Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education
Intent
The vision that underpins our school and everything that happens here at St. John’s is our school aim of ‘nurture, learn, succeed, together’. Through our curriculum every individual is recognised and valued as special and unique in the image and likeness of God following St. John’s example to ‘prepare the way of the Lord’.
At St. John’s, personal, social and health education is an embedded part of our broad and balanced curriculum. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is at the heart of our school vision. Our aim is to support our children to become healthy, successful, responsible and productive members of society, as well as preparing them for life and work in modern Britain. We want to provide our children with opportunities for them to learn about rights and responsibilities and appreciate what it means to be a member of a diverse society.
Today’s children and young people are growing up in an increasingly complex world. This presents many positive and exciting opportunities, but also challenges and risks. We need our children to know how to be safe and healthy, and how to manage their academic, personal and social lives in a positive way. Mental wellbeing and children’s happiness is a priority for us. We want to give children the knowledge and capability to take care of themselves and know how to receive support if problems arise. Pupils need the ability to believe that they can achieve goals, both academic and personal; to stick to tasks to achieve those goals; and recover from knocks and challenging periods in their lives.
Implementation
RSE and Health Education at St. John’s will be delivered through the ‘SCARF’ scheme of work, which covers five key areas: Safety, Caring, Achievement, Relationships and Friendship.
RSE and Health Education will be taught by class teachers in short blocks of around one to two weeks. We will cover all aspects of the DFE Statutory guidance categories for Relationships Education and Physical Health and Mental Wellbeing Education for Primary Education. These are as follows:
DFE statutory guidance categories for Relationships Education (Primary Education):
- Families and people who care for me
- Caring friendships
- Respectful relationships
- Online relationships
- Being safe
DFE Statutory guidance categories for Physical Health and Mental Wellbeing (Primary Education):
- Mental wellbeing
- Internet Safety and Harms
- Physical health and fitness
- Healthy eating
- Drugs, alcohol and tobacco
- Health and prevention
- Basic first aid
- Changing adolescent body
Throughout the year lessons will incorporate the key areas from the statutory requirements through the following six areas: Me and my Relationships, Valuing Difference, Keeping Myself Safe, Rights and Responsibilities, Being my Best and Growing and Changing. Each class in school will cover each of these areas by following our yearly plan:
Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education Long Term Plan 2020
|
Year/Unit |
Me and My Relationships |
Valuing Difference |
Keeping Myself Safe |
Rights and Responsibilities |
Being my Best |
Growing and Changing |
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|
EYFS |
What makes me special People close to me Getting help |
Similarities and difference Celebrating difference Showing kindness |
Keeping my body safe Safe secrets and touches People who help to keep us safe
|
Looking after things: friends, environment, money
|
Keeping my body healthy –food, exercise, sleep Growth Mindset
|
Cycles Life stages
|
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|
1 |
Feelings Getting help Classroom rules |
Recognising, valuing and celebrating difference Developing tolerance and respect |
How our feelings can keep us safe Keeping healthy Medicine Safety
|
Taking care of things: My self My money My environment
|
Growth Mindset Keeping by body healthy
|
Getting help Becoming independent My body parts
|
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|
2 |
Bullying and teasing Our school rules about bullying Being a good friend Feelings/self-regulation
|
Being kind and helping others Listening skills |
Safe and unsafe secrets Appropriate touch Medicine safety
|
Cooperation Self-regulation
|
Growth Mindset Looking after my body
|
Life cycles Dealing with loss Being supportive
|
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|
3 |
Cooperation Caring Friendships (inc. respectful relationships)
|
Recognising and respecting diversity Being respectful and tolerant |
Managing risk Drugs and their risks Staying safe online
|
Skills we need to develop as we grow up Helping and being helped
|
Keeping myself healthy Celebrating and developing my skills
|
Relationships Menstruation Keeping safe
|
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|
4 |
Recognising feelings Bullying Assertive skills |
Recognising and celebrating difference Understanding and challenging stereotypes |
Managing risk Understanding the norms of drug use (cigarette and alcohol use) Influences
|
Making a difference (different ways of helping others or the environment) Media influence Decisions about spending money
|
Having choices and making decisions about my health Taking care of my environment
|
Body changes during puberty Managing difficult feelings Relationships including marriage
|
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|
5 |
Feelings Friendship skills, including compromise Assertive skills |
Recognising and celebrating difference, including religions and cultural Influence and pressure of social media |
Managing risk, including staying safe online Norms around use of legal drugs (tobacco, alcohol)
|
Rights and responsibilities relating to my health Decisions about lending, borrowing and spending
|
Growing independence and taking responsibility Media awareness and safety
|
Managing difficult feelings Managing change Getting help
|
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|
6 |
Assertiveness Cooperation Safe/unsafe touches |
Recognising and reflecting on prejudice-based bullying Understanding Bystander behaviour |
Emotional needs Staying safe online Drugs: norms and risks (including the law)
|
Understanding media bias, including social media Caring: communities and the environment Earning and saving money
|
Aspirations and goal setting Managing risk
|
Keeping safe Body Image Self esteem
|
All aspects of RSE/Health Education will be taught at an age appropriate level in a sensitive way. Parents have been informed of what their child will be taught, when it will be taught and how it will be taught. A Relationships and Health Education Policy was written in July 2020 to outline actions and guidance for the subject.
Impact
By teaching RSE and Health Education/SCARF, we will equip our children with positive behaviour, promote positive mental health, wellbeing, resilience and achievement, and will meet the Relationships and Health Education statutory requirements (2020).
There is now a proven link between pupils' health and wellbeing, and their academic progress. Crucial skills and positive attitudes developed through comprehensive Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE) at St. John’s will be critical to ensuring our children are effective learners. We recognise how important these skills and attitudes are in unlocking pupils' potential, helping to raise achievement and closing the gap in educational attainment.
SCARF provides a whole-school approach to building these essential foundations – crucial for children to achieve their best, academically and socially.