Whilst PSHE (personal, social, health and economic) as a whole subject is not currently a statutory part of the curriculum, all good schools teach children from a young age about the values, social and life skills needed to enable them to develop into responsible adults. As of September 2021, Relationships or Relationship Education has become statutory in primary schools.
What is Relationship and Sex Education?
Relationship and Sex Education will form part of children’s learning about the world around them and how they interact with others. Our lessons aim to provide children with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that they need to navigate the complexities of life in the 21st Century. The content is taught in an age and developmentally appropriate way for our children and we are responsive to our children’s needs. Taught using the Twinkl scheme of work in the Autumn term, our units It’s My Body and Growing Up not only considers the National Curriculum for Science(KS2), which states that it is statutory for older children to be taught lessons about puberty, how the human body changes and human reproduction but we also have additional lessons for all children that discuss relationships, consent, harassment and unwanted behaviour. Children in EYFS and KS1 will learn the scientific names for the external body parts and in KS2 children will revisit and recap on this knowledge.
In early years, children are taught to:
- Talk to help work out problems and build constructive and respectful
- Develop an awareness of similarities and differences in people and value themselves
- Express their feelings (socially and emotionally) and consider the feelings of
- Show resilience and perseverance in the face of
- Think about the perspectives of
- Manage their own needs- such as personal hygiene and physical development
- Know and talk about the different factors that support their overall health and wellbeing
- Talk about members of their immediate family and
- Name and describe people who are familiar to
- Recognise that people have different beliefs and celebrate special times in different
Children in KS1 and KS2 will learn more about topics such as:
- Healthy and unhealthy lifestyles
- Ourselves, growing and changing
- Keeping and feeling safe (abuse)
- Families and different family structures, positive relationships and friendships
- Managing hurtful behaviour and bullying (violence and harassment)
- Safe and trusted relationships and consent
- Internet Safety
- Economic wellbeing
- Shared responsibility
- Drugs, medicine and alcohol
- Communities
- Mental health and well being
- Respecting yourself and others
- Influential behaviour
- It’s okay to be different and unique
Teaching in EYFS and KS1 will look significantly different to that of lower and upper Key Stage 2 as all lessons are structured in a simplistic and age appropriate way. Children will also consider how families may look different to their own, what constitutes a trusted adult, why it is okay to say no and when to do this and how to stay safe as part of the above topics.
Teaching in Lower KS2 (Years 3 and 4)
These lessons will build on the knowledge that children have already gained in KS1. Children will have an opportunity to explore some of the taught units again but in more detail and in an age appropriate way. They will also spend time considering acceptable and unacceptable behaviours, personal qualities and choices, how families may look different to their own, feeling safe and staying safe.
Teaching in Upper KS2 (Years 5 and 6)
Again, lessons will build on the knowledge that children have already gained in KS1 and lower KS2, exploring and recapping on what has been taught. In addition to this, children will also spend time considering healthy and unhealthy relationships, peer pressure and dares, the different relationships people have with others and exploring scenarios relating to the topics in a way that is suitable for their age.
Some of our lessons are taught with the help of external organisations such as (but not exclusively) the NSPCC, Severn Trent, RNLI, Environment Organisations, Sporting Organisations, the Local Council and the Warning Zone in Leicester.
RSE Lead
Nicola Clarke
