RSE Education Policy 2023-2024 

What is RSE Education? 

Relationship and Sex Education (RSE Education) is a planned programme of learning where children acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills they need in order to develop healthy, respectful relationships, focusing on family and friendships, in all contexts, including online. This sits alongside the essential understanding of how to be healthy which is taught through our PSHE lessons.

The definition of Relationships Education is the teaching of the fundamental building blocks and characteristics of positive relationships, with particular reference to friendships, family relationships, and relationships with other children and with adults. Sex Education is defined as teaching children how human reproduction occurs, including how a baby is conceived.

The Department for Education (DfE) guidance states that from September 2020, all primary schools must teach Relationships and Sex Education. The teaching of Sex Education in primary schools remains non-statutory, with the exception of the elements of sex education contained in the science national curriculum including the main external body parts, the human life cycle (including puberty) and reproduction in some plants and animals. Other related topics that fall within the statutory requirements for Health Education, such as puberty and menstrual wellbeing, will be included and taught within PSHE lessons.

Within the statutory guidance document for RSE and Health Education, the DfE also encourages schools to deliver age-appropriate sex education if they feel their pupils need this information. The DfE continues “it is important that the transition phase before moving to secondary school supports pupils’ ongoing emotional and physical development effectively.” and recommends, therefore, that all primary schools should have a sex education programme tailored to the age and the physical and emotional maturity of the pupils.

Statement of Intent 

At Co-op Academy Broadhurst, RSE is underpinned by the ethos and values of our school:

• Self-help
• Self-responsibility
• Democracy
• Equality
• Equity
• Solidarity

Our vision is to create a safe, positive and stimulating environment in which all children learn to be resilient and be able to persevere; be reflective and take responsibility; be resourceful, question and demonstrate inquisitiveness and creativity; show reciprocity and be able to co-operate, empathise and respect others.

Through our PSHE programme we aim to provide children with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy, independent lives and to become informed, active and responsible citizens. In providing children with an understanding of healthy and respectful relationships and appropriate boundaries, we consider effective RSE to be a fundamental part of our approach to supporting pupils to grow into confident, caring, responsible and respectful young citizens. In addition, we see our RSE programme as supportive of our work as a Rights Respecting School.

RSE is lifelong learning about personal, physical, moral and emotional development. It is set in the context of clear values about the understanding of the importance of stable and loving relationships, respect, love and care, for family life. It should teach children and young people to develop and form positive values, attitudes, personal and social skills, and increase their knowledge and understanding of how to make informed decisions and life choices.

It is our intent to provide all children with a broad and balanced curriculum that aims to assist children and young people to prepare for adult life by supporting them through their physical, emotional and moral development, and helping them to understand themselves, respect others and form and sustain healthy relationships.

At Co-op Academy Broadhurst we teach discrete PSHE lessons, which RSE will be incorporated into, through the iMatters Curriculum designed by Manchester Healthy Schools Programme, which follows the Department of Education’s updated Statutory RSE and Health Education Guidance as well incorporating recommended content from the PSHE Association. In addition to these discrete lessons, we endeavour to embed the knowledge and skills throughout many aspects of school life as well as filtering through other curriculum areas.

Implementation through Teaching and Learning 

Relationships and Sex Education is an additional integral aspect of our curriculum and at Co-op Academy Broadhurst we seek to provide a safe, secure learning environment that enables children to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to have positive and safe relationships with family, friends and online.

As part of our PSHE/RSE programme of study, children will be taught what a relationship is; the different types of relationships they might have e.g. with family members, friends, and other adults; the importance of healthy and secure relationships to wellbeing; what constitutes a healthy relationship, in person and online; how to set and observe appropriate boundaries in relationships; how to recognise when a situation is unsafe; strategies for

dealing with situations that they find uncomfortable or that are unsafe; and sources of help and advice. A summary of the key objectives for each year group is set out below.

Early Years Foundation Stage 

In Early Years, PSED (Personal, Social and Emotional Development) is a prime area of learning therefore an integral aspect of daily planning, teaching and learning:

•  Making relationships
• Self-confidence and self-awareness
• Managing feelings and behaviour

Relationship education is incorporated into these 3 main areas. Planning is child led to reflect the interests of the children and the needs of the school. Children take part in circle time and discuss topics and themes that are at their level. Teachers look at the core themes and take aspects of these to inform their planning. PSED is a fundamental building block in a child’s development and underpins the whole curriculum.

