PSHED & RSE
At Evergreen, we use a variety of teaching and learning approaches to fully engage our pupils. We believe that practical, experiential learning is the most effective way to support our children’s development. Wherever possible, we provide real-life learning experiences and utilise a range of learning environments beyond the classroom such as Forest school and OPAL. Many classes also engage regularly with the local community through visits to parks, shops and cafés, helping pupils feel part of the wider community.
Pupil voice is highly valued at Evergreen. We encourage discussion, debate, investigation and problem-solving, empowering pupils to think independently and express their own views.
Lessons are carefully structured to ensure full participation, with tasks thoughtfully differentiated by skilled staff. PSHED underpins all aspects of school life, supporting pupils to make positive choices through clear expectations and reflection. We promote a positive, inclusive learning environment where every individual is valued and respected.
RSHE (Relationships, Sex and Health Education) is primarily delivered through PSHED (Personal, Social, Health and Emotional Development) lessons and is embedded across the wider curriculum. At evergreen, these lessons are tailored to meet individual needs and are closely linked to everyday experiences and practical life skills.
PSHED and RSHE are integrated into daily routines and activities such as self-help skills, turn-taking, communication, and social interaction, ensuring that pupils develop independence and positive relationships in real-life contexts. For example, learning about hygiene, managing emotions, and respecting personal space often occurs during practical tasks like dressing, eating, or group work.
Individual EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) targets are central to planning and delivery. Teachers incorporate these targets into PSHED and RSHE lessons, as well as across subjects, to ensure that learning is personalised and progress is meaningful. This might include supporting emotional regulation, developing social skills, or improving independence, all of which align with RSHE objectives.
Teachers lead the PSHED curriculum with input from multidisciplinary professionals—such as speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, and health specialists—where appropriate. This collaborative approach ensures that pupils receive consistent, holistic support that addresses both academic and personal development.
Curriculum
Foundations and Next Steps Pathway
At Evergreen, for children accessing the foundations and next steps pathway, PSHED and RSHE are delivered through six core themes: Self-Awareness, Managing Feelings, Self-Care, Support and Safety, The World I Live In, Healthy Lifestyles, and Changing and Growing. Each theme is taught on a half-termly basis and revisited annually to reinforce and build upon previous learning, ensuring continuity and progression.
Through these themes, pupils develop essential communication skills, vocabulary, and practical strategies that empower them to navigate real-life situations confidently. The curriculum also focuses on fostering resilience and independence, helping pupils understand how to manage challenges and seek appropriate support when needed. This approach ensures that children not only learn about relationships and health but also gain the confidence and skills to apply this knowledge in everyday life.
ASDAN programmes are embedded within the PSHED curriculum to provide pupils with practical, life-focused learning opportunities that promote independence, communication, and personal development. ASDAN modules complement the six PSHED themes by enabling pupils to work towards achievable goals in areas such as self-care, social interaction, and community participation. This structured approach helps pupils develop confidence and transferable skills that prepare them for adulthood.
Explorers Pathway
The Explorers Curriculum is a specialist pathway designed for pupils with complex learning difficulties and disabilities (CLDD). Learners on this pathway often have co-existing conditions such as autism, ADHD, Oppositional Defiance Disorder ODD/Pathological Demand Avoidance PDA, and complex language and communication difficulties. This curriculum has been developed in direct response to the unique learning characteristics and needs of these pupils.
Children following the Explorers Pathway typically experience complex profiles involving delayed and disordered emotional regulation, sensory processing, and language and communication development. The curriculum is designed to help pupils build consistent engagement with their environment, develop the ability to share and sustain attention, and strengthen their communication and interaction skills.
Teaching and learning are highly individualised, using a range of targeted strategies to promote engagement, develop receptive and expressive communication, and support the application and generalisation of skills. The pathway is underpinned by an engagement-driven, low-demand approach, which prioritises trust, security, and intrinsic motivation. As a result, learners feel safe to explore, are more willing to communicate, and develop positive associations with learning. This approach enables pupils to initiate interaction, demonstrate their preferences, and take greater ownership of their learning, leading to increased independence and emotional wellbeing over time.
The key areas of focus within the Explorers Curriculum are:
- Promoting engagement through trust, tolerance, and emotional safety
- Supporting sensory regulation to enable readiness for learning
- Developing communication and social interaction skills
- Building confidence and independence
- Promoting holistic progress through access to a range of therapeutic approaches
This pathway provides a nurturing, flexible, and responsive framework that supports learners to connect, communicate, and grow — both as individuals and as active participants in their learning community.
Roots Pathway
At Evergreen, children with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) follow highly personalised learning pathways that prioritise engagement, communication, and wellbeing. Pupils on the Roots Pathway access a curriculum based on Quest for Learning, which is specifically designed to meet the needs of learners with complex profiles.
