Relationships, Health & Sex Education (RHSE) 

Intent

In RSHE we aim for all of our children to have an awareness of themselves and others within relationships and use these characteristics to support them in all areas of their lives. We endeavour to inspire a sense of curiosity in our children and develop their enthusiasm for RSHE, recognising that the skills and knowledge they learn through RSHE can be used to have a positive impact on God’s world around them.

To be able to be aware of themselves and others within relationships, children will need to build up the skills, knowledge and understanding of RSHE.  They will need to understand and use the language of RSHE and apply these RSHE skills and knowledge across the curriculum, making connections both within RSHE and across other subjects too.
 

Implementation

The outcomes for RSHE set out in the statutory guidance: Relationships Education, Relationships Education and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education are: 

Families and people who care for me
Pupils should know:

• that families are important for children growing up because they can give love, security and stability
• the characteristics of healthy family life, commitment to each other, including in times of difficulty, protection and care for children and other family members, the importance of spending time together and sharing each other’s lives
• that others’ families, either in school or in the wider world, sometimes look different from their family, but that they should respect those differences and know that other children’s families are also characterised by love and care
• that stable, caring relationships, which may be of different types, are at the heart of happy families, and are important for children’s security as they grow up
• that marriage represents a formal and legally recognised commitment of two people to each other which is intended to be lifelong
• how to recognise if family relationships are making them feel unhappy or unsafe, and how to seek help or advice from others if needed

Caring friendships
Pupils should know:

• how important friendships are in making us feel happy and secure, and how people choose and make friends
• the characteristics of friendships, including mutual respect, truthfulness, trustworthiness, loyalty, kindness, generosity, trust, sharing interests and experiences and support with problems and difficulties
• that healthy friendships are positive and welcoming towards others, and do not make others feel lonely or excluded
• that most friendships have ups and downs, and that these can often be worked through so that the friendship is repaired or even strengthened, and that resorting to violence is never right
• how to recognise who to trust and who not to trust, how to judge when a friendship is making them feel unhappy or uncomfortable, managing conflict, how to manage these situations and how to seek help or advice from others, if needed

Respectful relationships
Pupils should know:

• the importance of respecting others, even when they are very different from them (for example, physically, in character, personality or backgrounds), or make different choices or have different preferences or beliefs
• practical steps they can take in a range of different contexts to improve or support respectful relationships
• the conventions of courtesy and manners
• the importance of self-respect and how this links to their own happiness
• that in school and in wider society they can expect to be treated with respect by others, and that in turn they should show due respect to others, including those in positions of authority
• about different types of bullying (including cyberbullying), the impact of bullying, responsibilities of bystanders (primarily reporting bullying to an adult) and how to get help
• what a stereotype is, and how stereotypes can be unfair, negative or destructive
• the importance of permission-seeking and giving in relationships with friends, peers and adults

Online relationships
Pupils should know:

• that people sometimes behave differently online, including by pretending to be someone they are not
• that the same principles apply to online relationships as to face-to-face relationships, including the importance of respect for others online including when we are anonymous
• the rules and principles for keeping safe online, how to recognise risks, harmful content and contact, and how to report them
• how to critically consider their online friendships and sources of information including awareness of the risks associated with people they have never met
• how information and data is shared and used online

Being safe
Pupils should know:

• what sorts of boundaries are appropriate in friendships with peers and others (including in a digital context)
• about the concept of privacy and the implications of it for both children and adults; including that it is not always right to keep secrets if they relate to being safe
• that each person’s body belongs to them, and the differences between appropriate and inappropriate or unsafe physical, and other, contact
• how to respond safely and appropriately to adults they may encounter (in all contexts, including online) whom they do not know
• how to recognise and report feelings of being unsafe or feeling bad about any adult
• how to ask for advice or help for themselves or others, and to keep trying until they are heard,
• how to report concerns or abuse, and the vocabulary and confidence needed to do so
• where to get advice, for example family, school or other sources

How we plan for progression in RSHE at St Gregory’s:
The St Gregory’s Curriculum is designed around year group themes. Each has been structured and sequenced in order to engage pupils in purposeful learning by building on prior knowledge and helping connect knowledge, understanding and skills year-on-year both within RSHE and across other subjects too.

RSHE lessons are taught discretely, by class teachers and are timetabled in across the year over six different weeks. Curriculum time is given from RE, PSHE and Science too as RSHE is closely linked to all of these subjects. 

We recognise that the foundations for our children having an awareness of themselves and others within relationships are laid in the Early Years Foundation Stage through all seven strands of the Early Years Framework. These are seen particularly in Personal, Social and Emotional Development where children are supported to be ready for the next stage in their education.

Once children enter Y1, they work progressively towards the aims of the National Curriculum.  To ensure progression, the teaching team worked together to plan out curriculum coverage and then the subject leader identified the progression of skills and vocabulary required at each stage of learning to prepare children for the next stage in their learning.

RSHE Curriculum Coverage
Our RSHE Curriculum is delivered using the Ten:Ten Scheme of Work. It REYFS, KS1 and KS2 and is based on three core themes within which there will be broad overlap. It is adaptable to the age and ability of the pupils. The three themes are: 

• Created and loved by God (this explores the individual) The Christian imperative to love self, made in the image and likeness of God, shows an understanding of the importance of valuing and understanding oneself as the basis for personal relationships. 
• Created to love others (this explores an individual’s relationships with others) God is love. We are created out of love and for love. The command to love is the basis of all Christian morality. 
• Created to live in community – local, national & global (this explores the individual’s relationships with the wider world) Human beings are relational by nature and live in the wider community. Through our exchange with others, our mutual service and through dialogue, we attempt to proclaim and extend the Kingdom of God for the good of individuals and the good of society. 

Each theme covers the core strands of ‘Education in Virtue’ and ‘Religious Understanding’ as well as strands which cover the RSHE content of the theme. 
Here is the Yearly Overview:

This is an example yearly plan for EYFS:

RSHE Progression of skills
The following progression interrogate the skills, knowledge and techniques required in each phase, considering age appropriate development and ensures progression is enabled through careful and informed planning.
 

RSHE Progression of Vocabulary
Vocabulary, at an age appropriate level, is paramount to the children’s understanding and ability to articulate their intent and enable questioning. It is, therefore, a key consideration in RSHE planning.  Key subject vocabulary is introduced at the appropriate time, building on prior knowledge. Key vocabulary is evident on individual lesson plans devised by Ten:Ten. 

 See RSHE vision 2022 for more information