The Department for Education has announced changes to relationships and sex education (RSE).
The Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019, made under sections 34 and 35 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017, make Relationships Education compulsory for all pupils receiving primary education and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) compulsory for all pupils receiving secondary education. They also make Health Education compulsory in all schools except independent schools. Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) continues to be compulsory in independent schools.
This means that all children will be required to receive Relationships Education in Primary and Secondary School. For all schools, Sex Education as part of the science curriculum remains the same. Sex Education as part of RSE for primary is not compulsory, however schools may choose to deliver this as part of a timetabled PSHE programme.
These
changes have begun to come into effect from September 2020 and all schools will
be required to comply with the updated requirements.
Much of this
already underpins everything we do as a school.
Relationships is a key element of our school ethos and is built into our
entire curriculum.
Throughout
lockdown you all joined in many parts of our RSE curriculum through Gospel Liturgies,
RE lessons and weekly Statements to Live by sessions.
In light of
these changes to requirements for relationships and sex education (RSE), we are
now consulting with parents, governors and staff on how we can make sure that
our updated RSE curriculum that has been in place this year meets the new
requirements as well as the needs of our pupils.
We have
worked carefully to make sure that this reflects:
● Our
pupils’ age and maturity levels
● The values
of our schools
● Every
pupil’s learning needs
● What
pupils need to know to be healthy and safe in school, in their personal
relationships and in the wider world
All of our
RSE documents are available on our website and are available in paper format
from the school office. The following document may also be of use to you:
Relationships Education – Department for Education Guideline.
We propose to continue to use “A Journey in Love” which is a recommended scheme we have been successfully using and is approved by the diocese. It has been written as a progressive scheme of work that supports our schemes of work for RE, PSHE and Science. “A Journey of Love” focuses on friendship, family, community, relationships and spirituality and will support the children’s development as young Catholics in the 21st century. The content of the scheme of work is age appropriate and will be taught with sensitivity taking into account the children’s level of maturity in regard to the delivery of lessons. “A Journey in Love” guide for parents can be found on the website. Teaching materials are also available upon request.
Comments from parents on our RSE curriculum are welcome. Please submit your comments via the form on the website. Click on the link below to access this form.