Scoil
Pádraig Naofa Cregmore
Whole
School Plan for
SPHE
January 2019
Social, Personal and Health Education
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n Title
Social,
Personal and Health Education Whole School Plan For Scoil Pádraig Naofa
Cregmore.
.
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n Introductory Statement
and Rationale
(a) Introductory
Statement
The
staff of Scoil Pádraig Naofa formulated this school plan for SPHE, in
consulation with our Board of Management and our Parents, as we believe that
SPHE is a shared responsibility and their contributions and involvement will
be essential to the effective implementation of the SPHE programme in the
school. It was drafted during an
in-school planning day, and brought to the attention of the Board of
Management and Parents.
(b) Rationale
Aspects
of SPHE have been taught in Scoil Pádraig Naofa for many years through
various programmes and initiatives such as Stay Safe, Walk Tall,
Relationships and Sexuality Education and through our involvement in the
Health Promoting Schools Initiative. It
has also been taught through integration with other subject areas such as
Physical Education, Religion, Geography, etc.
However, we wish to formalise our teaching of SPHE and plan for it on
a whole school basis.
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n Vision and Aims
(a) Aims:
The children of Scoil Pádraig Naofa should
be enabled to achieve the aims outlined in the SPHE curriculum, which
include:
§ to promote the personal development and
well-being of the child
§ to foster in the child a sense of care
and respect for himself/herself and others and an appreciation of the dignity
of every human being
§ to promote the health of the child and
provide a foundation for healthy living in all its aspects
§ to
enable the child to make informed decisions and choices about the social,
personal and health dimensions
of life both now and in the future
§ To develop in the child a sense of social
responsibility, a commitment to active and participative citizenship and an
appreciation of the democratic way of life
§
to
enable the child to respect human and cultural diversity and to appreciate
and understand the interdependent nature of the world
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n Content of Plan
Curriculum:
1
Strands and Strand Units:
The
curriculum is delineated at four levels—infant classes, first and second
classes, third and fourth classes, and fifth and sixth classes—and is divided
into three strands: Myself, Myself and others, and Myself and
the wider world.
Each of
these strands is further subdivided into a number of strand units or topic
areas that contain particular objectives.
Scoil
Pádraig Naofa will teach aspects of all three major strand units each
year and strand units will be chosen in such a way that the child will
receive a comprehensive programme in SPHE over a two year period. Scoil Pádraig Naofa have
created this timetable to reflect this approach:
2
Contexts for SPHE:
SPHE will be taught in Scoil Pádraig Naofa through a combination of the following contexts:
1. Positive School Climate and Atmosphere
Scoil Pádraig Naofa has created a positive atmosphere by:
§ building
effective communication
§ catering for
individual needs
§ creating a
health-promoting physical environment
§ developing
democratic processes
§ enhancing
self-esteem
§ fostering
respect for diversity
§ fostering
inclusive and respectful language
§ developing
appropriate communication
§ developing a
school approach to assessment
2. Discrete time for SPHE
SPHE is allocated ½ hour per week on each
teacher’s timetable in Scoil
Pádraig Naofa. However teachers may allocate 1 hour per
fortnight to allow for more indepth
exploration of a strand unit.
3. Integration with other subject areas and
Linkage within SPHE
Teachers will endeavour to adopt an thematic
approach to SPHE by integrating it with other subject areas such as Language,
Geography, History, Religion, Visual Arts, Physical Education, etc. Themes/Projects such as Healthy Eating
Week, Friendship Week, Agri-Awareness, Active schools week, Lenten Campaign,
etc. will also be explored.
3
Approaches and Methodologies:
Scoil
Pádraig Naofa believe that the
approaches and methodologies used in SPHE are crucial to the effectiveness of
the programme. Active learning is the principal learning and teaching
approach recommended for SPHE, therefore we will endeavour to teach SPHE
using a variety of strategies which include:
§
drama activities- paired
activities, role play, resolving conflict, interviews, phone conversations,
response to situations, exploring different emotions and learning to express
them appropriately.
§
co-operative games-
active games that require movement, quieter board games and table activities.
§ use of pictures-
interpret a picture, interpret part of a picture, acting out a photo.
§ Discussion-
open-ended statements, brainstorming, circle time, interviews, stories,
poems, debates, agree/disagree, exploring a piece of music, working in
pairs/group/whole class.
§ photographs and
visual images
§ written
activities- worksheets, lists and check-lists, projects, questionnaires,
newsletters, creative writing, poetry, speech bubbles, captions, surveys and
polls, discussions, findings explored and reasons given for particular
conclusions.
