St Mary’s School – Truro

Significant success with curriculum, whole-school approach, general ethos and pupil impact

Could you start off by letting us know how long you/your school has been using Jigsaw for?

St Mary’s has been using the Jigsaw programme since the summer term of 2020. It was unfortunate that our first year with Jigsaw was disrupted by the pandemic and school closures. However, we found the online materials so supportive and appreciated the time to implement the programme slowly. Since September 2020, we have been using the materials across the school.

How has Jigsaw made an impact both from a school perspective for teachers and the students?

Teachers have all reported that Jigsaw supports their confidence in the classroom. This has been particularly around the delivery of RSE in ‘Changing Me’. The ability to refer to scripts for delivery of certain information is very helpful indeed! We have also found the format of the materials very helpful for managing staff workload.

Can you provide examples or situations where Jigsaw has made an impact in the class/school or on individual cases?

One amazing moment was when one of our children who deals with anxiety came to tell us about the impact of ‘calm me time’ on her ‘stress levels’. On her smart watch, she has a ‘stress’ monitor which she explained had been as high as 75/100 during the morning. However, after calm me time, her watch notified her that her level was ZERO out of 100. It was absolutely wonderful to see the physical impact of calm me time. We used this as a talking point for the class and all learned that calm me time is important for so many reasons – mental health and physical health!

A Y3 teacher reported: ‘I have found that the Solve it Together Toolkit has been very useful with my current class and my previous class. If there is an incident between two children or a group of children then I try to make time to use this approach. It’s simple but very powerful as the children can see that you are taking their feelings seriously and it usually gets to the bottom of what has happened.’

A Y4 teacher reported: We really enjoy Calm Me Time and use it outside of lessons when we need a brain break or to refocus.

We also did a lesson on stereotyping that brought about some really interesting conversations surrounding different hobbies and we were able to challenge some different ideas.

Our warm-up games recently have involved passing jigsaw Jaz around and saying something that is special or unique about ourselves which is great as we are developing self-confidence and resilience as a class. Some children who had previously passed Jaz without speaking are now able to talk about themselves positively. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know my class through the conversation that jigsaw has sparked.

Is there anything specific that you like about Jigsaw PSHE and its products?

We love that Jigsaw offers cuddly friends. Our children love the Jiggies and are all so attached to Jerry Cat! We find that having a tactile object to support talking is useful but even more valuable is having a Jiggie available for a cuddle during the day. We also value the Jigsaw chime which is a valuable tool during calm time in Jigsaw lessons. We also use the chime at other times as a focus for some quiet reflection time. As a church school, we value ‘silence’ as a way to connect spiritually, so the chime often becomes part of our collective worship.

What has parent feedback been like? If any.

When we completed our Jigsaw PSHE and RSE consultation, we gathered parent voice on our Jigsaw policy.  We are planning to gather more parent feedback soon. We will keep you posted!

If applicable: How has Jigsaw helped the school with regards to assessments?

The Jigsaw assessment tools are easy for teachers to pick up and use. We like the editable templates which mean that teachers can easily add updates to their class/children’s assessment records. In addition, the materials available for children to self-assess their own learning are good. They help to keep a record in children’s journals which also forms part of a conversation around prior learning.

Do you feel there could be room for improvement in some areas / what don’t you like or feel does not quite work for the children and teachers?

We had considered how we would like to be able to access Jigsaw resources in a more ‘on demand’ basis. However, this has been addressed through an invitation to take part in a trial of the Portal. We have just received a password to try and can’t wait to get started!

Finally, What do you feel makes us stand out to you vs other products offering PSHE?

From the very beginning, I noticed how supportive the Jigsaw team are. Having a mentor is so brilliant, because you always know that there is someone knowledgeable at the end of the phone or an email. Jigsaw offers such a full package of materials to enable schools to create an ethos of PSHE. It is not just a ‘pick up and use it once a week’ tool – it really filters through into everything you do at school.

‘Jigsaw is a thoughtfully-planned and well-resourced package of materials that has really made a difference to the way we deliver PSHE and RSE at St Mary’s. The programme supports subject leaders, which, in hand, supports the confidence of staff delivering the materials to classes. First and foremost, our Jigsaw lessons support the mental health and well-being of St Mary’s children. Thank you, Jigsaw!’