Relationships and Sex Education
Please see end of page for policy, consultation results and further documents.
The Health Education and Relationships Education aspects of PSHCE education will be compulsory in all primary schools from September 2020. It is important that all children receive this content, covering topics such as friendships and how to stay safe. The Relationships Element to RSE is statutory, however, parents have the right to request that their child be withdrawn from Sex Education content.
The delivery of Relationships and the PSHE curriculum is nothing new at Blaydon West Primary School and it is a subject that we strive to continuously develop further. We teach a broad curriculum within PSHCE that references many areas such as drugs, relationships, tolerance and online safety. This continues in the new guidance, along with many new areas of learning.
The school currently uses a very comprehensive scheme called Jigsaw to help us do this.
At Blaydon West Primary School, the content linked to Sex Education can be found on our whole school PSHCE curriculum map (below PSHE.pdf)
Our aim is for our pupils to grow up healthy, happy and safe. Relationships and Sex Education is designed to equip your child with knowledge and make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships as well as preparing them for a successful adult life.
The world today for young people looks very different from the way it did 20 years ago when this curriculum was last updated – these changes bring the content into the 21st century, so that it is relevant for your child.
We are flexible and deliver content which is completely age appropriate and sensitive to the needs and religious backgrounds of all pupils.
Relationships Education
Relationships Education will put in place the building blocks needed for positive and safe relationships, including with family, friends and online. Your child will be taught what a relationship is, what friendship is, what family means and who can support them. In an age-appropriate way, we will cover how to treat each other with kindness, consideration and respect.
By the end of primary school, your child will have been taught content on:
- Families and people who care for me
- Caring friendships
- Respectful relationships
- Online relationships
- Being safe
Health Education
Health education aims to give your child the information they need to make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing, to recognise issues in themselves and others, and to seek support as early as possible when issues arise.
By the end of primary school, your child will have been taught content on:
- Mental wellbeing
- Internet safety and harms
- Physical health and fitness
- Healthy eating
- Facts and risks associated with drugs, alcohol and tobacco
- Health and prevention
- Basic first aid
- Changing adolescent body
Sex Education and PSHCE (Primary)
We believe that pupils should be given the opportunity to access a curriculum which prepares them for the changes that adolescence brings. We are choosing to provide our pupils with a sensitive, age appropriate curriculum which includes some components of Sex Education.
Our aims:
- To prepare pupils for the changes that occur to their bodies, minds and emotions as a consequence of growth from childhood to adulthood.
- To help support young people through spiritual, physical, emotional and moral development.
- To work in partnership with parents, families and the wider community to promote positive relationships and provide effective support for young people.
At Blaydon West Primary School, we will teach the Sex Education components of RSE during our PSHCE lessons. Please see our detailed curriculum map below, which includes the content we plan to deliver in relation to Sex Education during PSHCE lessons
However, if you are not happy for your child to take part, you have the right to withdraw them from any or all of it. We will then make alternative arrangements for your child for the duration of the teaching. If you would like to withdraw your child from Sex Education, please fill in the form below and address to Mr Brown Head teacher,
Science and Sex Education
Under the National Curriculum, the basics of Sex Education fall within the science curriculum. The statutory content requires maintained schools to teach children about human development, including puberty, and reproduction. Please see the DfE Science Programme of Study below which includes specific content for each year group.
In Key Stage 1, pupils will:
Be introduced to the process of reproduction and growth in animals. They should be introduced to the concepts of reproduction and growth, but not how reproduction occurs.
Key Stage 2, pupils will:
Be taught about different types of reproduction, including sexual and asexual reproduction in plants and sexual reproduction in animals. Pupils should draw a timeline to indicate stages in the growth and development of humans. They should learn about the changes experienced in puberty.
RSE Statutory Guidance - Please follow the link for the updated DfE Relationships and Sex Education guidance