Relationships, Sex and Health Education
What is RSHE and what do pupils learn?
RSHE stands for Relationships, Sex and Health education.
Relationships and Health education has been compulsory for pupils in primary education since September 2020 and comprises of two distinct areas:
- Relationships
- Physical health and mental wellbeing
The new Relationships and Health Education curriculum is designed to:
- Help all children grow up healthy, happy and safe
- Give all children the knowledge to make informed decisions about their wellbeing, health and relationships
- Support all children to manage the challenges and opportunities of modern Britain
- Prepare all children for a successful adult lives
What will Relationships Education cover?
The Relationships part of the curriculum will teach learners what they need to know to build positive and safe relationships:
- With family
- With friends
- Online
They will explore:
- What is a relationship?
- What is friendship?
- What is family?
- Who can they look to for support?
By the time your child finishes primary school, they will have been taught about the following in Relationships Education:
- Family and people who care for them
- Caring friendships
- Respectful relationships
- Online relationships
- Being safe
What will Physical Health and Mental Wellbeing Education cover?
The physical health and mental wellbeing part of the curriculum will teach our learners how to:
- Make good decisions about their own health and wellbeing
- Recognise issues in themselves
- Recognise issues in others
- Seek support as early as possible when issues arise
By the time your child finishes primary school, they will have been taught about the following in Physical health and mental wellbeing:
- Mental wellbeing
- Internet safety and harms
- Physical health and fitness
- Healthy eating
- Facts about drugs, alcohol and drugs and the risks associated with them
- Health and prevention of illness
- Basic first aid
- Changes to the adolescent body
Isn't that the role of parents and carers?
As a parent/carer, you teach your child important lessons about:
- Healthy relationships
- How to look after themselves
- Staying safe
Our curriculum respects and values what you teach your child. What we teach will complement and reinforce what you teach. To make sure this happens we:
- Must teach in a way that is appropriate for a child's age and development stage
- Must teach in a way that is sensitive to the needs and religious backgrounds of the children we serve
- Must consult you as a parent when developing and renewing our policies on Relationships and Health Education
- Must publish our policies on Relationships and Health Education online, and make them available to you free of charge
Can I withdraw my child from the Relationships and Health Education Curriculum?
You cannot withdraw your child from any part of the Relationships and Health Education curriculum. It is important for ALL learners to be taught the content on such essential matters like friendships and keeping safe. However, there are separate rules on withdrawing a child from Sex Education.
What is Sex Education?
There is no legal requirement for schools to teach sex education, but the government has recommended children learn about some key areas before they leave primary school.
The DfE recommends that, “all Primary schools should have a sex education programme tailored to the age and the physical and emotional maturity of the pupil. It should ensure both boys and girls are prepared for the changes that adolescence brings and – drawing on knowledge of the human life cycle set out in the National Curriculum for Science – how a baby is conceived and born” (RSE & Health Education Guidance, 2019)
Can I withdraw my child from Sex Education?
Sex education is separate from the Relationships and Health curriculum. You can withdraw your child from some aspects of Sex Education.
Any request to withdraw your child from these aspects should be made in writing, yet before doing so we would encourage you to:
- Ask about what will be taught in Sex Education, and when
- Remember that the science curriculum includes content on human development, (which includes human reproduction) and that there is no right for a parent to withdraw their child from the science curriculum.
Our last RSE Policy consultation took place in July 2024.
