PSHEE, Relationships and Sex Education
Since September 2020 it has been a statutory requirement that all schools in England and Wales are teaching Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) as a fundamental part of the curriculum. Our RSHE policy has been developed in conjunction with our pupil well-being ambassadors.
Definitions:
Relationships Education
- Relationships education is about pupils being taught different relationships including about friendships, family and the people that can help them. Respect for others is also taught in an age-appropriate way with a focus on healthy relationships that pupils will encounter. This also applies to online relationships to ensure that children are safe when online and about how others can use their information in a way they may not expect.
- This will include teaching about different types of family that provide a nurturing environment for children, including, for example, single parent families, families headed by grandparents, adoptive parents and LGBT parents amongst others. The purpose of this is to ensure that there is no stigmatisation of different families and to show that people come from different backgrounds.
Relationships and Sex Education (RSE)
- RSE is lifelong learning about physical, sexual, moral and emotional development. It is about teaching sex, sexuality and sexual health in a way that gives pupils the confidence to make sound decisions when facing risks and other challenges. It includes teaching about friendship, the importance of caring, stable and mutually supportive relationships with another person, and how to control and understand feelings that come with being in a relationship.
- Relationship education, not sex education, is compulsory in primary schools. Sex education at primary level ensures pupils are prepared for the changes adolescence brings and draws on knowledge of the human life cycle as set out in the science curriculum.
Our objectives in the teaching of RSE/PSHEE are for all our children:
- to know and understand what is meant by a healthy lifestyle;
- to be aware of safety issues;
- to understand what makes good relationships with others;
- to have respect for others;
- to be thoughtful and responsible members of their community and the school;
- to become active members of our democratic society;
- to develop self-confidence and self-esteem;
- to make informed choices regarding personal and social issues;
- to gain some understanding of economic wellbeing;
- to respect and celebrate differences between each other.
The Golden Thread
The teaching of RSE/PSHEE appears on our curriculum progression grids as a 'Golden Thread'. It is the thread that runs through all of our curriculum areas meaning it is embedded into teaching and learning across the curriculum. The 'Golden Thread' is related to the 6 new concepts which have been formed from the new PSHEE and RSE curriculum and related policies. These concepts enable us to embed health and wellbeing within our curriculum instead of it being taught discretely. The 6 new concepts are:
- English, Communication and Language: Caring Friendships
- Mathematical Understanding: Economic Wellbeing
- Physical Development, Health and Well-Being: Health and Wellbeing
- History, Geography and Social Understanding: Families and people who care for us
- Arts: What it means to be healthy (hobbies, healthy mind, creativity)
- Science and Technological Understanding: Internet Safety
RHSE Policy Aims
Through the delivery of high quality, evidence-based and age-appropriate Relationships and Health Education, we aim to help prepare pupils for the onset of puberty, give them an understanding of sexual development and the importance of health and hygiene, create a positive culture in relation to sexuality and relationships and to ensure pupils know how and when to ask for help and where to access support. By the end of their learning journey at Gatley Primary, we hope that pupils will have developed resilience and feelings of self-respect, as well as confidence and empathy in preparation for the responsibilities of adult life.
Following consultation with our children, staff and governors, we are welcoming thoughts and contributions from our families. This will be facilitated in our parent workshop which will take place in the spring term.
The Government has produced a factual guide to RSE for parents in this link. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-sex-and-health-education-guides-for-schools
