Relationships, Sex & Health Education

RSHE stands for relationships, sex, and health education.  Children are taught about healthy, respectful relationships, focusing on family and friendships, including online interactions. They also learn about physical health, parts of the body, boundaries, and puberty. This education aims to empower young people to make informed decisions about their health, well-being, and relationships in a sensitive and age-appropriate manner.

Our scheme of work fulfils the statutory requirements for Relationships and Health Education set out by the Department for Education. It also fulfils the National Curriculum requirement to teach PSHE (‘All schools should make provision for personal, social, health and economic education ) and goes beyond the statutory requirements by referring to the PSHE Association Programme of Study (recommended by the Department for Education.)

When this RSE & PSHE scheme of work is taught in conjunction with our Computing scheme, it also covers the government’s Education for a Connected World -2020 edition framework (see our Education for a Connected World framework mapping) and helps schools to meet the non-statutory guidance requirements of Teaching online safety in schools.(2023, See our Teaching online safety in schools mapping)

RSHE Curriculum Design Intent 

Through our RSHE curriculum, we believe we can enhance children’s education and help them to become confident individuals who have positive body awareness, an in-depth knowledge of how to keep themselves safe and healthy and who will, through respect, tolerance and understanding, forge and maintain positive relationships with a diverse range of family and friendship groups. Our RSHE scheme of work has been designed as a spiral curriculum with the following key principles in mind:

✓ Cyclical: Pupils revisit the five key areas throughout KS1 and KS2.

✓ Increasing depth: Each time a key area is revisited, it is covered with greater depth and increasing maturity.

✓ Prior knowledge: Upon returning to each key area, prior knowledge is utilised so pupils can build on previous foundations, rather than starting again.

We have categorised our lessons into the five key areas below, which we return to in each year group, making pupil’s prior and future learning clear and shows how what you are teaching fits into their wider learning journey. Year 6 also have a further key area: Identity.

RSHE Key Knowledge Progression Document  

What about Sex Education?

 Sex education is not compulsory in primary schools, beyond what is laid out in the National Curriculum for Science:

● Year 1: Identify, name, draw and label the basic parts of the human body and say which part of the body is associated with each sense.

● Year 2: Notice that animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults

● Year 5: Describe the life process of reproduction in some plants and animals; describe the changes as humans develop to old age [They should learn about the changes experienced in puberty.]

RSE statutory guidance states that: Where a maintained primary school chooses to teach aspects of sex education (which go beyond the national curriculum for science), the school must set this out in their policy and all schools should consult with parents on what is to be covered. Primary schools that choose to teach sex education must allow parents a right to withdraw their children.

At Langley Mill Academy we will comply with a parent’s wish to withdraw their child from sex education beyond the national curriculum for science. Our scheme of work includes two Year 6 lessons which parents have the opportunity to withdraw their children from all/part of the lesson:

Safety and the changing body: Lesson 5:

Conception and Lesson 6: Pregnancy and birth

Implementation

RSHE will be taught in each year group throughout the school.  The curriculum we deliver is age-appropriate and progressive, building the children’s knowledge, understanding and skills year on year.  

Elements of the RSHE curriculum will also be taught through class and whole-school assemblies, and via cross-curricular opportunities such as English and Themed Reading.

Pupils show their understanding of the RSHE curriculum in a number of ways such as discussion, drama, written work and photographs.  When work has a written outcome it is recorded in the curriculum book.  

The RHSE curriculum will be evaluated and reviewed by pupils and teachers on a regular basis. Parents will have an opportunity to feedback either through individual contact or through planned consultation meetings.

Impact

As a school we put the needs of the children in our care first.  We know it’s important for them to be literate and numerate in order to be well prepared for the next stage in their learning journey, but we also know that children need to develop their social and emotional skills.  Our RSHE curriculum is carefully planned to ensure that all children are informed about healthy relationships at an appropriate level for their age and development.  This is not taught in isolation and links to other areas of the curriculum and enrichment in order to give it meaning and aid understanding.

We acknowledge that not all parents feel confident or comfortable talking to their children about this area therefore our work in school ensures that all pupils have the information they need to keep safe and make positive, healthy choices.

We continuously assess the implementation and impact of our RSHE curriculum in order to achieve the highest outcomes possible across all year groups and ensure we provide the support that is necessary for all children to have a good understanding of the complexities of relationships and sexual matters and a secure knowledge and skills base to navigate their way through these, now and in the future. We check pupils have retained knowledge through quizzes and assessment questions at the end of each unit. This is recorded so that teachers can check that pupils are ready for the next stage. 

Further Information

RSHE is an acronym for Relationships, Sex and Health Education.

The government has made The Department for Education has introduced compulsory Relationships Education for primary pupils from September 2020. Also, from September 2020 it has been compulsory for all schools to teach Health Education. Through these subjects, we want to support all young people to be happy, healthy and safe – we want to equip them for adult life and to make a positive contribution to society. 

By following this link, you will also find the Government FAQ list which may be helpful in answering any questions you may have. You may also find this Primary School RSE Guide for Parents helpful. 

If you have any questions about our RSHE curriculum, please do get in touch. Our RSHE lead teacher is Mrs Beighton.