PSHE resources for primary schools include lesson plans, teaching packs, visual aids, and interactive materials that help teachers deliver Personal, Social, Health and Economic education across Key Stages 1 and 2.
You’ll find quality PSHE materials on platforms like the PSHE Association, BBC Teach, and LearningMole, a UK educational site that offers curriculum-aligned videos and resources for children aged 4-11. These materials cover everything from relationships and mental health to online safety and citizenship.
When you find the right resources, you save planning time and make sure you meet statutory requirements for Relationships Education, Health Education, and living in the wider world. Michelle Connolly, founder of LearningMole and a former primary teacher with over 15 years of classroom experience, says, “the best PSHE resources connect with children’s real experiences whilst meeting curriculum objectives in an age-appropriate way.”
You need materials that actually engage pupils through stories, discussions, and activities, not just worksheets.
Whether you teach Reception or Year 6, quality-assured PSHE teaching resources help you handle sensitive subjects with confidence. From free KS2 RSHE materials to full schemes of work, you’ll find options that fit your timetable and your pupils’ needs.
Key Takeaways
PSHE stands for Personal, Social, Health and Economic education. It covers essential life skills like relationships, health, wellbeing, and understanding the world around you.
The Department for Education and the PSHE Association recommend that all schools deliver a whole-school spiral PSHE curriculum for primary school years 1 to 6.
Primary PSHE helps children develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to manage their lives now and later. The subject focuses on building emotional literacy, resilience, and empathy through lessons that suit their age.
Your pupils learn to recognise and manage their emotions. They build positive relationships and make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.
They explore topics like friendship, feelings, body changes, staying safe online, and understanding differences between people. PSHE education plays a vital role in shaping well-rounded, resilient, and empathetic individuals.
Personal development helps children understand themselves better and builds confidence. Economic education introduces basic ideas about money, jobs, and the world of work in ways that connect to their daily lives.
PSHE isn’t statutory in England, so schools don’t have to teach it by law. But since September 2020, some PSHE content became statutory when Relationships Education and Health Education became compulsory for all primary schools.
Ofsted expects schools to provide a broad and balanced curriculum that includes personal development. Most primary schools choose to teach a comprehensive PSHE programme that goes beyond the minimum requirements.
The PSHE Association provides quality assured lesson plans and guidance to help schools deliver high-quality lessons.
Schools can decide how to deliver PSHE content, whether that’s through weekly lessons, special days, or by weaving it into other subjects.
Primary PSHE runs from Reception to Year 6, with content adapted for each key stage. Key Stage 1 pupils (ages 5-7) learn basic ideas about emotions, families, keeping healthy, and staying safe.
Key Stage 2 children (ages 7-11) tackle more complex topics as they grow. At secondary level, PSHE education builds on the foundations from primary school, so your teaching at primary really matters.
The curriculum uses a spiral approach, revisiting themes with more depth each year.
Topics you’ll cover include:
Your PSHE curriculum should meet the needs of children in your setting and cover all statutory guidance objectives.
The PSHE curriculum builds on three core themes that run through primary school years. Statutory requirements for relationships and health education sit within a spiral approach, so learning deepens as pupils progress.
The PSHE programme of study organises learning into three main themes from Reception to Year 6. These themes are health and wellbeing, relationships, and living in the wider world.
Health and wellbeing covers physical health, mental wellbeing, internet safety and harms, and keeping safe. Pupils learn about healthy eating, exercise, sleep, and how to recognise and manage emotions.
Relationships includes families and people who care for me, caring friendships, respectful relationships, online relationships, and being safe. This theme looks at how to build positive connections with others and understand different family structures.
Living in the wider world focuses on belonging to a community, media literacy, financial awareness, and economic wellbeing. Pupils explore their role as citizens, how money works, and making choices about their future.
Since September 2020, all primary schools must teach relationships education and health education (RSHE). These statutory elements are part of your broader PSHE curriculum.
Relationships education covers families, caring friendships, respectful relationships, online relationships, and being safe. You teach age-appropriate content about healthy relationships and how to report concerns.
Health education includes mental wellbeing, internet safety, physical health and fitness, healthy eating, drugs and alcohol, health and prevention, basic first aid, and changing adolescent body. Planning a high-quality primary PSHE curriculum means you meet these requirements, tailoring content to your pupils’ needs and local context.
The third theme, living in the wider world, isn’t statutory, but most schools include it for a complete PSHE education.
