Trust and Respect

Overview

Unit: Building Positive Relationships (Lesson 4 of 5)
Duration: 30 minutes
Class Size: 8 students
Age Group: Year 2 (6-7 years old)
Subject: PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education)
UK Curriculum Link:

• PSHE Association Programme of Study (Key Stage 1): Developing positive relationships; understanding respect and empathy; recognising feelings and the importance of trust.
• Relationships Education (DfE statutory guidance, 2020):
  • To recognise what makes a positive, healthy relationship including trust and respect.
  • To learn how to treat others with kindness and respect.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will:

• Understand what trust and respect mean in friendship and relationships.
• Identify behaviours that show trustworthiness and respect.
• Participate actively in trust-building activities.
• Recognise the importance of trust and respect in forming strong relationships.

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Resources

• Soft ball or beanbag
• "Trust Cards": small cards with simple scenarios depicting trustworthy or respectful behaviour
• Large paper and markers for group discussion
• Emotion faces cut-outs (happy, sad, confused)
• Visual aid poster defining trust and respect in simple terms

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Lesson Outline

1. Welcome and Warm-up (5 minutes)

• Greeting Circle: Students sit in a circle. Teacher passes a soft ball around. When a student catches it, they say one word they think relates to a good friend (e.g., kind, honest, helpful).
• Teacher briefly introduces today’s focus: "Today we are going to learn how trust and respect help us build strong friendships."

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2. Introduction to Trust and Respect (5 minutes)

• Using the visual aid poster, teacher explains:
  • Trust means believing someone will do what they say and keep you safe.
  • Respect means treating others kindly and listening to their feelings.
• Teacher asks students: "Can you think of a time when someone showed you trust or respect?"
• Encourage 2 or 3 brief examples, building connections to pupils’ experiences.

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3. Trust-building Game: “Trust Toss” (8 minutes)

• Instructions: Students toss the soft ball to each other. When throwing the ball, the pupil says something that shows trust or respect (“I listen when my friend talks,” “I keep secrets safe”).
• If a student is stuck, the teacher provides a prompt or uses one of the Trust Cards for inspiration.
• After each turn, the class discusses briefly why that behaviour builds trust or respect.

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4. Small Group Discussion & Sorting Activity (7 minutes)

• Divide class into 2 groups of 4.
• Each group receives a set of Trust Cards with scenarios (e.g., “Your friend tells you a secret,” “You interrupt when someone is speaking,” “You help a friend who’s sad”).
• Groups sort these cards into two piles: behaviours that build trust and respect, and behaviours that do not.
• Teacher moves between groups, facilitating understanding and asking: “Why did you put this there?”
• Groups share one example with the class.

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5. Reflective Close and Emotion Check-in (5 minutes)

• Using the emotion faces cut-outs, ask each student to choose a face that shows how they feel about trust and respect after today’s lesson.
• Discuss briefly: "Why did you choose this face?"
• Teacher concludes: “Trust and respect help friends feel happy and safe. If we all practise these, our classroom can be a happy, friendly place.”

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Assessment

• Informal observations during discussions and activities:
  • Can students identify trust and respect behaviours?
  • Do they articulate why these behaviours are important?
• Engagement in games and ability to sort scenarios correctly.

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Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters for pupils who find speaking challenging (e.g., “I trust my friend because…”)
• Extension: Challenge confident pupils to think of their own examples of trust and respect outside school.

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Reflection for Teachers

• Were pupils able to connect trust and respect to their own experiences?
• Did the trust-building game foster a safe and inclusive environment?
• Could pupils explain the difference between respectful and disrespectful behaviours?
• What adaptations might enhance engagement or understanding next time?

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Cross-curricular Links

• English: Speaking and listening skills developed during discussions.
• Drama: Role-play of respectful behaviours and trustworthy actions can be explored further in other lessons.

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This lesson plan integrates active participation, peer interaction, and reflection, aligned to UK PSHE curriculum standards. It fosters social and emotional learning appropriate for Year 2 pupils while creating a lively, memorable experience around the core principles of trust and respect.