significance as the world’s earliest major railway viaduct still in use.
At the heart of St Mary’s is the belief that every child is created in the image and likeness of God, with inherent dignity, purpose, and worth. Our RSHE and PSHE curriculum supports pupils in understanding themselves as children of God, created with dignity and called to live in loving relationship with others. Rooted in the teachings of the Catholic Church, our programme nurtures pupils’ spiritual, moral, emotional, social, and physical development.
Through RSHE and PSHE, pupils learn to build healthy, respectful relationships; to value family life; and to understand the gift of human sexuality within God’s plan. Teaching is age‑appropriate, sensitive, and fully aligned with statutory requirements. Pupils also develop essential life skills, including emotional wellbeing, resilience, personal safety, and responsible decision‑making.
Our curriculum is delivered in partnership with parents—the primary educators of their children—and is supported by our wider Catholic ethos, Religious Education, and pastoral care. Together, RSHE and PSHE help every child grow in confidence, virtue, and understanding so they can flourish and contribute to the common good.
From this, we teach to the Arches Principles –
Ambitious – Resilience – Christ at the Heart – Health and Wellbeing – Excellence – Success
Ambitious
We encourage every pupil to be ambitious, to recognise their God‑given potential, and to strive for excellence in all they do. We nurture a culture where pupils are inspired to dream boldly, act purposefully, and use their talents to make a positive difference in the world.
Resilience
We encourage every pupil to develop resilience by facing challenges with courage, perseverance, and a positive mindset. When difficulties arise, we support pupils in learning from setbacks, growing in confidence, and discovering their inner strength.
Christ at the Heart
In RSHE and PSHE, we place Christ at the Heart of all we teach, helping pupils understand their dignity, purpose, and value as children of God. Our curriculum encourages pupils to grow in wisdom, compassion, and responsibility, guiding them to make positive choices and contribute to the common good.
Health and Wellbeing
We teach pupils how to care for their physical, emotional, and mental health and wellbeing so they can flourish and live life to the full. Our curriculum helps pupils develop healthy habits, make informed choices, and build resilience. We encourage them to understand their feelings, seek support when needed, and value the wellbeing of others.
Excellence
Our curriculum helps pupils develop confidence, character, and a strong sense of responsibility, inspiring them to aim high in their learning and in the way they treat others. Through a culture of high expectations and positive choices, pupils learn that excellence is not about perfection, but about continual effort, resilience, and becoming the very best version of themselves.
Success
In RSHE and PSHE, we help pupils understand that success comes from effort, resilience, and making positive choices. Our curriculum encourages them to set goals, believe in their abilities, and take responsibility for their learning and actions. By celebrating progress and personal growth, we support pupils in developing the confidence and character they need to succeed in school and in life.
Being a St Mary’s Citizen
Being a St Mary’s citizen means that disciplinary and substantive knowledge complement each other harmoniously. Substantive knowledge in RSHE is threaded throughout each strand – the substantive knowledge for each strand is progressive. Disciplinary knowledge in RSHE are the social and emotional skills acquired, and the interpretation of themselves and how to support themselves and others through changes.
As a Catholic school, our RSHE/PSHE curriculum meets the ethos of our Catholic identity and mission. At St Mary’s, we aim to deliver a high-quality RSHE/PSHE education that allows children to grow in virtue, wisdom and stature, understanding both the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing spiritually, as well as moral aspects of relationships within a context of a Christian vision for the purpose of life. Through quality first teaching, we will equip pupils to grow in their spiritual, moral, social, emotional and physical development, and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life growing up in today’s world. Our ambition for our children is:
- To have a sense of purpose
- To value self and others
- To form relationships
- To make and act on informed decisions
- To communicate effectively
- To work with others
- To respond to challenge
- To be an active partner in their own learning
- To be active citizens within the local community
- To explore issues related to living in a democratic society
- To become healthy and fulfilled individuals
RSHE/PSHE Long Term Plan
Our long-term plan is built on three programs (divided into different areas on our progression documents).
- Journey in Love (Bishops’ directive)
- Social
- Emotional
- Physical
- Spiritual
- No outsiders – the Equality Act
- Equality and inclusion
- British Values
- Preparing for Life in Modern Britain
- Anti-bullying and Safeguarding
- Twinkl Life
- Relationships
- Health and Wellbeing
- Living in the Wider World/
To ensure we have a broad and balanced curriculum, we will incorporate work on British Values, Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural (SMSC) development, as well as the 'We are One Family' initiative, fostering inclusivity and promoting a fundamental understanding of our diverse society among all learners.