A spiral curriculum revisits the same themes each year, with more depth and complexity as pupils mature. Your Year 1 class might learn basic feelings vocabulary. By Year 6, pupils explore more complex emotional regulation strategies.
This approach helps pupils build on what they already know rather than seeing topics in isolation. Each year group covers similar themes at the same time, but the learning objectives grow.
For example, when you teach about families, Reception pupils might name who is in their family. Year 3 pupils explore different family structures. By Year 6, pupils look at how families provide stability and what makes a healthy family relationship.
The spiral model lets you respond to issues in your school community. If bullying becomes a concern, you can address it across all year groups at an appropriate level and still keep curriculum progression.
Primary schools use three main types of teaching materials for effective PSHE education. These include structured lesson plans, digital tools, and traditional classroom materials for Key Stages 1 and 2.
Ready-made PSHE lesson plans save you preparation time and ensure curriculum coverage. These packs usually include teaching inputs, activity sheets, and assessment tools for specific year groups.
Many providers offer complete schemes of work that line up with statutory RSHE requirements. You’ll find quality-assured materials through organisations like the PSHE Association, which only recommends resources that meet strict standards.
Their Quality Mark shows materials have been reviewed by subject experts. EC Publishing offers primary PSHE schemes that match 2025 statutory guidance for both KS1 and KS2.
Teaching packs often group lessons by themes like relationships, health and wellbeing, or living in the wider world. This helps you plan across terms and address curriculum objectives for your year group.
Digital PSHE materials engage pupils with videos, animations, and interactive activities. LearningMole offers curriculum-aligned videos for children aged 4-11, covering wellbeing and social development.
Interactive resources work well for exploring sensitive topics through guided scenarios. Many digital platforms let you choose content based on age and learning objectives.
These tools often include prompts for discussion and follow-up activities. Online materials give you flexibility for different classroom settings and timetables.
You can use short videos to start lessons or longer interactive modules for full PSHE sessions.
Primary PSHE materials use visual aids, stories, and hands-on activities to help younger learners. Picture books, posters, and flashcards help pupils grasp ideas like emotions and healthy relationships.
Print resources include pupil worksheets, sorting activities, and role-play cards. Prim-Ed Publishing offers PSHE worksheets that introduce topics and support knowledge and values development.
These materials work for individual, paired, or group activities. Choose visual resources that reflect diversity and real-world situations your pupils know.
Age-appropriate images and clear language help children connect PSHE learning to their own lives and communities.
Quality PSHE resources should meet statutory requirements, suit pupils’ ages, and actually interest them. The PSHE Association’s quality mark helps schools spot materials that fit the Programme of Study. Knowing about accreditation standards helps you pick resources that really support your teaching.
The PSHE Association quality mark shows that resources have been independently reviewed and approved for schools. Subject experts have checked these materials against clear criteria to make sure they meet statutory RSHE requirements and follow best practice.
Quality assured resources show clear learning objectives, age-appropriate content, and accurate information. They also show progression across year groups and match the Programme of Study.
When you see the quality mark, you can trust that subject specialists have vetted the resources. This saves you time and helps you avoid using outdated or unsuitable content in your lessons.
Start with statutory compliance when choosing PSHE resources. Make sure your materials cover everything required for Relationships Education, Health Education and statutory RSHE content for your key stage.
Pick resources that use a spiral curriculum approach. When topics build year after year, pupils actually remember and develop their skills instead of learning things in isolation.
Think about:
Subject specialists usually create higher quality resources than generic packs. Selecting PSHE materials that meet requirements and keep pupils engaged will make teaching PSHE much easier.
The PSHE Association quality mark is a good sign, but other organisations also endorse PSHE resources. The Christopher Winter Project, Go-Givers and SEAL all offer approved materials that schools can rely on.
Check if resources have been updated recently. Statutory guidance changes, so older materials might not be up to date, especially for RSHE.
Reviews and comparisons from other schools help you weigh up resources before you buy. Teacher feedback often points out strengths and weaknesses that marketing doesn’t show.
Some publishers say clearly which parts are statutory and which are not. This makes it easier to prioritise when time is tight and helps you meet legal obligations while still covering your pupils’ broader PSHE needs.
Primary schools teach relationships education and health education as part of the statutory curriculum. These subjects give children the knowledge they need about positive relationships, physical and emotional changes, and personal safety as they grow.
Relationships education in primary schools covers the basics of healthy relationships. Your lessons should include friendships, family relationships, and how children relate to adults and peers.
