PSHE Progression Map

Mar 3 / Muse Wellbeing

A PSHE progression map is a clear overview of how knowledge and skills build from one year group to the next throughout primary school. Rather than treating lessons as stand-alone subjects, a strong PSHE progression map gives teachers a framework for building on prior learning across KS1 and KS2.

Subject Leaders and Senior Leaders gain clarity regarding how pupils develop from a fundamental level to being able to reflect on their own relationships, wellbeing and responsibility through the use of a PSHE progression map. Most importantly, a PSHE progression map provides a structured and age-appropriate framework for meeting statutory requirements.

A PSHE progression map is a detailed and structured document that shows how Personal, Social, Health and Economic education builds progressively throughout each year group. It demonstrates how pupils’ knowledge and understanding grow, and how previously learned skills are reinforced and developed further.

PSHE stands for Personal, Social, Health and Economic education. If you would like to know more about PSHE, please read our blog post What does PSHE Stand For?

In practice, a PSHE progression map may outline strands such as relationships, health and wellbeing, online safety and financial education. Each strand details how vocabulary, concepts and expectations develop as pupils move through primary school.

The Department for Education statutory guidance on Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education identifies the core areas that schools are required to address. A PSHE progression map helps schools demonstrate clearly how these statutory requirements are sequenced across the primary years.

For example, younger pupils may be taught to identify trusted adults and learn simple rules about kindness. Older pupils may explore peer pressure, boundaries and managing risk in more complex situations. The progression is intentional and clearly mapped.

A PSHE progression map is important because it provides continuity. Without progression, lessons may either repeat the same information or lack connection.

Firstly, it provides curriculum clarity. Teachers can see what has been taught previously and plan the next steps accordingly, avoiding repetition while reinforcing key safeguarding principles at the appropriate time.

Secondly, it enhances safeguarding provision. Many PSHE strands, including consent, online safety and healthy relationships, require careful sequencing. A progression map ensures these strands are introduced gradually, with increasing complexity.

Research by the Education Endowment Foundation on social and emotional learning indicates that when social and emotional skills are developed, both wellbeing and academic outcomes can improve. A well-planned progression map supports this by allowing these skills to be built progressively rather than delivered in isolation.

Thirdly, it enables pupils to feel confident in their learning. Confidence grows when pupils recognise that new learning builds on what they already know, rather than appearing without context.

A progressive PSHE progression map should illustrate the strands of learning covered in each year group. For example, a wellbeing strand may begin in Year 1 with pupils identifying how they feel and recognising trusted adults. In Year 3, pupils may explore strategies for managing emotions. By Year 6, pupils may develop their understanding of resilience, coping strategies and preparing for transition to secondary school.

Guidance from theNHS on supporting children and young people’s mental health highlights the importance of early conversations and consistent support. A PSHE progression map enables schools to demonstrate how this support develops progressively across the primary years.

Relationships Education may begin with identifying different family structures and friendships. As pupils mature, learning develops into exploring boundaries, consent and respectful communication.

Many PSHE schemes provide a complete PSHE and RSE programme with a fully mapped progression structure from Year 1 to Year 6. An example of how a complete programme connects progression, statutory coverage and teaching resources can be seen at Muse Wellbeing, where progression is clearly mapped from Year 1 to Year 6.

A PSHE progression map should be aligned with statutory Relationships and Health Education guidance. Since 2020, schools across England have been required to deliver specific content relating to RSE.

The updated RSE statutory guidance 2025 provides additional clarity around statutory expectations and implementation.

By using statutory RSE guidance to inform the development of your PSHE progression map, you ensure that all required content is delivered in a structured and age-appropriate way.

For example, in relationships education, schools typically introduce core concepts in Year 1 or Year 2, focusing on families, friendships and kindness. As pupils grow older, learning progresses so that by the end of primary school, pupils understand personal boundaries, appropriate online behaviour and how to prepare for the physical and emotional changes associated with adolescence.

In addition to ensuring statutory compliance, a well-developed PSHE progression map allows statutory content to be integrated into a broader personal development curriculum. This creates a cohesive and consistent approach across the school.

A PSHE progression map in primary schools provides clarity and reassurance that learning is structured effectively from Year 1 to Year 6, while supporting pupils’ social, emotional and academic development.

Without a clearly defined progression map, PSHE can become disjointed or fragmented. In contrast, a structured progression map allows schools to demonstrate cohesion, awareness of safeguarding priorities and alignment with statutory expectations.

Ultimately, the purpose of a PSHE progression map is to provide a consistent structure so that each lesson builds on the previous one. When pupils complete their primary education, they should leave with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed for life beyond school.

PSHE Progression Map

What Is a PSHE Progression Map?

Why Is a PSHE Progression Map Important?

Example of a PSHE Progression Map