Relationships education has been compulsory for pupils in Primary Schools since September 2020, while secondary schools are required to teach students relationships and sex education (RSE). Health education is now compulsory in all schools too.
- For our primary pupils, Relationships and Health Education puts in place the key building blocks for healthy, kind, and respectful relationships. We focus on families, friendships, and how to stay safe in all contexts—including managing personal boundaries, online safety, and physical risks out and about (such as road and water safety). This sits alongside an essential understanding of physical health, emotional wellbeing, and teaching children how to recognise and articulate their feelings. As part of our early safeguarding practice, we teach children the correct biological terminology for their bodies. In line with the Department for Education’s recommendations, we provide a non-statutory sex education programme tailored specifically to the age and emotional maturity of our older pupils in Years 5 and 6. This curriculum ensures both boys and girls are prepared for the changes adolescence brings. It builds seamlessly on the human life cycle lessons from the National Curriculum for Science (such as biological reproduction, conception, and birth).
- For our secondary pupils, the curriculum builds on prior learning to deepen their understanding of physical and mental health. We place a strong focus on managing risk, including the facts and legal consequences surrounding drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, alongside the impact of social media and online environments on emotional wellbeing and body image. Our curriculum introduces knowledge about intimate relationships and sex, focusing on what constitutes a positive, healthy, and mutually respectful partnership. This includes comprehensive education on the law regarding consent, standard sexual health, and contraception.
In strict accordance with the Department for Education’s age-appropriate guidance, complex and sensitive topics—such as the impact of explicit online content, sexual harassment, and online harms (including deepfakes and the sharing of imagery)—are strictly gated and only introduced to older pupils when they reach the appropriate age and maturity.
Below is an overview of the curriculum we teach. Parents are welcome to ask any questions about how we deliver the content and the resources we use. Consent for teaching sex education is obtained from parents of primary aged pupils before sessions are delivered.
We would be happy to discuss any queries you may have regarding our the PSHE or RSHE curriculum. Please contact school reception on 0161 509 2368 asking for Emma Cunha.
