Relationship, Sex and Health Education Policy (RSHE)

2023

Mission Statement

Live and Learn with Jesus.

We follow Jesus through fairness, kindness, love, friendship and happiness.

 

 

Rationale

‘I HAVE COME THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL’

(Jn.10.10)

We are involved in Relationship, Sex and Education (RSE) precisely because of our Christian beliefs about God and about the human person. The belief in the unique dignity of the human person made in the image and likeness of God underpins the approach to all education in a Catholic school. Our approach to RSE therefore is rooted in the Catholic Church’s teaching of the human person and presented in a positive framework of Christian ideals.

At the heart of the Christian life is the Trinity; Father, Son and Spirit in communion, united in loving relationship and embracing all people and all creation.  As a consequence of the Christian belief that we are made in the image and likeness of God, gender and sexuality are seen as God’s gift, reflect God’s beauty, and share in the divine creativity. RSE, therefore, will be placed firmly within the context of relationship as it is there that sexuality grows and develops.

Following the guidance of the Bishops of England and Wales and as advocated by the DFE (and the Welsh Assembly Government) RSE will be firmly embedded in the PSHE/RSHE framework as it is concerned with nurturing human wholeness and integral to the physical, spiritual, emotional, moral, social and intellectual development of pupils. It is centred on Christ’s vision of being human as good news and will be positive and prudent, showing the potential for development, while enabling the dangers and risks involved to be understood and appreciated.

All Relationship, Sex and Health Education RSHE will be in accordance with the Church’s moral teaching. It will emphasise the central importance of marriage and the family whilst acknowledging that all pupils have a fundamental right to have their life respected whatever household they come from. It will also prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.

Aim

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School aims to provide a suitable programme that follows the statutory need to include RSHE into their curriculum from September 2020 which meets the ethos of its Catholic identity and mission.

The purpose of this Relationship, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) policy is to set out the ways in which the school’s provision supports pupils through their spiritual, moral, social, emotional and physical development, and prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life growing up in today’s world.

Our School’s mission embraces the spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, moral and social development of children and young people, and through an agreed approach to Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) using the Archdiocesan recommended resource ‘Journey In’ Love 2020 we believe that we can promote the development of the whole child, so that children can grow in virtue, wisdom and stature, understanding both the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing spiritually, as well as moral aspects of relationships within a context of a Christian vision for the purpose of life.

The other aspects of the Statutory curriculum intent will be met by the ‘Journey in Love’ RSE programme and DfE Statutory Relationships and Statutory Science.

 

The Purpose

The aims of Relationship, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) at Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School are to:

 

·         Provide a framework in which sensitive discussions can take place.

·         Help pupils develop feelings of dignity, self-worth, self-respect, confidence and empathy.

·         Prepare pupils for puberty and give them an understanding of sexual development and the importance of health and hygiene.

·         Create a positive culture around issues of sexuality and relationships.

·         Teach pupils the correct vocabulary to describe themselves and their bodies.

 

Statutory Requirements

At Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, we must provide Relationships Education to all pupils as per section 34 of the Children and Social work act 2017.

 

In teaching Relationship and Sex Education, we must have regard to Catholic Education Service guidance issued by the Bishops Conference of England and Wales 2017.

 

The statutory guidance from the Department for Education issued under Section 80A of the Education Act 2002 and section 403 of the Education Act 1996 Appendix A

 

The statutory guidance from the Department for Education Equality Act 2010.

 

Policy Development 

This policy has been developed in consultation with staff, pupils and parents. The consultation and policy development process involved the following steps:

 

1.                   Review – Mrs. H Ahmed, Mrs T Nice, Miss. L Sixsmith have looked into relevant national and local guidance.

 

2.                   Staff consultation – all school staff were given the opportunity to look at the policy and make recommendations.

 

3.                   Parent/stakeholder consultation – Policy shared with Governing Body and shared on the  school website.

 

4.                   Pupil consultation – we investigated what exactly pupils want from their Relationship Sex and Health Education.

 

5.                   Ratification – once amendments were made, the policy was shared with governors and ratified.

Definition

Relationship, Sex and Health Education involves a combination of sharing information, and exploring issues underpinned by our Catholic values.

 

Relationship Sex and Health Education is about the emotional, social and cultural development of pupils, and involves learning about personal relationships, sexual health, sexuality, healthy lifestyles, diversity and personal identity.

 

Curriculum

 

We have developed our curriculum with recommendations from the Archdiocesan Education Department to ensure that they meet with Catholic Church teaching.