Key Stage One and Two 

Key Stage One and Two RSE is incorporated into PSHE along with being referred to in a range of curriculum areas. It is however taught discretely in a one-hour lesson every fortnight, following the iMatters PSHE Curriculum. This follows the five core themes:

      - Relationship and Sex Education

- Mental and Emotional Health

- Keeping Safe

- Healthy Lifestyles

- Living in the Wider World.

This curriculum has been specifically for the children of Manchester Schools. Children have the opportunity to form and share opinions, value differences, recognise feelings and emotions as well as identify what makes relationships healthy.

Each year the skills, knowledge and understanding progresses and builds on the year before. The key learning objectives for RSE are detailed in the table below:

In addition to the iMatters Curriculum PSHE/ RSE Curriculum,  we have purchased the programme ‘Real Love Rocks’ which we will be delivering to Year 5 and 6. Real Love Rocks has been developed by Barnardo’s Safer Futures Trauma Services and is a programme that aims at promoting children and young people’s rights to healthy, consensual and safe relationships with peers, partner, their family and across their community. It seeks to raise awareness of the different types of abuse and exploitation that people experience. This includes Child Sexual Abuse, Sexual Exploitation, Criminal Exploitation, Radicalisation, Extremism, and the world online, making it more relevant to our children and young people of today covering themes such as;

• Children’s Rights
• Consent, power and control
• Feelings and emotional regulation
• Mental health and wellbeing
• Grooming
• Bullying / Cyberbullying
• Appropriate /Inappropriate content online
• Challenging victim blaming
• Laws around keeping people safe

To provide clarity and create a safe learning environment, at the beginning of each session, a set of ground rules will be agreed by the class. As a minimum, ground rules are likely to include the following basic guidelines:

• Listen politely to each other.
• Everyone gets a turn - if they want one.
• Respect everybody's contribution.
• No personal information - no names.
• No personal questions.
• No making fun.
• An age-appropriate rule around confidentiality and safeguarding

Children and teachers are free to suggest and agree further ground rules as appropriate to the topic of each lesson.

Other teaching and learning strategies utilised in RSE (and across the PSHE curriculum) to establish a safe learning environment include the following techniques:

• Using 'distancing' techniques such as role play, case studies, videos etc. to depersonalise sensitive issues.
• Anonymous question boxes. These can help children to have the confidence to ask sensitive questions, and they provide an opportunity for teachers to pre-empt questions that might not be age appropriate or that might raise safeguarding or child protection concerns.
• It will be emphasised to children that any voluntary sharing of information should be anonymous (for example “someone I know…” rather than “I” or naming names). Should personal questions be asked of either children or staff, children will be reminded that the ground rules for RSE prohibit personal questions. Although staff may draw on their personal experiences to answer certain questions, for example around menstruation, this should always be depersonalised and discussed in third person rather than first person.

Implementation through inclusion, including meeting the needs of SEND pupils 

Our children have different needs based on their emotional and physical development, life experiences, and learning differences, and we endeavour to ensure that all pupils are properly included in RSE. Teachers will plan and deliver work in a variety of ways, in order to meet the needs of individual pupils with SEND, incorporating activities that increase a pupil's assertiveness, communication and relationship skills, their self-esteem and understanding.

All RSE is taught without bias and in line with legal responsibilities such as those contained within the Equality Act (2010). Topics are presented using a variety of views and beliefs so that pupils are able to form their own, informed opinions but also respect others that may have different opinions. The personal beliefs and attitudes of staff delivering RSE will not influence the teaching of the subject in school. In our school we seek to recognise and embrace the diverse nature of our community. We aim to value and celebrate religious, ethnic and cultural diversity as part of modern Britain. We will explore different cultural beliefs and values and encourage activities that challenge stereotypes and discrimination and present children with accurate information based on the law. We will use a range of teaching materials and resources that reflect the diversity of our community and encourage a sense of inclusiveness. We do not use RSE as a means of promoting any form of sexual orientation.

Implementation through Professional Development and Training 

The PSHE Co-ordinator ensures they are kept informed of relevant changes to aspects of PSHE/RSE by attending local cluster meetings, Healthy Schools and PSHE network meetings. The Co-ordinator will support colleagues in the teaching of RSE by giving them information about current developments in the subject and providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject in school.

Implementation through Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation 

Teachers assess the children’s work in RSE by making informal judgements as they observe them during lessons. We have clear expectations of what the pupils will know and understand at the end of each year and key stage. Assessment should offer the children the opportunity to reflect on their own progress, teachers may deliver this through pre and post questionnaires. The PSHE subject leader is responsible for monitoring the standards of children’s work and the quality of teaching. This may be carried out through Pupil Voice. The subject leader will monitor plans, teaching and learning in order to evaluate strengths and weaknesses in the school and indicate areas for improvement. The subject leader will regularly evaluate the scheme of work to ensure that the needs of the pupils are being met and that there is progression and continuity of learning through the school.