This approach focuses on four key areas:
- Communication – developing intentional communication through a range of methods, including sensory cues, objects of reference, and assistive technology.
- Social Interaction – fostering positive relationships and shared attention through structured routines, interactive activities, and responsive environments.
- Early Cognitive Awareness – promoting curiosity and engagement through sensory exploration, cause-and-effect experiences, and opportunities for problem-solving at an appropriate level.
- Physical Wellbeing – supporting motor development, positioning, and movement through physiotherapy programmes, sensory integration, and adapted physical activities.
Learning is embedded within meaningful, motivating experiences that reflect pupils’ EHCP outcomes and individual needs. Staff work closely with multidisciplinary teams—such as speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, and occupational therapists—to ensure that every child’s physical, sensory, and communication requirements are met. The curriculum is flexible, allowing for repetition and consolidation, and is delivered through a total communication approach to maximise access and participation.
In addition to classroom-based learning, pupils benefit from a range of targeted interventions designed to support emotional wellbeing and social development. These include:
- LEGO® Therapy – promoting teamwork, problem-solving, and communication through collaborative building activities.
- Listening Matters – enhancing attention, listening skills, and auditory processing through structured sessions.
- Relax Kids – introducing calming strategies, guided relaxation, and positive affirmations to reduce anxiety and improve emotional resilience.
- Mindfulness Activities – supporting self-awareness and emotional regulation through breathing exercises, sensory experiences, and mindful movement.
- Sensory Circuits - structured, short sensory-motor activities designed to help pupils achieve the right level of alertness and readiness for learning.
Every class uses the Zones of Regulation framework to help pupils identify and manage their emotions effectively. Visual supports and structured teaching enable children to recognise feelings and choose appropriate strategies for self-regulation. Each classroom also includes a calm area, providing a safe, quiet space where pupils can take time to regulate and return to learning when they feel ready. Each class also has regulation time which is embedded throughout the school day to help pupils manage emotions and maintain readiness for learning.
This holistic approach ensures that PSHED and RSHE is not only taught through planned lessons but is incorporated into daily school life, supporting pupils’ social, emotional, and mental health alongside academic progress.
The PSHED and RSHE programme at Evergreen aims to provide a safe space for sensitive discussions, prepare pupils for adolescence and puberty by covering topics like hygiene and body awareness, and foster self-respect, confidence, and empathy. It also teaches pupils about healthy relationships and how to identify unhealthy ones, and equips them with safety skills for online and community interactions, including how to report concerns. This aligns with the school's commitment to preparing pupils for the opportunities and responsibilities of later life.
The PSHED and RSHE aims are focused on developing independence, promoting safeguarding, and building self-esteem and resilience in a highly differentiated and accessible way, tailored to each pupil's specific needs and developmental stage.
The primary aim of PSHED and RSHE is to equip pupils with the knowledge, understanding, and skills needed to lead healthy, safe, productive, and fulfilled lives, in preparation for adulthood and life in modern Britain
- Developing Life Skills and Independence: To foster practical life skills, such as self-care, personal hygiene, and managing money, that promote the highest possible level of independence in school and later life.
- Enhancing Social and Emotional Well-being: To support students' social, emotional, and mental well-being, helping them become more self-aware, manage their feelings, develop empathy, and build resilience.
- Building Healthy Relationships: To help pupils develop positive, respectful relationships with peers and adults, understanding the characteristics of good friendships (trust, respect, kindness) and how to manage conflict.
- Promoting Safety and Safeguarding: To equip pupils with the vocabulary, skills, and confidence to recognise and report abuse (physical, emotional, and sexual), understand personal boundaries, and know who to ask for help. This is a crucial, heightened aim given the increased vulnerability of some pupils with SEND.
- Making Informed Choices: To enable pupils to make positive, informed choices about their health, lifestyle, and personal safety, including online safety.
RSHE in a SEN setting is designed to be particularly sensitive and age/developmentally appropriate, focusing heavily on body awareness, consent, and healthy relationships to safeguard and empower pupils.
- Understanding Puberty and Bodily Changes: To prepare pupils for puberty and the changing adolescent body (including menstruation), providing accurate, factual, and age-appropriate information to reduce anxiety and promote self-esteem and body confidence.
- Teaching Consent and Boundaries: To teach the fundamental concepts of seeking and giving permission and consent in relationships and interactions, and the importance of personal space and privacy.
- Recognising Unhealthy Relationships: To help pupils identify when relationships are not right or are abusive (including coercive control and exploitation) and understand how to manage such situations and access support.
- Developing an Understanding of Sexuality: To foster self-respect and a positive culture around sexuality and relationships, exploring gender identity and sexual orientation in an inclusive and sensitive manner at a timely point.
- Providing a Safe Framework for Discussion: To create a safe and supportive learning environment where sensitive discussions can take place, with clear ground rules and awareness of safeguarding disclosure procedures.