Relationships, Sex & Health Education (RSHE) Curriculum

What is RSHE?

RSHE is lifelong learning about physical, moral and emotional development. Through RSHE children learn about relationships, diversity, respect, healthy lifestyles, safety, the body and how it changes, reproduction and birth in a sensitive and age-appropriate way. At Southwark, we are building the foundations of skills and knowledge that will be developed further at secondary level.
Our key aim in providing RSHE throughout the school is to safeguard our pupils. During their time at Southwark, children will learn key knowledge and skills to help keep them safe and prepare them for their next stages of life.

Why RSHE is important in our school?

Our values at Southwark are embedded in everything we do. Our vision is to create a safe, positive and stimulating environment in which all members of the school community learn and grow in confidence, knowledge and skills. Through our RSHE Curriculum, we aim to provide children with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to lead confident, healthy, independent lives and to become informed, active and responsible citizens. In providing children with an understanding of healthy and respectful relationships and appropriate boundaries, we consider effective RSHE to be fundamental.

Pupils will understand their self-value within society so that they can effectively contribute to make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others.

This will be achieved by:

• Equipping pupils with resilience to overcome the barriers they face;
• Helping children to become determined to aspire to and achieve their goals, regardless of their start in life and their barriers;
• Developing pupils’ curiosity about themselves and others, empowering them with the knowledge and skills to challenge, question, share and appreciate other’s views and opinions;
• Insisting that pupils are respectful of themselves, others and the world around them.
• Making considered and informed choices about things that are important to them and have the freedom to express their opinions on a range of different topics and issues.
• Understanding the importance of keeping safe, being both mentally and physically healthy, and forming positive relationships.
• Respecting and celebrating differences in gender, race, ability, culture, and religion

Key Objectives

The key objectives of our RSHE Curriculum are to:

• Develop knowledge and understanding of positive and healthy relationships and the importance of commitment
• Make pupils aware of their rights especially in relation to their bodies
• Enable the development of social and relationship skills and protective behaviours
• Prepare pupils for the physical and emotional changes of puberty
• Develop understanding of reproduction and birth within the context of loving and caring relationships
• Explore a range of attitudes, values and faith perspectives around aspects of relationships and sex
• Support pupils to use the internet safely and to recognise the benefits and risks that it brings
• Develop pupils’ skills around assessing risk and keeping safe
• Enable children to gain the skills and understanding to support the development of healthy bodies and minds
• Enable pupils to recognise and manage their emotions
• Provide pupils with the knowledge and skills to access appropriate support

The RSHE Curriculum is based on the needs of pupils in the school with learning outcomes appropriate to their age, ability and level of physical and emotional maturity, Religious and cultural backgrounds, and Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities. RSHE will be firmly embedded within our broader curriculum areas. This includes objectives within the Science, PE and PSHE Curriculum and assembly timetable.

Equality, Inclusion and Support

We comply with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010. Our school values diversity, encourages respect for all and promotes tolerance for, and celebration of, difference. We do not discriminate against pupils because of any protected characteristic (age, sex, race, disability, religion or belief, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity, marriage or civil partnership, or sexual orientation). At times, when there is an identified need, we may take positive action through our planning and delivery of RSHE to deal with disadvantages facing those with a particular characteristic.
RSHE will be accessible to all regardless of their gender. Through the delivery of RSHE, teachers will explore gender stereotypes and how they may limit a person’s potential and ensure that people of all genders receive information that is relevant to their needs.
As a school, we appreciate that some faiths and cultures may hold differing perspectives about RSHE. As a school we will deliver RSHE in a factual, non-judgmental way ensuring that teachers do not promote one faith or cultural viewpoint but rather provide a balanced approach that acknowledges the wealth of views and opinions of our community and teaches tolerance.

Parents and carers are key partners in RSHE and are best placed to support their children to understand how their learning at school aligns with their family’s faith, beliefs and values. Therefore, we will ensure that parents are made aware of what will be taught, when and how.

We will use a range of materials and resources that reflect the diversity of our school community and encourage acceptance and tolerance. We want every child and family to feel included, respected and valued.
Teachers will plan in different ways and use a variety of teaching strategies to meet the needs of individuals. For some children, particularly those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, a differentiated approach may be necessary to ensure learning outcomes are met – this will be discussed with parents/carers. Some pupils may have experienced adverse childhood experiences that may impact on their ability to engage with RSHE in a variety of ways. Through consultation, parents can inform class teachers of any information relating to this. Care will be taken to ensure that, where this is the case, teachers will find the most appropriate way to teach this Curriculum.
A range of different families and relationships will be explored within RSHE. All children, whatever their identity, developing identity, or family background, need to feel that RSHE is relevant to them and sensitive to their needs. This means that resources and texts used will represent families of all kinds, including mum/dad, two mums, two dads, fostering, adoption, single parent, extended family and others. This reflects both our school community and wider society.

Please click the attachment below to view our RSHE policy.