§ use of media-
newspaper and news
§ information
technologies and looking at children’s work- learning to take turns, to share
and co-operate, decision making, help them to become discerning and jusicious
users of various technologies, to collate and present data.
4
Assessment:
Assessment
is a central part of the everyday learning and teaching process in SPHE. It
can provide valuable information on the child’s progress and on the
effectiveness and suitability of the programme and the teaching methods being
used.
Scoil
Pádraig Naofa uses the following recommended informal tools for assessment in
SPHE:
§ Teacher
observation
§ Teacher-designed
tasks and tests
§
Portfolios and projects
5
Children with Different Needs:
Teachers will endeavour to adapt and modify
activities and methodologies in SPHE to encourage participation by children
with special needs. The learning
support and resource teachers will supplement the work of the class teachers
where necessary. Scoil Pádraig Naofa will liasise with trained
professionals/appropriate agencies when dealing with sensitive issues such as
bereavement or loss to ensure that the children involved are fully supported.
6
Equality of Participation and Access:
Scoil Pádraig Naofa recognises and values
diversity, and believes all children are entitled to access the services,
facilities, or amenities that are available in the school environment. Ours is a mixed-sex school and we endeavour to challenge traditional
stereotypes and ensure that equal opportunities are given to boys and girls
to participate in discussion, debate, presentation, etc. Scoil Pádraig Naofa is
under Roman Catholic school
management, and we endeavour to provide for Members of Travelling community, Children with disabilities, Families
with literacy difficulties, Children who are learning English as a second
language. The same curriculum is offered to all pupils.
Organisation:
7
Policies and Programmes that support
SPHE:
8
Homework:
SPHE homework, if prescribed in SPHE, will reflect
the active learning approach and will reinforce information already taught
during class.
9
Resources:
(PDST
have developed a resource list, which is available on the SPHE page at www.pdst.ie.
New resrouces are added to this from time to time.)
9.1
Programmes and Other Materials:
9.2
Guest Speakers:
When a guest speaker addresses the children in
SPHE, the class teacher will remain in the classroom (as per Circular
22/2010) and make the speaker aware of this school plan and attached
policies.
10
Individual Teachers’ Planning and
Reporting:
This plan in SPHE and the curriculum documents
will inform and guide teachers in their long and short term planning in
SPHE. Each teacher will keep a Cuntas
Míosúil and this will inform our progress and needs when evaluating and
reviewing our progress in SPHE.
11
Staff Development:
Training opportunities will include the following
areas and this training will support an effective implementation of the SPHE
programme:
§
training in the Child Abuse Prevention
Programme/ Stay Safe
§
training in the Substance Misuse
programme /Walk Tall
§
training in the Relationships and
Sexuality Education programme /R.S.E.
§
PDST Advisor support and modelling of
lessons
§
training for the DLP and DDLP
§ other
Teachers are encouraged to attend SPHE related
courses and will share information/skills acquired at these courses with
other members of staff during staff meetings.
12
Parental Involvement:
Parental involvement is considered an integral
part to effectively implementing SPHE as Scoil Pádraig Naofa believe that
SPHE is a shared responsibilty. This
plan and the curriculum documents are available for parents to inform them of
the programme for SPHE, and they are welcomed as committee members on the
Relationships and Sexuality Education Policy and Substance Use Policy. They
are also welcomed as committee members of the Health Promoting Schools
initiative.
13
Community Links:
Scoil Pádraig Naofa believe that the local
community has a very important role to play in supporting the programme in
SPHE and endeavour to liasise with the members such as the Dental Hygienist,
Health Nurse, Fireman, Vet, New Parent, etc.
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n Success Criteria
The success of this plan will be evaluated through teacher’s planning
and preparation, and if the procedures outlined in this plan have been
consistently followed. We will also
judge its success if the children have been enabled to achieve the aims
outlined in this plan.
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n Implementation
(a) Roles and Responsibilities:
Scoil Pádraig Naofa
believes that the school community must be involved to successfully implement
SPHE. Therefore the teaching staff
will implement this plan with the support of the Board of Management, Parents
and the Local Community.
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n Review
(a) Roles and Responsibilities:
It will be necessary to review this plan on a
regular basis to ensure optimum implementation of the SPHE curriculum in the
school. Mrs Neasa O’Dea is responsible
for co-ordinating this review.
Those involved in the review will include:
Teachers
Pupils
Parents
Post holders/plan co-ordinator
BoM/DES/Others
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n Ratification and Communication
The Board of Management of Scoil Pádraig Naofa,
Cregmore ratified this plan in January 2019 .
Signed _________________________
Date ___________________________
This plan is available to view at the school by
the parents on request and also on our school website.
http://cregmorens.blogspot.com/
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