Sex and Relationships Education Policy

What do we mean by Sex and Relationships Education?

Sex and Relationships Education forms part of the Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education curriculum.

The PSHCE programme of study includes three core themes:

• Health and Wellbeing
• Relationships
• Living in the Wider World

Within Sex and Relationships Education there are six main elements:

Families and people who care for me

 The children will be taught:

• that families are important for children growing up because they can give love, security and stability.
• the characteristics of healthy family life, commitment to each other, including in times of difficulty, protection and care for children and other family members, the importance of spending time together and sharing each other’s lives.
• that others’ families, either in school or in the wider world, sometimes look different from their family, but that they should respect those differences and know that other children’s families are also characterised by love and care for them.
• that stable, caring relationships, which may be of different types, are at the heart of happy families, and are important for children’s security as they grow up.
• that marriage/civil partnership represents a formal and legally recognised commitment of two people to each other which is intended to be lifelong.
• how to recognise if family relationships are making them feel unhappy or unsafe, and how to seek help or advice from others if needed.

Caring friendships

The children will be taught:

• how important friendships are in making us feel happy and secure, and how people choose and make friends.
• the characteristics of friendships, including mutual respect, truthfulness, trustworthiness, loyalty, trust, sharing interests and experiences and support with problems and difficulties.
• that healthy friendships are positive and welcoming towards others, and do not make others feel lonely or excluded.
• that most friendships have ups and downs, and that these can often be worked through so that the friendship is repaired or even strengthened, and that resorting to violence is never right.
• how to recognise who to trust and who not to trust, how to judge when a friendship is making them feel unhappy or uncomfortable, how to manage these situations and how to seek help or advice from others, if needed.

Respectful Relationships

The children will be taught:

• the importance of respecting others, even when they are very different from them (for example, physically, in character, personality or backgrounds), or make different choices or have different preferences or beliefs.
• the conventions of courtesy and manners.
• the importance of self-respect and how this links to their own happiness.
• that in school and in wider society they can expect to be treated with respect by others, and that in turn they should show due respect to others, including those in positions of authority.
• about different types of bullying (including cyberbullying), the impact of bullying, responsibilities of bystanders (primarily reporting bullying to an adult) and how to get help.
• what a stereotype is, and how stereotypes can be unfair, negative or destructive.
• the importance of permission-seeking and giving in relationships with friends, peers and adults.

Topic 4: Online relationships

The children will be taught:

• that people sometimes behave differently online, including by pretending to be someone they are not.
• that the same principles apply to online relationships as to face-to-face relationships, including the importance of respect for others online including when we are anonymous.
• the rules and principles for keeping safe online, how to recognise risks, harmful content and contact, and how to report them.
• how to critically consider their online friendships and sources of information including awareness of the risks associated with people they have never met.
• how information and data is shared and used online.

Being Safe

The children will be taught:

• what sorts of boundaries are appropriate in friendships with peers and others (including in a digital context).
• about the concept of privacy and the implications of it for both children and adults; including that it is not always right to keep secrets if they relate to being safe.
• that each person’s body belongs to them, and the differences between appropriate and inappropriate or unsafe physical, and other, contact.
• how to respond safely and appropriately to adults they may encounter who they do not know.
• how to ask for advice or help for self and for others, and to keep trying until they are heard, including having the vocabulary and confidence to report concerns or abuse.
• where to get advice from e.g. family, school and/or other sources.

Changing adolescent body

The children will be taught:

• key facts about puberty and the changing adolescent body, particularly from age 9 through to age 11, including physical and emotional changes

The Science curriculum plays a large part in the Sex and Relationships Education throughout the school

The requirements of the Key Stage 1 Science curriculum are delivered through these themes:

• To know that animals including humans, move, feed, grow, use their senses and reproduce.
• To recognise and compare the main external parts of the bodies of humans.
• To know that humans and animals can produce offspring and that these grow into adults.
• To recognise similarities and differences between themselves and others and treat others with sensitivity.

The requirements of the Key Stage 2 Science curriculum are delivered through these themes:

• That the life processes common to humans and other animals include nutrition, growth and reproduction.
• About the main stages of the human life cycle.
• To know about and have some understanding of the physical, emotional and social changes that take place at puberty including the importance of good hygiene.
• About the basic biology of human reproduction and understand some of the skills necessary for parenting.
• How children develop from birth to adulthood and be aware that there are different patterns of child-rearing, understand the importance of good parenting.
• About the needs of the old or ill and understand what happens with death.
• About agencies that can support families and individuals in different circumstances.

In addition, materials from the Channel 4 Living and Growing resource will be used to complement the teaching of Sex and Relationships Education.

Sex and Relationships Education in our school contributes to the foundation of PSHCE by ensuring that all children:

• Develop confidence in talking, listening and thinking about feelings and relationships.
• Are able to name parts of the body and describe how their bodies work.
• Can protect themselves and ask for help and support.

How do we monitor/evaluate Sex and Relationships Education?

The PSHCE Subject Leader will monitor the planning, attainment and achievement of pupils in terms of Sex and Relationships Education as part of their role.

Working with parents

• Parents/carers are key people in teaching their children about sex, relationships and growing up.
• Parents/carers will be informed that the school’s Sex and Relationships programme of study will support their role as parents. A statement from the policy will appear in the school prospectus.
• Parents/carers have the right to withdraw their children from all or part of sex and relationships education.
• Parents/carers, should they wish, will have an opportunity to view material shown to children by teachers and/or the School Nurse before its use.

Interpretation

Any reference to a statute, statutory guidance and any other document shall be construed as a reference to that statute as amended or re-enacted and to the current edition or replacement of that statutory guidance or other document.