Dickens Heath Community Primary School PSHE curriculum – teaching about safety

  We seek to provide our children with knowledge about core aspects of safety:

1. Personal Safety

•            Understanding safe vs unsafe situations

•            Recognising danger and trusting feelings that something is “not right”

•            Knowing what to do in emergencies (fire, accidents, getting lost)

•            Stranger safety

 •           Identifying safe adults (parents, teachers, police) 

•            Rules about talking to strangers, sharing personal information

•            Road and transport safety

•            Crossing roads safely (pupil-friendly rules, zebra crossings, traffic lights)

•            Wearing seatbelts, helmets, and safe behaviour on public transport

•            Water safety

•            Swimming pool and open water rules

•            Recognising dangers and knowing to always have adult supervision

2. Online / Digital Safety

•            Safe internet use

•            Keeping passwords private, not sharing personal details online

•            Recognising online scams, phishing, and unsafe websites

•            Social media and communication

•            Being kind online, understanding the impact of words and images

•            Knowing how to report bullying, inappropriate messages, or unsafe contact

•            Screen time and balance

•            Understanding the importance of breaks and healthy online habits

3. Health & Hygiene Safety

•            Personal hygiene

•            Handwashing, dental hygiene, and preventing illness

•            Food and drink safety

•            Understanding allergies and safe handling of food

•            Medication safety

•            Never taking medicine without adult supervision

4. Emotional Safety

•            Recognising feelings and emotions

•            Understanding safe ways to express anger, frustration, or sadness

•            Knowing when and how to seek help

•            Bullying awareness and prevention

•            Identifying bullying and cyberbullying

•            Learning assertiveness, empathy, and how to report concerns

•            Respect and boundaries

•            Understanding personal space and consent in age-appropriate terms

5. Environmental Safety

•            Home safety

•            Fire safety, electrical safety, handling tools safely

•            Knowing emergency contacts

•            Playground and outdoor safety

•            Safe behaviour on climbing frames, fields, and school grounds

•            Recognising hazards in natural environments (rocks, water, roads)

•            Community safety

•            Awareness of safe routes to school

•            Identifying unsafe areas and knowing who to ask for help

6. Emergency Awareness

•            Basic first aid awareness

•            Knowing how to get help in a minor accident

•            Understanding the role of first aiders in school

•            Emergency procedures

•            Fire drills, lockdown procedures, and evacuation routes

•            Calling for help

•            Knowing emergency numbers (999/112) and how to explain the situation

This is delivered through our PSHE and RSHE curriculum, whole school assemblies, daily routines and school culture.

Overview of how Jigsaw PSHE Teaches About Safety

Jigsaw is a spiral, age‑appropriate PSHE curriculum that builds on knowledge each year.  Jigsaw integrates safety learning across multiple units (Puzzles). Every Puzzle has two learning intentions: one for PSHE knowledge and one for emotional literacy and social skills which helps embed safety concepts in a wider context of wellbeing.

1. Safety in the “Healthy Me” Puzzle

This unit explicitly includes personal and physical safety:

• Identifying things, places and people that can be dangerous

• Understanding strategies to keep themselves safe in different environments

• Distinguishing between safe vs unsafe feelings and situations

• Learning about medicines and substances that can be harmful if misused

• Emergency procedures such as how to contact help (e.g., calling 999 in an emergency)

• Basic first‑aid ideas appropriate to age (e.g. getting help when someone is hurt)

2. Safety in the “Relationships” Puzzle

This Puzzle links directly to safeguarding and safety by teaching:

• Keeping safe within relationships, including identifying safe and unsafe behaviours

• Recognising online safety issues such as social networking and appropriate communication

• How to handle conflict safely

• Assertiveness skills to help children say no or seek help

• Awareness of roles of trusted adults they can turn to

This supports children to understand interpersonal boundaries and how to seek support if they feel unsafe.

3. Safety in “Changing Me”

This Puzzle reinforces safety around:

• Understanding that their body belongs to them

• Recognising inappropriate contact and boundaries

• Recognising and managing feelings linked to change and understand it is safe to talk about them.

• Trusted adults and seek help when they feel worried or unsafe.

• Learning about physical and emotional changes

• Building confidence in making safe, respectful decisions for themselves.

• Recognising that everyone develops differently supports wellbeing and self-esteem.

These lessons support safeguarding knowledge as pupils mature.

4. Online Safety Across PSHE

Although often taught in Computing lessons too, Jigsaw reinforces online safety through:

• Discussions about internet safety and harms

• Knowing what personal information should be kept private

• Understanding risks of online interactions

• Knowing to tell a trusted adult if something online feels unsafe

This reinforces safe behaviour both in PSHE and other curriculum areas.

5. Everyday Safety Contexts Through Wider School Programmes

We supplement Jigsaw with themed safety learning that aligns with PSHE, such as:

• Road and travel safety

• Stranger danger awareness

• Water safety

• Sun safety

These may be taught in assemblies or from partnerships with external providers such as the canal trust and West Midlands police. 

This approach ensures children not only learn safety concepts formally, but also have opportunities to practise and apply safety knowledge and strategies in everyday contexts.