What is Jigsaw, the mindful approach to Health and Well-being,
and how does it work?
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 PSE programme (lesson plans and teaching
resources) for the whole primary school from ages 3-11. Written
by teachers and grounded in sound psychology, it also includes all
Relationships and Health Education, and Sexuality Education is also
included in the Changing Me Puzzle (unit). Jigsaw has two main aims
for all children:
- To build their capacity for learning
- To equip them for life
Jigsaw brings together PSE, 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. There is also a Weekly
Celebration that highlights a theme from that week’s lesson across the school
encouraging children to live that learning in their behaviour and attitudes.
What will Jigsaw teach my child?
The overview below summarises the content in each of Jigsaw’s units of work
(Puzzles):
1. Being Me In My World covers a wide range of topics, including a sense of belonging,
welcoming others and being part of a school community, a wider community, and a
global community; it also looks at children’s rights and responsibilities, working and
socialising with others, and pupil voice.
2. Celebrating Difference focuses on similarities and differences and teaches about
diversity, such as disability, racism, power, friendships, and conflict; children learn to
accept everyone’s right to ‘difference’, and most year groups explore the concept of
‘normality’. Anti-bullying, including cyber and homophobic bullying, is an important
aspect of this Puzzle.
3. Dreams and Goals aims to help children think about their hopes and dreams, their
goals for success, what their personal strengths are, and how to overcome challenges,
using team-work skills and tasks. There is also a focus on enterprise and fundraising.
Children learn about experiencing and managing feelings of pride, ambition,
disappointment, success; and they get to share their aspirations, the dreams and goals
of others in different cultures/countries, and their dreams for their community and the
world. 4. Healthy Me covers two main areas of health: Emotional/mental health (relaxation,
being safe, friendships, mental health skills, body image, relationships with food,
managing stress) and Physical health (eating a balanced diet, physical activity, rest and
relaxation, keeping clean, drugs and alcohol, being safe, first aid).
5. Relationships starts with building a respectful relationship with self and covers topics
including families, friendships, pets and animals, and love and loss. A vital part of this
Puzzle is about safeguarding and keeping children safe; this links to online safety and
social networking. Children learn how to deal with conflict, build assertiveness skills,
and identify their own strengths and strategies for building self-esteem and resilience.
They explore roles and responsibilities in families and friendship groups, and consider
stereotypes. .
6. Changing Me deals with change of many types, from growing from young to old,
becoming a teenager, assertiveness, puberty, self-respect and safeguarding. Each
year group thinks about looking ahead, moving year groups or the transition to
secondary school and how to cope positively with such changes. Life cycles and human
reproduction are taught in some year groups at the school’s discretion.
For more information about Jigsaw please see:
Parent Overviews:
Relationships and Sexuality Education Code 2022
Relationships and Sexual Education (RSE) is a statutory requirement of the Curriculum for Wales framework and is mandatory for children aged 3-16. Schools will follow a RSE Code that provides details about what is taught and when. Great care has been taken to ensure that all learning is developmentally appropriate.
RSE has a positive and empowering role in learners’ education and plays a vital role in supporting learners to form and maintain a range of relationships, all based on mutual trust and respect which is the foundation of RSE. These relationships are critical to the development of emotional well-being, resilience and empathy. An understanding of sexuality with an emphasis on rights, health, equality and equity empowers learners to understand themselves, take responsibility for their own decisions and behaviours, and form relationships that are fully inclusive, reflecting diversity and promoting respect. The Welsh Government RSE Code contains the mandatory requirements. The teaching and learning within our whole school RSE programme encompass the mandatory elements outlined within the Code.
Below are some useful links for parents to access to learn more about RSE in the curriculum:
Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-05yWWBuQwg
Parent Leaflet:https://hwb.gov.wales/api/storage/24d21ea4-fe27-470b-8e39-7d2b7f227737/220804-rse-leaflet-en.pdf
RSE Code schools follow:
https://gov.wales/curriculum-wales-relationships-and-sexuality-education-rse-code
Curriculum Design
Our RSE curriculum will be taught through cross-curricular themes and it will be interlinked within all Areas of Learning and Experience as appropriate. This will allow learners to make connections between their learning in RSE and the wider curriculum, understanding historical, cultural, geographic, physical, political, social and technological perspectives and influences on RSE issues. At Ysgol Black Lane we follow Jigsaw PSHE which is a mindful approach to Health and Wellbeing and is a whole-school teaching and learning programme that includes all of the statutory RSE outcomes.
The mandatory content of the RSE Code is set within three broad and interlinked learning strands, namely:
1. Relationships and identity – this strand focuses on:
- the range of relationships that human beings have throughout their lives
- how identity can be shaped by our relationships and sexuality
- the importance of human rights in securing healthy, safe and fulfilling relationships in an inclusive society.
2. Sexual health and well-being – this strand focuses on:
- learning about how living things grow, reproduce and have a life cycle
- developing an understanding of the human body, including people’s feelings about their bodies and how these can be represented
- the health issues related to relationships and sexuality
- an understanding of how sexuality and sexual health affects our well-being.
3. Empowerment, safety and respect – this strand focuses on:
- learners’ rights to safety and protection and freedom from harm and discrimination
- how and where to seek information, help and support
- how to support and advocate for the rights, fair treatment and respect of all.
The learning strands of teaching and learning are set in three broad developmental phases as follows:
- Phase 1: from age 3
- Phase 2: from age 7
- Phase 3: from age 11
Teachers follow the Jigsaw programme, teaching 6 structured half term puzzles (units) delivered sequentially from beginning to end of the academic year. The 6 puzzles are:
Being Me in My World, Celebrating Difference, Dreams and Goals, Healthy Me, Relationships and Changing Me.
The mapping document shows Jigsaw’s spiral approach to the Health and Wellbeing Curriculum across all 3 phases of the RSE.
Click to see how Jigsaw meets the requirements of the RSE Code.