RSHE

Curriculum Statement of Intent

At Addmore Federation, we recognise that high-quality Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) is essential to pupils’ personal development, wellbeing, and safety. RSHE supports children to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to form positive relationships, manage emotions, stay healthy, and make informed decisions as they grow.

RSHE is made up of three interrelated components.

Relationships Education (Statutory)
Relationships Education supports pupils to develop healthy, respectful relationships. This includes learning about:
• diverse family structures
• stable and caring relationships
• recognising when family relationships are unsafe
• friendship, loneliness and inclusion
• respect, kindness and managing conflict
• bullying and derogatory language
• boundaries and privacy
• recognising emotional, physical and sexual abuse
• knowing how and where to report concerns
• understanding that abuse is never the child’s fault
• online safety and risks
• finical/scam risk online

Our curriculum positively represents the diversity of family structures experienced by pupils, including families with single parents, same-sex parents, grandparents, young carers, kinship carers, adoptive parents and foster carers. Teaching will promote respect for different family circumstances and ensure that no pupil is stigmatised because of their family background.

Relationships education will help pupils to understand respectful behaviours, personal boundaries, consent in age appropriate contexts, prejudice, sexual harassment and harmful behaviour. Teaching will emphasise that abuse, harassment and violence are never the fault of the person experiencing them.

Health Education (Statutory)
Health Education is the statutory terminology which includes and health and wellbeing. Health Education supports pupils to understand how to maintain their physical and mental wellbeing. This includes:
• General wellbeing
• Wellbeing online
• Physical health and fitness
• Healthy eating
• Drugs, alcohol, tobacco and vaping
• Health protection and prevention
• Personal safety
• Basic first aid
• Developing bodies
• Sleep
• Dental health
• Vaccination and immunisation
• Sun safety
• Germs and hygiene
• Healthy relationships with food.

There is no right of withdrawal from Health Education.

Sex Education (Non-Statutory)
Sex Education, where taught beyond the statutory science curriculum, is:
• Carefully planned and age-appropriate
• Delivered sensitively and inclusively
• Clearly communicated to parents and carers

In addition to the statutory curriculum, our school also chooses to deliver a Sex Education unit. This is taught in Year 5 and 6 through 1decision’s Conception topic and covers how babies are made in an age-appropriate, factual way. We believe it is important that children receive accurate, age-appropriate information in a safe environment – from a trusted adult, rather than from peers or online sources. Research shows that children who do not receive this information at school are more likely to turn to the internet, where content can be misleading, harmful or age-inappropriate. Our teaching is carefully planned, sensitive in its delivery, and gives pupils the opportunity to ask questions in a supportive setting. This is the only element of our RSHE provision from which parents and carers may request withdrawal.

Before we teach Sex education in the Autumn Term, letters will be sent home to parents/carers to share what is being covered in the topic, links to resources, information about withdrawal and invitation to parent information workshop.

There is no right of withdrawal from Relationships Education or Health Education. Any requests for withdrawal are managed sensitively, in line with statutory guidance, and in discussion with parents or carers to ensure the child’s wellbeing and educational needs remain central.

More details about what is covered in relationship topics for each year group can be found in our RHSE policy.

RSHE is taught as part of the school’s planned PSHE curriculum and is delivered regularly across the academic year, using 1decision as its principal RSHE curriculum programme . Lessons are taught by class teachers and are timetabled within the school week, ensuring consistent and age-appropriate coverage for all pupils. It is a ‘spiral programme’ which introduces new and more challenging learning, while building on what has gone before, which reflects and meets the personal developmental needs of the children and young people. It takes a positive approach which does not attempt to induce shock or guilt but focuses on what children and young people can do to keep themselves and others healthy and safe and to lead happy and fulfilling lives.

RSHE is delivered using the 1decision programme, which:
• Meets statutory Relationships and Health Education requirements
• Provides a progressive, story-led curriculum
• Supports curriculum sequencing and progression
• Includes teacher guidance and assessment opportunities

RSHE is taught regularly and reinforced through cross-curricular links, including:
• Science (statutory elements)
• Computing (online safety)
• Assemblies and whole-school themes

Each year, pupils will complete units of work based on:
Keeping/Staying Safe
Keeping/staying healthy
Relationships
Being responsible
Feelings and Emotions
Computer safety
Our World – keystage 1 only
Hazard watch – keystage 1 only
Fire safety
Growing and changing – Upper keystage 2 only
The working world – keystage 2 only
A world without judgement – keystage 2 only

1Decision also offers a parent portal, where you will find an introduction to the 1decision resources and how they can support your child. www.1decision.co.uk/resources/parent-carer-zone

We believe that RSHE education plays a vital part in primary education so, as well as discrete lessons, it is embedded throughout the curriculum and whole school events. Enabling children to develop their sense of self-worth by encouraging them to play a positive role in contributing to school life and the wider community.