SHINE (Personal Development)

SHINE is our bespoke, purpose built PSHE curriculum. At St Margaret Mary’s Catholic Junior School, we believe that all of our children will SHINE and our curriculum has been designed to help our children develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to become well-rounded individuals with the qualities and values they need to be friends, family members and well-rounded young people who can contribute meaningfully to the wider society. 

In our school, we want all children to shine. Our expectations (for children to be safe, be respectful and be their best) thread through our curriculum, but we teach our personal development curriculum through SHINE lessons discreetly. These lessons sit alongside our RSE scheme – A Journey in Love 🩷. 

Our SHINE lessons take place weekly (every Monday afternoon) and because we love reading, we use books to support our teaching: all of our reading spines include a range of books to promote equality and diversity, teach children about relationships and help them make sense of the world they live in, but we have specific texts linked to each strand of PSHE for each year group. 

By teaching children about Safety, Health and Wellbeing, being Independent, current News and Equality and Diversity, we hope to build children’s self esteem, help them develop resilience and empathy, and raise their aspirations.

Overview of SHINE Themes

Children’s personal development is at the heart 💖 of our curriculum and everything we do in St Margaret Mary’s Catholic Junior School. We want our children to be safe, be respectful and be their best, developing the confidence to go on to do great things. Children take on leadership roles; it is our belief that we are creating leaders of tomorrow who will need to be equipped with life skills and a strong moral compass.