At St Dominic Savio we believe that PSHE education equips children to live healthy, safe, responsible, productive, capable, and balanced lives. PSHE education contributes to personal development by helping children to build their resilience, confidence, and self-esteem and make informed choices and understand what influences their decisions. At our school, PSHE is taught from a detailed Life to the Full scheme and teachers are encouraged to add to this as necessary.

Life to the Full is a scheme that has been created to engage, inform and inspire our children and prepare them for the future. Through our assemblies and worship, to visits from outside experts such as health professionals, fire brigade, road safety experts, PSHE is embedded into the daily life of the school. These activities, combined with teacher-led discussion, circle time and informal talks about issues as they arise, mean that learning in this vitally important curriculum area is always relevant to what is happening in class, school or the wider world.

Understanding our Strengths

At St Dominic Savio, we teach the VIA Classification of Strengths which is a positive psychology framework that identifies and categorises 24 universal character strengths. These strengths are grouped into six broad categories called virtues, which reflect the core qualities valued across cultures and time. The classification focuses on what’s best in people and can be a helpful tool for promoting well-being, growth, and resilience in children.

What Are VIA Strengths?

VIA (Values in Action) strengths are personal qualities like kindness, creativity, bravery, and teamwork that help children flourish and achieve their potential. Each child has their own unique combination of strengths that shape who they are. These strengths can be nurtured to support their emotional, social, and academic development.

The strengths are divided into six key virtues:

1. Wisdom (e.g., creativity, curiosity, love of learning)

   • Strengths that help children think and learn effectively.

1. Courage (e.g., bravery, perseverance, honesty)

   • Strengths that help children overcome challenges and act with integrity.

1. Humanity (e.g., kindness, love, social intelligence)

   • Strengths that build caring relationships and empathy.

1. Justice (e.g., teamwork, fairness, leadership)

   • Strengths that help children work well with others.

1. Temperance (e.g., forgiveness, humility, self-regulation)

   • Strengths that help children manage emotions and behaviour.

1. Transcendence (e.g., gratitude, hope, humour)

   • Strengths that inspire children and give them purpose.

Why Are Strengths Important?

Using a strengths-based approach helps children to:

• Build confidence by recognising what they’re naturally good at.
• Develop resilience by applying strengths in challenges.
• Form positive relationships by using social strengths like kindness or teamwork.
• Feel a sense of purpose and motivation in their learning and life.

The VIA classification encourages a strengths-based approach that helps our children grow into confident, capable, and happy individuals where we recognise the gifts that we have been given by God.