You need to teach respect, kindness, and healthy boundaries. Guide pupils to recognise what makes a relationship positive and spot behaviours that aren’t acceptable.
For Year 6, the DfE suggests schools deliver age-appropriate sex education that goes beyond what’s statutory. Additional PSHE Association lessons for Year 6 include how a baby is made, though parents can withdraw their children from any sex education that isn’t part of statutory relationships or health education.
Don’t forget about online relationships. Children must learn how to stay safe online and apply the same respect in digital spaces.
Health education covers physical health, mental wellbeing, and puberty. You’ll need to teach healthy eating, physical activity, and basic first aid.
Mental wellbeing is a big part of the health curriculum. Help pupils recognise emotions, manage their feelings, and know when to ask for help. This supports their personal growth and academic progress.
Puberty education prepares children for changes in their bodies and emotions. Talk about menstruation, body changes, and hygiene in a way that’s suitable for their age and stage.
You also need to include dental health, sleep routines, and sun safety. LearningMole has free videos on health topics, and the BBC offers primary PSHE teaching resources that cover many health objectives.
Personal safety teaching helps children recognise when they feel unsafe and know how to get help. Teach about different kinds of touch, personal boundaries, and remind pupils that their body belongs to them.
Children should understand privacy and which body parts are private. Make it clear that safety secrets should always be shared with a trusted adult.
Safeguarding education includes risks children might face, including online dangers. Pupils need to know how to respond to uncomfortable situations and that adults will listen when they speak up.
Create a safe environment so children feel comfortable asking questions. Evidence-based RSHE teaching prepares pupils for adult life and supports their moral, social and personal development during primary years.
This strand of PSHE helps pupils develop financial literacy, understand their place in communities, and appreciate shared values that tie society together. These topics build skills for active participation in life.
Financial education within Living in the Wider World resources teaches children practical money management from early on. Introduce saving, spending wisely, and the difference between needs and wants right from Key Stage 1.
In Years 3 and 4, teach where money comes from and how people earn it through different jobs. Use role-play, like running a class shop or budgeting for a pretend party.
Key financial concepts:
By Key Stage 2, you can discuss more complex ideas like interest, debt, and value for money. Many teachers say linking financial education to real-life situations helps children grasp tricky ideas.
Citizenship education shows pupils their responsibilities in school, the local area, and the wider world. Global citizenship resources for KS1 introduce young learners to different cultures and shared environmental duties.
Start with your school community. Teach about democratic processes through things like school councils and class votes. This builds confidence and helps children share opinions respectfully.
Community engagement activities:
Older pupils in Years 5 and 6 can look at global issues like climate change, poverty, and human rights. LearningMole has free videos on world cultures and environmental topics that make these ideas more real and engaging.
School wellbeing improves when children feel part of something bigger. You could set up partnerships with local charities or run recycling programmes that give pupils real responsibility.
Teaching British Values is a statutory part of the curriculum. You need to cover democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect, weaving these ideas through your PSHE lessons.
Democracy becomes real when pupils vote on class decisions or join student councils. The rule of law links to school rules and why society needs agreements to work fairly.
Practical ways to teach British Values:
| Value | Year 2 Example | Year 6 Example |
|---|---|---|
| Democracy | Class voting on story choices | Mock elections with manifestos |
| Rule of Law | Understanding playground rules | Exploring how laws are made |
| Individual Liberty | Making personal choices | Respecting different beliefs |
| Mutual Respect | Listening to others | Debating diverse viewpoints |
Individual liberty means helping children understand their right to make choices and respect others’ freedoms. You can discuss different family structures, religions, and cultural practices.
Tolerance and respect are at the heart of an inclusive classroom. Challenge stereotypes and prejudice, and celebrate the diversity within your school and British society.
When children learn to understand and manage their emotions, they build a foundation for lifelong wellbeing. Schools can use specific resources to help pupils develop emotional literacy, build resilience, and adopt positive thinking habits that support personal growth.
Growth mindset teaching shows children that abilities can improve with effort and practice. The Foundations for Wellbeing curriculum gives free lessons for Years 1-6 about helpful and unhelpful thoughts, with age-appropriate activities for changing thinking habits.
Year 3 pupils learn how emotions vary in strength and start to notice thought patterns. By Year 5, children explore brain plasticity and see how changing thinking habits supports emotional health.
Key growth mindset activities:
LearningMole has videos on problem-solving and perseverance, which fit well with National Curriculum aims for personal development at Key Stages 1 and 2.