 

After consultation with parents Relationship Sex Education will be covered using the Archdiocesan recommended resource ‘Journey In Love’ 2020 this includes *sexual intercourse at Year 6. (See right of withdrawal)

 

We have considered the age, stage and feelings of pupils and have consulted with parents and staff to ensure we are offering a quality curriculum which is adequately catered to meet their needs.  

 

At Sacred Heart Catholic Primary school we have adapted the SCARF PSHE Scheme of Work to support our children in developing their personal, social and emotional skills. We have carefully looked at the scheme and taken parts out and replaced with ‘Journey in Love’ to ensure the relationships part of the curriculum is taught following the churches teaching. 

 

If pupils ask questions outside the scope of our curriculum, teachers will respond in an appropriate manner so they are fully informed and do not seek answers online. 

 

Delivery of Relationship, Sex and Health Education (RSHE)

Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) is taught both discretely and within the Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) curriculum lessons.  Some aspects of the RSHE curriculum may be touched upon in other lessons as it shares links with Religious Education, Science and Physical Education.

 

Our RSHE will ensure that content is relevant to the age, experience and maturity of pupils.

The new statutory guidance for Relationships education focuses on teaching the fundamental building blocks and characteristics of positive relationships including:

 

·         Families and people who care for me.

·         Caring friendships.

·         Respectful relationships.

·         Online relationships.

·         Being safe.

 

These areas of learning are taught within the context of ‘family life’ and could include married or single parent families, same sex parents, families headed by grandparents, adoptive parents, foster parents/carers amongst other structures, along with reflecting sensitively that some children may have a support structure around them (for example: looked after children or young carers). 

 

As a school, we promote equality of opportunity and foster good relations. Our school environment uniformly applies values of inclusion and respect to all pupils and their families.  All staff are proactive in promoting positive relationships and receive regular training.

 

Equal Opportunities

All pupils have access to the RSHE curriculum.  Where pupils have specific educational needs, arrangements for support from outside agencies and support staff are made to ensure these pupils have an appropriate, differentiated curriculum.

 

Roles and Responsibility

The Governing Body

The governing body will approve the RSHE policy and hold the headteacher to account for its implementation.

The Headteacher

The headteacher is responsible for ensuring that RSHE is taught consistently across the school and for managing requests to withdraw pupils from the non-statutory element of Relationship and Sex Education in Year 6* (see right of withdrawal)

Staff

Staff do not have the right to opt out of teaching RSHE as this forms part of the Teaching Standards.  Any staff who have concerns about teaching RSHE are encouraged to discuss this with the headteacher.

 

Staff are responsible for:

·   Delivering RSHE in a sensitive way which complies with Church teaching.

·   Modelling positive attitudes to RSHE.

·   Monitoring progress.

·   Responding to the needs of individual pupils.

·   Responding appropriately to pupils whose parents wish them to be withdrawn from the non-statutory components of RSE.

 

Pupils

Pupils are expected to engage fully in RSHE and, when discussing issues related to RSHE, treat others with dignity, respect and sensitivity.

 

Parents’ right to withdraw 

Parents have the right to withdraw their children from the non-statutory component of sex education in Year 6.  This is where sexual intercourse is taught discretely as part of the Physical aspect within Journey In Love  the Archdiocesan recommended resource.

Requests for withdrawal should be made in writing and addressed to the headteacher.  The headteacher will discuss the request with parents and take appropriate action.

Alternative work will be given to pupils who are withdrawn from RSE.

Parents do not have the right to withdraw their children from Statutory Relationships Education as set out in the DFE guidance 2020.

Monitoring arrangements

The delivery of RSHE is monitored by Mrs H. Ahmed and Mrs T Nice by undertaking learning walks, staff and pupil consultations, planning and work scrutinies and questionnaires.

 

Pupils’ development in RSE is monitored by class teachers as part of our internal informal assessment systems.

 

This policy will be agreed annually by the governors and reviewed every three years.

Resources

Coram SCARF Scheme of Work SCARF: Safety, Caring, Achievement, Resilience, Friendship (coramlifeeducation.org.uk)

The PSHE Association www.pshe-association.org.uk

Early Years Foundation Stage

Journey In Love 2020

 

The Underwear PANTS Rule www.nspcc.org.uk

 

Key Stage One

 

Journey In Love 2020

Key Stage Two

Journey In Love 2020

 

CEOP – National Crime Agency Command

www.thinkuknow.co.uk