Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education

Intent

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

Looking after things: friends, environment, money

Keeping my body healthy –food, exercise, sleep

Growth Mindset

Cycles

Life stages

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

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

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

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

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

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.