Children need a broad vocabulary to name and express their feelings. Teaching about mental health and emotional wellbeing should happen throughout your PSHE programme, helping pupils see that emotions change and can be strong or subtle.
Start with basic emotions in Key Stage 1, then add more complex ones like frustration, disappointment and pride. Year 2 lessons focus on noticing and naming feelings, while Year 6 pupils learn strategies for managing emotions.
Use emotion charts with faces showing different feelings. Try check-in routines where children identify their mood using colours, numbers or words. Role-play helps them practise expressing emotions in different situations.
Children develop resilience when they learn ways to manage difficult feelings and situations. The curriculum introduces distraction techniques in Year 1, moving up to managing distractions by Year 4.
Coping strategies for primary pupils:
| Strategy | Best for | How to teach |
|---|---|---|
| Deep breathing | Immediate calm | Count to four breathing in, hold, release |
| Physical activity | Managing energy | Movement breaks or outdoor time |
| Talking to trusted adults | Processing worries | Model how to ask for help |
| Creative expression | Exploring feelings | Art, writing or drama |
Year 6 lessons look at managing stress and rumination, getting pupils ready for secondary school. Teach children that asking for support is a strength, not a weakness, and help them find trusted adults they can turn to.
Primary schools play a key role in teaching children how to stay safe online and develop responsible digital habits. Safeguarding children in digital spaces needs dedicated e-safety lessons and resources that support their overall digital wellbeing.
Teaching e-safety gives children the tools to spot and handle online risks. Research suggests about 6% of 9-10-year-olds face online bullying, abuse or trolling. Around 15% see content pushing dangerous challenges.
You can use free online safety teaching materials from the BBC to teach lessons on cyberbullying, critical thinking and keeping personal information private. These resources match up with National Curriculum computing objectives for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.
Key topics to cover include:
Common Sense Education has a digital citizenship curriculum you can tweak for your class. LearningMole shares curriculum-aligned videos that explain these ideas in a way children aged 4-11 can understand.
Digital wellbeing means helping children create a healthy relationship with technology. Nearly 40% of 9-10-year-olds say they spend too much time online, but many don’t know how to manage it themselves.
You can grab lesson plans on balancing screen time that show children what ‘balance’ looks like and how to get support for their wellbeing. These lessons fit nicely into PSHE sessions or during online safety weeks.
Practical resources include:
The Digital Resilience Toolkit offers strategies to help children handle online challenges. You could also try Oak National Academy’s feeling safe online lessons, which come with starter quizzes and teaching resources.
Every primary classroom includes pupils with different needs, backgrounds and abilities. You need to adjust your PSHE teaching using differentiation strategies, support for SEND and content that reflects your pupils’ experiences.
You should present lesson objectives in different formats to match learning styles. Show objectives with pictures, symbols and written words so everyone knows what they’re learning.
This approach lets all pupils in Key Stage 1 and 2 access the same content at their own level. Visual aids, stories and hands-on activities work well for PSHE. Adapt worksheets by cutting down text, adding images or giving sentence starters for extra support.
Try grouping pupils in different ways during activities. Mixed-ability pairs let confident pupils help others. Similar-ability groups let you focus on certain teaching points.
Use discussion cards for talkative learners and drawing tasks for those who prefer to show ideas visually. Set goals that push each pupil but still feel achievable. This boosts self-esteem and gives everyone the chance to succeed.
Pupils with special educational needs often need specific adaptations to join in PSHE lessons. Support strategies include visual timetables, social stories and real-life examples to make tricky ideas clearer.
Transitions in lessons can be tough for some children. Give warnings before changing activities and keep routines steady where you can. Break big tasks into small steps with checkpoints.
Offer sensory breaks for those who need them and create quiet spaces for overwhelmed pupils. Pre-teach important words before lessons so children with communication needs feel more confident.
These adjustments help:
Your PSHE resources need to reflect the diverse backgrounds of your pupils. Teaching diversity in primary schools helps children build empathy and respect for everyone.
Pick examples and scenarios that show different family structures, religions, ethnicities and cultures. Avoid making assumptions about home life or celebrations that might not fit all pupils.
When teaching about relationships or health, remember families have different values and beliefs. Make sure your images show people of different races, abilities and family types. Children need to see themselves in what they learn.
Invite families to share their traditions or views if they want, but always respect their privacy. Be ready to adjust content that might clash with some families’ beliefs. Keep parents informed about lessons so they can talk about topics at home in their own way.