Managing Difficult Questions and Safeguarding 

During both formal and informal PSHE/RSE sessions, pupils are encouraged to ask questions. Any questions from pupils are answered according to the age and maturity of the pupil concerned, and if the teacher delivering the session deems it appropriate to answer.

Teachers will:

• use specific ground rules for this work which will clarify boundaries for children/young people, and mitigate disclosures in class
• clarify that personal questions should not be asked
• clarify that pupils should not give out personal information in class but speak to someone they trust after the lesson, e.g. school nurse, teacher, pastoral staff.

In some lessons, an anonymous question box may be used to allow children to ask questions about potentially sensitive or embarrassing topics. Teaching staff will endeavour to answer questions as openly as possible but if faced with a question they do not feel comfortable answering within the classroom, or that is not age-appropriate (or within the school’s RSE policy), provision may be made to address the individual child/young person’s requirements.

The school believes that individual teachers must use their professional skill and discretion in this area and refer to the Designated Safeguarding Lead if they are concerned about any question from a safeguarding perspective.

If a teacher does not know the answer to a question or if a question is felt to be inappropriate, this will be acknowledged and, if considered necessary, may be followed up outside of the classroom environment with individual pupils.

Children may also be signposted back to parents/carers who have ultimate responsibility in talking to their children about sensitive matters. We will also encourage parents to talk with school if they have any questions or queries, and if they would like advice on how to better support their child and continue learning outside of the classroom.

Impact 

As a result of our detailed PSHE Curriculum which effectively incorporates Relationship and Sex Education the children will have developed and practiced our Co-op Values:

• Self-help
• Self-responsibility
• Democracy
• Equality
• Equity
• Solidarity

Throughout our whole curriculum we encourage our children to be resilient and be able to persevere; be reflective and take responsibility; be resourceful, question and demonstrate inquisitiveness and creativity; show reciprocity and be able to co-operate, empathise and respect others.

As a result, will be able to make informed choices about relationships they are involved in through family, friends and the internet.

Involving parents and carers 

We are committed to working with parents and carers and we recognise that parents and carers are the primary providers of RSE for their children. We aim to build a positive and supportive relationship with parents and carers through mutual understanding, trust and co-operation. Our RSE curriculum is designed to support and complement this.

In promoting this relationship, we will:

• Inform parents about the school’s RSE policy, practice and other information where necessary through our school’s Class Dojo messaging system, along with texts and or letters home.
• Answer any questions that parents may have about RSE for their child.
• Take seriously any issues or concerns that parents raise.
• Offer support from our Inclusion Manager Clare Bardsley and Parent Support Worker Michelle Stacey, if and when issues arise.

We believe that all of the content within our school’s PSHE curriculum, including RSE, is of the utmost importance and relevance to all pupils. However, parents have the legal right to request that their child be withdrawn from some or all non-statutory sex education other than that which is part of the National Curriculum for Science. Please note there is no parental right of withdrawal from Relationships Education or Health Education content within the school curriculum, or from any statutory sex education that forms part of the National Curriculum for Science.

These are statutory requirements which the DfE mandates schools to teach; please see the statutory document if further information is required. Parents and carers who wish to exercise their right to withdraw their child from non-statutory sex education should talk with the class teacher, the PSHE coordinator or the head teacher who will explore any concerns and discuss resources being used.

If parents still wish to withdraw their child from non-statutory sex education lessons, this request will be recorded, and suitable alternative arrangements made for pupils during relevant lessons. The issue of withdrawal will be handled as sensitively as possible. Parents should also understand that the decision to remove their child from these lessons means that they themselves will assume responsibility for talking to their children about any related sex education themes covered outside of National Curriculum Science.

  Links to additional policies 

Our RSE Curriculum is supported by the following whole-school policies:

• Child Protection and Safeguarding
• Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE)
• Online Safety
• Behaviour
• Anti-bullying
• SEND inclusion
• Healthy Schools

Written and Review Date 

We have based our school's relationships and sex education policy on the statutory guidance document “Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education” (DfE, 2019) and the PSHE Association’s supplementary guidance “Writing your school’s relationships and sex education (RSE) policy” (PSHE Association, September 2018). The policy has been written by the PSHE Co-ordinator in discussion with the Head Teacher, staff and governors.

Date Policy Formally Approved by Governors: 11/10/23

Review Date(s): October 2024