RELATIONSHIPS AND SEX EDUCATION (RSE) POLICY 2023-24

Policy details

Academy: Co-op Academy Parkland

Policy owner: Charlotte Wierzbianski

Date: September 2023

Date shared with staff: September 2023

Date shared with governors: October 2023

Review Date:  October 2024

At Co-op Academy Parkland, our vision for Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) is based on guidance issued by the Department for Education. Co-op Academy Parkland will provide relevant, effective and responsible RSE to all of its pupils as part of the school’s personal, social, health, economic (PSHE) education curriculum. We value PSHE as one way to support children’s development as human beings, to enable them to understand and respect who they are, to empower them with a voice and to equip them for life and learning. The Jigsaw Programme, a mindful approach to PSHE, offers us a comprehensive, carefully thought-through scheme of work which brings consistency and progression to our children’s learning in this vital curriculum area. The school wants Parents/Carers and pupils to feel assured that RSE will be delivered at a level appropriate to both the age and development of pupils.

Current regulations and guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) state that from September 2020, all schools must deliver Relationships and Sex Education. High quality RSE helps create a safe school community in which our pupils can grow, learn and develop positive, healthy behaviours for life. It also gives children and young people essential skills for building positive, enjoyable, respectful and non-exploitative relationships and staying safe both on and offline.

A comprehensive programme of RSE provides accurate information about the body, the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing up, relationships, sex, human sexuality and sexual health. Some aspects are taught in science, and others are taught as part of PSHE.

We believe that the teaching of RSE contributes to: 

• a positive ethos and environment for learning 
• safeguarding pupils (Children Act 2004), promoting their emotional wellbeing and improving their ability to achieve in school 
• a better understanding of diversity and inclusion, a reduction in gender-based and homophobic and transphobic prejudice, bullying and violence and an understanding of the difference between consenting and exploitative relationships 
• helping pupils keep themselves safe from harm, both on and offline, enjoy their relationships and build confidence in accessing services if they need help and advice 
• reducing early sexual activity, teenage conceptions, sexually transmitted infections, sexual exploitation and abuse, domestic violence and bullying

Statutory Relationships and Health Education

“In primary schools, we want the subjects to put in place the key building blocks of healthy, respectful relationships, focusing on family and friendships, in all contexts, including online. This will sit alongside the essential understanding of how to be healthy.”

We include the statutory Relationships and Health Education within our whole-school PSHE Programme. To ensure progression and a spiral curriculum, we use Jigsaw, the mindful approach to PSHE, as our chosen teaching and learning programme and tailor it to your children’s needs. The mapping document: Jigsaw 3-11 and statutory Relationships and Health Education, shows exactly how Jigsaw and therefore our school, meets the statutory Relationships and Health Education requirements.

What do we teach and who teaches it?

Whole-school approach

Jigsaw covers all areas of PSHE for the primary phase including statutory Relationships and Health Education. The table below gives the learning theme of each of the six Puzzles (units) and these are taught across the school; the learning deepens and broadens every year.

*Which half term these units are taught are subject to change to best fit the needs of our pupils.

Delivery

At Co-op Academy Parkland, we allocate 1 hour to PSHE each week in order to teach the PSHE knowledge and skills in a developmental and age-appropriate way. These explicit lessons are reinforced and enhanced in many ways:

Assemblies, collective worship, praise and reward system, Learning Charter, through relationships child to child, adult to child and adult to adult across the school. We aim to ‘live’ what is learnt and apply it to everyday situations in the school community.

Class teachers deliver the weekly lessons to their own classes and work is recorded in a PSHE floorbook.

Language
Pupils will be taught the anatomical terms for body parts. Slang or everyday terms used in certain social circles will be discussed; this will surround discussion about what is and isn’t acceptable language to use. This will be shared with Parents/Carers before it is delivered in class through parents workshops. Although we will notify parents as to when anatomical terms are likely to be used in class, we might need to use the terms at other times, such as when dealing with incidents of misuse or disrespectful language. We will consider how pupils who are new to English will be supported in accessing and understand the language used in RSE lessons.

Assessment

By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the knowledge and skills specified in the programme of study. Teachers will conduct ongoing assessment throughout each unit. At Co-op Academy Parkland, we assess pupils’ learning in RSE in line with approaches used in the rest of the curriculum (including assessment for learning). Reports will be given to parents/carers regarding their children’s progress in PSHE alongside other curriculum subjects. They will be informed as to whether children are progressing as expected towards the relevant end of key stage statement.

Monitoring

The Subject Leader will support and monitor the subject across the age ranges. This will focus on specific teaching and learning with reference to how we teach RSE and may include: classroom observations, talking to children and adults, adapting and delivering planning, and monitoring floorbooks.

Right of withdrawal

We strongly believe that the study of RSE helps our children to develop the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes they need to live confident, healthy, independent lives now and in the future. It supports social cohesion in helping children to understand and respect difference, promote tolerance and prepare them to make a positive contribution to society. Parents/carers are very welcome to come into school to discuss our RSE curriculum by speaking to Ms Pascoe, Mrs Shirra or Mrs Wierzbianski).  

At Co-op Academy Parkland, puberty is taught as a statutory requirement of Health Education and covered by our Jigsaw PSHE Programme in the ‘Changing Me’ Puzzle (unit). We conclude that sex education refers to Human Reproduction, and therefore inform parents of their right to request their child be withdrawn from the PSHE lessons that explicitly teach this i.e. the Jigsaw Changing Me Puzzle (unit) e.g.

Year 4, Lesson 2 (Having a baby)

Year 5, Lesson 4 (Conception)

Year 6, Lesson 3 (Conception, birth)

Parents/Carers will be informed of this right through parent consultation sessions for each key stage. Parents/carers should ask to see the Head of Academy or Subject Leader in order to discuss concerns. 

Head of Academy: Charlotte Wierzbianski

Chair of Governors: Emma Ainsworth