PSE: Fostering a Sense of Community in a New School

This paper outlines the measures put in place by the headteacher of a newly established school in order to ensure that all in the school — new pupils, teachers and other staff — began to share a sense of community. The development of the schools's hidden curriculum was at the forefront of the school's whole curriculum planning. To support this, newly appointed teachers were expected to have a grounding in and commitment to the role of personal and social education in the primary school, and one member of staff received a responsibility allowance (and accompanying curriculum budget) for the promotion of Personal and Social Education (PSE) throughout the school. The paper details the work done through circle time and the impact of this strategy on the children's behaviour. It is never easy to define exactly the term Personal and Social Education — it is different in each school and much will depend on the nature of the school, its community, the ages of the pupils, the ethos1 of the school and its specific aims for the children in its care. However, it is broadly agreed that personal and social education is concerned with pupils' self-esteem, relationships within school, attitudes and values, social skills and styles of teaching (Sedgewick, 1994: 5). In England and Wales, every pupil in a maintained school has an entitlement to Personal and Social Education enshrined in the Education Reform Act (1988). Section 1 of that act states that schools must: • promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society; • prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences o( adult life.