Our RSHE curriculum aims to ensure all pupils understand and value the diversity of relationships, families, sexualities and gender identities within our school, community and society. We recognise all loving, consensual relationships as equal and valid, and we teach pupils to treat all people with dignity and respect.

In line with DfE expectations, Relationship Education focuses on the fundamental building blocks of positive relationships, including friendships, family relationships, and relationships with peers and adults. Our intent is to equip pupils with a secure understanding of the world they are growing up in, recognising similarities and differences between themselves, their peers and their families. This is rooted in our school values of courage, respect and compassion.

Using the PSHE Association’s question-based programme of study, we aim to develop pupils’:

• physical and emotional health
• ability to stay safe
• social and communication skills
• capacity to build healthy, fulfilling relationships
• respect for difference
• resilience, self-awareness and confidence
• sense of responsibility and citizenship
• knowledge of British Values and their importance in society

Our curriculum supports pupils to make informed choices, manage their feelings, and contribute positively to their community.

As a Church of England school, our RSHE teaching is grounded in a Christian vision of human flourishing, particularly the principle of “love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31). Pupils explore how dignity, respect and kindness guide healthy relationships in every context. We follow the Church of England Charter for faith-sensitive and inclusive RSHE.

RSHE is delivered by class teachers who know their pupils well, understand their needs and vulnerabilities, and can create a safe, trusted environment for sensitive discussion. Safeguarding is embedded throughout the curriculum. We ensure pupils secure the essential foundational knowledge, beginning in Early Years, that enables them to build increasingly complex understanding over time, so that the curriculum is coherently sequenced, cumulative, and helps all children know more and remember more.

Teachers use information such as the Growing Up in North Yorkshire survey and local police briefings to address relevant contextual issues including online safety, criminal exploitation, and discrimination.

The curriculum is structured around three core themes:

1. Health and Wellbeing
2. Relationships
3. Living in the Wider World

Additional features include:

• Strong emphasis on mental wellbeing, linking to the NHS Five Steps to Wellbeing
• Some factual RSHE content taught through Science and Computing
• Weekly timetabled lessons with clear objectives
• Flexibility to address emerging issues or pupil concerns
• Access to the nurture room and opportunities for individual discussion

Parents are invited to view materials in advance.

Relationship Education is statutory; however, parents may request withdrawal from non‑statutory Sex Education. The Headteacher meets with parents to discuss requests and outline the benefits of the curriculum.

Pupils will:

• understand and respect different types of families and relationships
• understand a range of religious and cultural perspectives on relationships
• build healthy, respectful relationships online and offline
• understand their bodies and how to care for them
• recognise the emotional and physical changes of puberty
• express feelings appropriately and manage emotions
• keep themselves safe, including online
• understand consent and how to report concerns
• be confident, respectful members of school and society
• understand lawful behaviour and their responsibilities as future citizens
• develop moral courage and global awareness, acting as advocates for positive change

We maintain high expectations for RSHE, equivalent to other curriculum areas. Learning builds progressively on prior knowledge. Teachers use questioning, discussion and feedback to check understanding, deepen thinking and identify pupils requiring additional support. Lessons are planned so all pupils can access the curriculum and experience challenge. Assessment informs next steps in teaching and support.

Impact is monitored through:

• pupil voice and questionnaires
• lesson observations
• analysis of the Growing Up in North Yorkshire survey
• behaviour and safeguarding patterns
• pupils’ ability to articulate their needs, feelings and viewpoints
• engagement with local and global issues

To embrace the challenges of leading a happy and successful adult life, pupils need knowledge that enables them to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships, and to build their self‑efficacy. They should also be able to apply this knowledge as they develop the capacity to make sound decisions when facing risks, challenges and complex situations. Everyone encounters difficult moments in life, and these subjects support young people to build resilience, recognise when they need help, and know how and where to access support.

We have three core themes: Health and Wellbeing, Relationships, and Living in the Wider World.

What are we planning to teach?

In primary school, Relationships Education and Health Education are statutory. Parents cannot withdraw their child from these subjects.

The DfE guidance (p.23) states that the National Curriculum for Science includes:

• External body parts
• How the human body grows from birth to old age (including puberty)
• Reproduction in plants and animals

It also states that pupils should be prepared for:

• The physical and emotional changes of adolescence
• Understanding how a baby is conceived and born, drawing on the science curriculum

Therefore, sex education covers puberty, conception, reproduction, and birth.

• Puberty is statutory under Health Education and Science (no right to withdraw).
• Reproduction and birth are statutory under Science (no right to withdraw).
• The only element parents may withdraw from is conception, as this sits outside statutory content.

Parents may request to withdraw their child from non-statutory Sex Education, but cannot withdraw them from:

• Relationships Education
• Statutory Science content
• Statutory Health Education

Parents are welcome to view teaching resources and discuss concerns with staff.

Before agreeing to a withdrawal, the headteacher will meet with parents to:

• Understand their concerns
• Explain the purpose and importance of the curriculum
• Outline the potential impact of withdrawal, including social or emotional effects and the possibility of children receiving inaccurate second-hand information from peers

If a child is withdrawn, the school will provide appropriate alternative learning during those sessions.