Teachers can find quality PSHE materials for free. Still, checking that resources meet professional standards makes sure lessons work and suit the right age group.
Several organisations share free PSHE resources for the UK curriculum. The PSHE Association has quality assured lesson plans covering RSHE, money and careers.
LearningMole offers free curriculum-aligned videos and activities for Key Stage 1 and 2. Muse Wellbeing has 216 lessons for primary year groups at no cost.
The BBC publishes classroom resources for Key Stage 1 and 2 Relationships and Health Education. The British Red Cross provides humanitarian teaching materials linked to citizenship and PSHE. Oak National Academy shares slide decks and worksheets for Years 1 and 2 with quizzes included.
Not every free teaching resource meets top standards. The PSHE Association only promotes materials they’ve made or checked through their Quality Mark.
Pick resources that fit your pupils’ age and stage. Primary resources need visuals and interactive activities, not just lots of text. Make sure lesson plans have clear objectives linked to National Curriculum needs.
Good resources use up-to-date information and inclusive language. They guide you on tricky discussions and suggest follow-up activities. Watch out for materials that say they cover everything but don’t show how they meet specific learning goals.
Teachers and parents often ask about finding quality materials and making lessons work in real classrooms. Here are some answers about trusted resources, planning lessons that engage children, and meeting curriculum requirements.
The PSHE Association offers lesson plans on topics from money and careers to mental health and relationships. Their resources go through a strict quality check first.
You can find free KS2 teaching resources with slide decks, worksheets, starter activities, exit quizzes and vocabulary lists. They’re ready to use or tweak for your class.
LearningMole provides video resources that fit nicely with PSHE lessons, especially when linking to maths, English or science. The platform has free materials from Michelle Connolly, a former primary teacher with over 15 years’ experience.
The BBC also shares free classroom resources for PSHE at Key Stage 1 and 2. These suit children across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Lots of organisations share downloadable materials you can print and use right away. The PSHE Association’s resources often include PDF worksheets that match their lesson plans.
School platforms usually offer worksheet packs by year group and topic. Always check that any worksheets you use cover your school’s PSHE learning objectives.
Pick worksheets that spark discussion and reflection, not just fill-in-the-blanks. The best ones help children connect learning to real-life situations.
Relationships and Health Education are statutory in primary schools and sit at the heart of the curriculum. Your resources need to cover these essentials and fit your school’s values.
The PSHE Association’s Programme of Study gives a planning framework many schools use. Check that your resources really have the PSHE Association Quality Mark, not just a claim to follow their guidance.
Schools get advice on choosing quality resources including schemes of work and examples from other schools. The Key Leaders offers tips on timetabling and improving your PSHE offer.
Start by mapping what you already use against the statutory requirements. Spot any gaps, then find quality assured materials to fill them and build on your school’s strengths.
Each year group should cover content that fits their age and builds up from Reception to Year 6. Younger children in Key Stage 1 learn about feelings, friendships and staying safe.
Years 3 and 4 look at healthy relationships, managing emotions and understanding differences. They also start to see how choices affect health and wellbeing.
Pupils in Years 5 and 6 need more detail about puberty, online safety and respectful relationships. They learn about mental health, basic first aid and economic wellbeing.
The PSHE Association sorts topics into three themes: health and wellbeing, relationships, and living in the wider world. Each theme offers learning suited to different ages.
The PSHE Association creates guidance and lesson plans and runs a quality assurance process for other providers’ materials. Only resources with their Quality Mark have been checked by subject experts.
They help teachers know what to look for or avoid when choosing materials. This matters, since many providers say their resources fit PSHE guidance without any real checks.
The organisation mainly offers membership to schools, teachers and local authorities. Membership doesn’t mean they endorse commercial providers who might say they’re members.
Their Programme of Study sets a benchmark that many resource creators use. Still, only trust materials on the PSHE Association’s website or with their Quality Mark.
Using meaningful questions gets children thinking and talking about topics in ways that feel relevant to them. PSHE really comes alive when children see how lessons link to their own lives and feelings.
Circle time activities, role play and group discussions let children explore scenarios in a safe space. Try using real or made-up situations to encourage them to consider different perspectives and choices.
Families play a big part in what children take from PSHE at school. PSHE education works best through partnership between school and home, so you might want to think about how parents can chat about lesson topics in their own way.
Visual resources such as videos, puppets and picture books help younger children understand tricky ideas. Older pupils usually enjoy debates, case studies or problem-solving tasks that push them to think a bit deeper.
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