RSE/PSHE

Relationships and Sex Education Curriculum

Intent

Our curriculum ensures that pupils:
• Develop knowledge of how to form healthy and positive relationships with all members of their
communities.
• Develop an understanding of unhealthy relationships and how to manage this.
• Increase their awareness of personal safety, both online and in everyday situations
• Equip children with the knowledge to make positive choices centred around their personal physical and mental wellbeing.
• Understand the ways our bodies change as we grow.
• Celebrate all people, regardless of background, age, race or sexual orientation.
• Raise awareness of practices of other cultures.

Implementation

Teachers create open and honest environments, where children feel comfortable to ask questions and enter discussions, without prejudice. Our whole school approach to the teaching and learning of relationships and sex education involves the following:

• Relationships and Sex Education is taught in one themed block throughout the year, where children cover key national curriculum objectives for each year group . The knowledge and skills for each topic is mapped across the school, ensuring that knowledge builds appropriately and that children develop skills appropriate for their age group.

• In each of our other topic units (eg. Geography, history), cross-curricular links are made to relationships and sex education so that children observe that these skills pervade all areas of our lives.

• Within our school community, children are consistently reminded of our school values – respect, responsibility, community, courage, ambition and nurture. In this way, they are continually reminded about positive relationships and such relationships are continually modelled by the whole school community.

• Teachers know they have the flexibility to discuss matters relating to relationships and sex education throughout the year, as and when the need arises.

• Throughout the year, our School Council nominate local, national and global charities to support, often producing their own ideas for fundraising events.

Teachers develop links to the relationships and sex education curriculum throughout the year by sharing assemblies and inviting visitors to enhance our curriculum such as;

• Hope Church

• Diversity workshops including a visit from a Paralympian

• NSPCC Speak Out Speak Up

• Road Safety Workshop and Bikeability

• Just Finance

• Careers Event

We are also Community Champions at Mayfields and Harker House where the children run intergenerational workshops.

Impact

The approach to relationships and sex education we take at St Mary’s promotes a wide understanding of what it is to be a child in the modern age. Children acquire key interpersonal skills to enable them to flourish when the continue their journey into secondary education. They will understand and embrace cultural differences with sensitivity and understanding. Our pupils will understand what it is to be a marginalised group and encourage others to develop their understanding of this. Children will form respectful and positive relationships with a variety of others and will know how to stay safe in a number of situations, resisting pressure from peers along the way. When they leave, children will remember the importance of acknowledging and donating to worthy causes, and continue these practices.

Through our relationships and sex education curriculum, children develop an understanding of their place relative to others in society, knowing that families come in many different forms but our uniqueness is to be celebrated.